December 15th - December 19th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we practiced retelling several stories we read. We read several holiday books to practice this skill. Ask your child which one they enjoyed the most.

Alphabet: We focused on the sounds the letters Jj, Xx, Ww, Zz & Qq, make.  When we come back from Christmas break we will be focusing on vowel sounds and how they are the glue that sticks words together. 

Writing:  This week we finished publishing our narrative stories! We also shared these stories with our fourth grade reading buddies. They were pretty impressed!  Look for these stories to come home after Winter Break.

Math: We finished our addition and subtraction unit.  I assessed your child on addition and subtraction word problems, as well as how fluently they could solve addition and subtraction facts 0 through 5.  We will revisit this skill next quarter as well.

Theme: Your child has created and wrapped a Christmas present for you all to enjoy.  I hope you enjoy them as much as your kiddo did making them! They all turned out super cute!

Data Sheets

I placed another data sheet inside your child’s take home folder.  It shows you which addition and subtraction facts (0 through 5) your child knows fluently.  They are considered fluent when they can solve them consistently, accurately, and with speed. Any additional time you can spend with your child practicing these facts will greatly help them! Thanks for all your support.

Assessments

These last two weeks I have been super busy assessing your child on reading, alphabet, and math skills.  Feel free to look at the data sheets inside your child’s take home folder to see the progress your child has made this quarter.  Over Winter Break I will be adding this information into Mastery Connect.  The information on Mastery Connect can sometimes be tricky to understand. I would recommend using the data sheets inside of the take home folder to help you see the skills your child has mastered and ones they need further practice on. Also, I am always available to answer questions!    

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

Review Week

Previous words:

said, are, got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go During Winter break I plan on uploading pictures of the Holiday Party onto the classroom blog. Click on the Classroom Pictures tab to see some of the fun things we did.

Dates to Remember

December 20^th-January 4^th: Winter Break

January 12^th: Report Cards Go Home

December 8th - December 12th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned how to summarize stories we read. We practiced summarizing several holiday books.  Ask your child which one they enjoyed the most.

Alphabet: We focused on the sounds the letters Cc, Ee, Yy, Dd, & Uu make.  We also learned that the letters Cc, Ee, and Uu have three sounds and the letter Yy has four sounds!

Writing:  We continued to learn how to publish our narrative stories.  We made sure that they had a beginning, middle, and end.  We also made sure that we had correct spaces, capitalization, and punctuation.  When we had all parts, we created a cover to go with our story!

Math: During math this week, we were very busy.  We continued to practice the difference between addition and subtraction story problems.  We also solved number bond problems (example: _+_ =5). Number bonds are a challenging concept.  Practice his skill with your child.

Theme: We finished our unit on gingerbread.  We decorated our own gingerbread man using real candy and then wrote words to describe it.  We taste tested gingerbread cookies and created a graph using the data. We also conducted a science experiment asking the following question: “Why didn’t the gingerbread man want to get wet?” Ask your child what happened!

Classroom Pictures

I have uploaded even more pictures onto our classroom blog. Click on the Classroom Pictures tab to see some of the fun things that have been going on in our classroom.

Holiday Party

Our Holiday Party is scheduled for December 19^th at 9:00. Here is the tentative schedule for that morning:

9:00-9:20 Snack in the Commons

9:25-10:30 Games and Craft in the Classroom

10:30-10:45 Cleanup and Quiet Time

10:45-11:30 Tiger Pride Assembly

Come and enjoy the fun!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

said & are

Previous words:

got, get, it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Ronald McDonald House

Mrs. McKinney’s class is collecting items for the Ronald McDonald House, and I want our class to help! Here is a list of items that you can donate to help this great program:

Magic Erasers         

Snack size food

Small Trash Bags        

Travel size toothpaste

K-cups (all varieties)     

Toilet Bowl Brushes

Clorox Wipes     

Furniture polish

Disinfecting/bleach spray cleaner

Dates to Remember

December 19^th: Holiday Party 9:00

December 19^th: Tiger Pride Assembly 10:45

December 19^th: Dismiss at 12:30

December 20^th-January 4^th: Winter Break

December 1st - December 5th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned a new strategy to help us read accurately.  Stretchy Snake reminds us to stretch the word out slowly and then put all the sounds together. We also practiced making words from the word families –ot & -et (examples: got, pot, spot, get, let, met, etc.).

Alphabet: We focused on the sounds the letters Ff, Rr, Kk, Bb, & Uu make.  We also learned that the letter Uu has more than one sound.

Writing:  We learned how to publish our narrative stories.  We made sure that they had a beginning, middle, and end.  We also made sure that we had correct spaces, capitalization, and punctuation.  When we had all parts, we created a cover to go with our story!

Math: During math this week, we continued to practice strategies to solve subtraction and addition word problems. We drew pictures and highlighted words to help us understand which of the problems were subtraction and which were addition.

Theme: We started a new unit on gingerbread.  We read several stories and retold them using pictures to help us remember the events.  We also created a Gingerbread Man class book.

Classroom Pictures

I have uploaded several pictures onto our classroom blog . Click on the Classroom Pictures tab to see some of the fun things that have been going on in our classroom. My plan is to update this section more frequently.  

Wish List Items

Here are just a few items that we could use inside our classroom:

Dry Erase Markers (thin & thick)

Unique Pencils

Cool Erasers

Special Markers

Glittery Pens

You all are always so generous! Thank you for helping our classroom run smoothly!

Ronald McDonald House

Mrs. McKinney’s class is collecting items for the Ronald McDonald House, and I want our class to help! Here is a list of items that you can donate to help this great program:

Magic Erasers         

Snack size food

Small Trash Bags         

Travel size toothpaste

K-cups (all varieties)      

Toilet Bowl Brushes

Clorox Wipes      

Furniture polish

Disinfecting/bleach spray cleaner

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn Words.

This week’s words:

got & get

Previous words:

it, on, had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

December 9^th: PTO Meeting 6:00

December 19^th: Holiday Party 9:00

December 19^th: Tiger Pride Assembly

December 19^th: Dismiss at 12:30

December 20^th-January 4^th: Winter Break

November 17th - November 21st

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned that great readers notice and find rhyming words. We also practiced naming words that rhyme while singing a silly song. Ask your child about the Have You Ever Seen song.

Alphabet: We focused on the sounds the letters Tt, Pp, Aa, Nn, & Mm. make. We also learned that the letter Aa has more than one sound.

Writing:  We really focused on having a beginning, middle, and end to our narrative stories. We also learned that good writers go back and read what they have written.

Math: During math this week, we learned and practiced different strategies to solve subtraction problems. Next week well will start solving subtraction word problems.

Theme: We started learning about Thanksgiving.  We read several books about the Pilgrims and pretended we were on the Mayflower.  We picked several items that we would want to take on the ship.  We created a fun suitcase craft using our ideas. Ask your child what they chose to take with them on their journey to America!

Cold Weather

Cold weather is here!  Please make sure your child is properly dressed for outside recess. We will go out every day as long as the weather is 32 degrees or above and the wind-chill is 25 degrees or above. There is a strong wind that blows across the playground.  Your child needs to have a jacket so they can enjoy recess comfortably!

Wish List Items

Here are just a few items that we could use inside our classroom:

• Dry Erase Markers (thin & thick)
• Unique Pencils
• Cool Erasers
• Special Markers
• Glittery Pens

You all are always so generous! Thank you for helping our classroom run smoothly!

Tiger Pride Assembly

Our Tiger Pride Assembly will be TUESDAY, November 25^th at 2:30. Parents are more than welcome to attend! You never know when your child might be recognized for good character, teamwork, academics, or improvement!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn words.

This week’s words:

it & on

Previous words:

had, has, he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

November 21^st: PTO Movie Night 6:30

November 25^th: 3D Movie for Fundraiser Prize 3:30-4:15

November 25^th: Tiger Pride (Tuesday)

November 26^th- 28^th: Thanksgiving Break

December 9^th: PTO Meeting 6:00

December 19^th: Holiday Party 9:00

December 19^th: Dismiss at 12:30

November 10th - November 14th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week in reading we were really busy. We introduced how to Read to Someone during Daily 5. Ask your child how to sit EEKK with a partner.  Also, we started learning the difference between vowels and consonants.  Soon we will be focusing on how good readers and writers know that there is at least one vowel in every word.

Alphabet: We focused on the sounds the letters Ll, Oo, Gg, & Hh make. We also learned that the letter Oo has more than one sound.

Writing:  We continued adding more details to our narrative stories to help our readers understand what happened. We really focus on having a beginning, middle, and end. Ask your child what he/she chose to write about.

Math: During math this week, we reviewed strategies to solve addition problems.  We also started solving word problems using pictures.

Theme: We continued learning about Veteran’s Day.  We brainstormed words that describe veterans. Your child chose one of the words to create a sentence (A veteran is…). Ask your child which word they chose. We also learned about the American flag. Ask your child how many stripes and stars are on our flag.

Cold Weather

Cold weather is here!  Please make sure your child is properly dressed for outside recess. We will go out every day as long as the weather is 32 degrees or above and the wind-chill is 25 degrees or above. There is a strong wind that blows across the playground.  Your child needs to have a jacket so they can enjoy recess comfortably!

Book-It

Last week, I sent home a note describing a wonderful program called Book-It. If your child reads 10 books then they get a FREE personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  To help your child read good fit books, I also sent home several paper books on your child’s reading level. Please read these books with your child and have them fill out the Reading Record.  Also, your child can visit Raz-Kids.com to access books on their level as well.

Website: www.raz-kids.com

User Name: Orchard1b

Happy Reading!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn words.

This week’s words:

had & has

Previous words:

he, do, look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

November 21^st: PTO Movie Night

November 25^th: Tiger Pride (Tuesday)

November 26^th- 28^th: Thanksgiving Break

December 9^th: PTO meeting 6:00

December 19^th: Holiday Party 9:00

December 19^th: Dismiss at 12:30

October 27th - October 31st

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned a new strategy to help us understand what we read.  We learned that good readers visualize.  Ask your child to tell you what visualizing is. We will focus on this comprehension strategy next week as well.

Alphabet: We focused on how to properly form the letters Pp, Yy, Cc, Aa, & Ss.  Ask your child which way they enjoyed practicing writing these letters the most (around the table, trace the big letter,  relay race, or creating a letter hat).

Writing:  We continued adding more details to our narrative stories to help our readers understand what happened. We also focused on capitalizing the beginning of our sentences. Ask your child what they chose to write about!

Math: During math this week, we started a new unit!  We are now learning how to add numbers to five. We will learn several strategies to solve addition problems (drawing pictures, using a number line, and punching the biggest number). By the end of kindergarten, your child will know these basic facts automatically, without using any strategy.

Theme: We continued our pumpkin unit. We carved our class pumpkin that we picked during our field trip and explored what was on the inside.  We also made a pumpkin craft using the seeds.  

Student Led Conferences

Thank you all so much for taking time to discuss your child’s progress.  I hope you found the Student Led format beneficial and it gave you insight into your child’s strengths and weaknesses.   I truly enjoyed meeting with all of you!

Book-It

Next week, I will send home a note describing a wonderful program called Book-It. If your child reads 10 books then they get a FREE personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  To help your child read good fit books, I will also send home several paper books on your child’s reading level. Please read these books with your child and have them fill out the Reading Record.  Also, your child can visit Raz-Kids.com to access books on their level as well.

Website: www.raz-kids.com

User Name: Orchard1b

Happy Reading!

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn words.

This week’s words:

he & do

Previous words:

look, in, like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

November 3^rd &4^th: No School

November 11^th: PTO Meeting

November 21^st: PTO Movie Night

November 26^th- 28^th: Thanksgiving Break

October 20th - October 24th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned two new strategies to solve tricky words.  We learned that good readers look at the pictures to get clues to solve words we don’t know and reread for understanding and fluency.  Ask your child about Eagle Eye and Reread Raccoon.

Alphabet: We focused on how to properly form the letters Zz, Jj, Gg, & Qq.  Ask your child which way they enjoyed practicing writing these letters the most (around the table, trace the big letter, or relay race).

Writing:  We continued writing narrative stories this week. This just means we are writing true stories about things we’ve done or things that have happened to us. We worked on adding more details to our stories to help our readers understand what happened.  Ask your child what they chose to write about.

Math: During math this week, I introduced another part of Math Daily 3 (Math with Someone). We learned a new number game that can be played with a partner called number war. We also started learning how to write, recognize, and make numbers 15-20.  Ask your child what is hanging from our ceiling to help us understand these numbers.

Theme: We continued our pumpkin unit.  We learned the life cycle of a pumpkin and created a pumpkin craft that is hanging in the hall. Next week, we will investigate what pumpkins have, can, and are. We will use the pumpkin we picked during our fieldtrip to investigate what is inside.

Student Led Conferences

Student led conferences will be October 28^th and 30^th. This style of conference gives your child an opportunity to show you firsthand what they have learned in the first quarter, what your child’s strengths are, and what skills they need to continue working on.   The room will be divided into several work centers.  Your child will take you to each center and demonstrate a specific skill they learned in class. At one of these centers, I will be privately presenting each of you with your child’s report card.  I will also discuss any achievements or concerns I have seen. I look forward to meeting with all of you!

Tiger Pride Assembly

Our second Tiger Pride Assembly is October 29th at 2:30.  Parents are more than welcome to attend! You never know when your child might be recognized for good character, teamwork, academics, or improvement!

Creating a Wonder Table

I sent home a letter on Monday requesting fall items to place on our Wonder Table.  These can be pumpkins, gourds, fall leaves, etc. These items will help us learn about observing, asking questions, and investigating answers.

Popcorn Words

Please practice reading, writing, and spelling our Popcorn words.

This week’s words:

look & in

Previous words:

like, and, a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

October 28^th & 30th: Student Led Conferences

October 29^th: Tiger Pride Assembly

November 3^rd &4^th: No School

October 13th - October 17th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week we learned a new strategy to solve tricky words.  We learned that good readers get their mouths ready and say the first sound in the word.  Ask your child about Lips the Fish.

Alphabet: We focused on how to properly form the letters Ii, Uu, Ww, & Xx.  Ask your child which way they enjoyed practicing writing these letters the most (around the table, trace the big letter, relay race, or creating a letter hat).

Writing:  We began writing narrative stories this week! This just means we are writing true stories about things we’ve done or things that have happened to us. We focus on “small moments,” so they chose one part of their day to write about. For example, writing about a roller coaster ride, rather than about their entire day at the theme park.

Math: During math this week, I introduced another part of Math Daily 3 (Math Technology). Ask your child what app they chose to work on independently while I met with individual or small groups. We also started learning how to write, recognize, and make numbers 15-19.  

Theme: Our theme this week focused on pumpkins.  This unit will last three weeks.  This week we read the book The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything. We practiced retelling the story using pictures and popsicle sticks.  Next week, we will learn the life cycle of a pumpkin and investigate what is on the inside of a pumpkin!

Fall Party

A HUGE “Thank You” to everyone who helped with the Fall Party on Friday! The kids loved everything!

Student Led Conferences

Student led conferences will be October 28^th and 30^th. This style of conference gives your child an opportunity to show you firsthand what they have learned in the first quarter, what your child’s strengths are, and what skills they need to continue working on.   The room will be divided into several work centers.  Your child will take you to each center and demonstrate a specific skill they learned in class. At one of these centers, I will be privately presenting each of you with your child’s report card.  I will also discuss any achievements or concerns I have seen. A sign up paper will be coming home last Friday. I would encourage you to send the note back quickly to ensure you get the time that fits your schedule the best. I look forward to meeting with all of you!

Rutledge Wilson Field Trip

On Friday, October 24^th we will be taking a field trip to Rutledge Wilson Farm. We will be participating in the fun activities there as well as going to a class about pumpkins and picking a class pumpkin out of the pumpkin patch! There will be more information coming home soon!

Popcorn Words

Popcorn words are words that “pop-up” a lot when we read. These are high frequency words that your child needs to be able to read automatically without using a strategy to figure them out.

This week’s words:

like & and

Previous words:

a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

October 24^th: Field Trip to Rutledge Wilson Farm

October 28^th & 30th: Student Led Conferences

October 6th - October 10th

What We Are Learning

Reading:  This week I reassessed students on letter recognition (upper & lowercase) and letter sounds. Look at the colored data sheets in your child’s take home folder to see how much progress your child has made so far!  I will use this information to organize students into small groups to individualize reading instruction. Next week I will start meeting with these small groups. We also learned that good readers reread for fluency, noticed patterns in books, and use pictures to help solve tricky words.

Alphabet: We focused on how to properly form the letters Bb, Dd, Mm, & Nn.  Ask your child how to tell the difference between a lowercase b & d. We also reviewed what sounds these letters make.

Writing:  We finished writing our three page books about ourselves! In these stories we practiced using the popcorn words we know in our writing, using words to match our pictures, using spaces between our words, and ending our sentences with a period. 

Math: During math this week, I introduced one part of Math Daily 3 (Math by Myself). Ask your child what activities they chose to work on independently while I met with individual or small groups. We also started learning how to write, recognize, and make numbers 11-20.  

Theme: Our theme this week focused on fire safety since it is fire safety month.  We brainstormed words that describe firefighters. Ask your child what word they chose to include in their sentence (A firefighter is ______.).

WOHE Shirts

Every Wednesday your kiddo is invited to wear their WOHE shirts! Let’s show our Willard pride!

Rutledge Wilson Field Trip

On Friday, October 24^th we will be taking a field trip to Rutledge Wilson Farm. We will be participating in the fun activities there as well as going to a class about pumpkins and picking a class pumpkin out of the pumpkin patch! There will be more information coming home soon!

Student Led Conferences

Student led conferences will be October 28^th and 30^th. This style of conference gives your child an opportunity to show you firsthand what they have learned in the first quarter, what your child’s strengths are, and what skills they need to continue working on.   The room will be divided into several work centers.  Your child will take you to each center and demonstrate a specific skill they learned in class. At one of these centers, I will be privately presenting each of you with your child’s report card.  I will also discuss any achievements or concerns I have seen. A sign up paper will be coming home on Friday. I would encourage you to send the note back quickly to ensure you get the time that fits your schedule the best. I look forward to meeting with all of you!

Popcorn Words

Popcorn words are words that “pop-up” a lot when we read. These are high frequency words that your child needs to be able to read automatically without using a strategy to figure them out.

This week’s words:

NONE (Review Week)

Previous words:

a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

October 24^th: Field Trip to Rutledge Wilson Farm

October 28^th & 30th: Student Led Conferences

September 29th - October 3rd

What We Are Learning

Reading:  We added the Word Work element to our Daily Five Literacy Café this week. Ask your child what their favorite Word Work activity is. Also, we learned that readers make text-to-text and text-to-self connections.

Alphabet: This week we focused on how to properly form the letters Ll, Tt, Kk, Hh, & Ff.  We learned that these letters are tall, and it is important to ALWAYS start at the top of the line when writing them.

Writing:  We started to write three page books this week! Your child is writing about a topic they know a lot about…themselves! We also continued to practice using the popcorn words we know in our writing, using words to match our pictures, using spaces between our words, and ending our sentences with a period. 

Math: During math this week, we continued to practice how to identify and write numbers 6-10. We rotated through several centers to practice these. Next week, I plan to use these math centers to set up a new and exciting math structure (Math Daily 3). Look for more information about this in future newsletters.

Theme: Our theme this week was inspired by the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. As a class, we created a large alphabet chart.  Then your child also had the opportunity to create their own. I sent home a blank alphabet chart on Wednesday. This is such a fun activity you can complete with your child! Enjoy!

Alphabet Charts

On Thursday I sent home a blank alphabet chart. Please work with your child to illustrate the alphabet chart! Students may draw, cut pictures out of magazines, use stickers, or glue/tape real objects onto the alphabet chart. This at home activity is designed to provide your child with letter sounds practice. Have fun and be creative! Our class can’t wait to see what you come up with. Please return your completed alphabet chart as soon as your family finishes it.

Rutledge Wilson Field Trip

On Friday, October 24^th we will be taking a field trip to Rutledge Wilson Farm. We will be participating in the fun activities there as well as going to a class about pumpkins and picking a class pumpkin out of the pumpkin patch! There will be more information coming home soon!

Fall Party

We will be having our first classroom party! Mrs. Johnson, our homeroom mom, sent home information about this fun filled day. It starts at 9:00. Come and enjoy the fun!

Popcorn Words

Popcorn words are words that “pop-up” a lot when we read. These are high frequency words that your child needs to be able to read automatically without using a strategy to figure them out.

This week’s words:

NONE (Review Week)

Previous words:

a, up, at, I, see, am, we, to, the, is, my, can, me, & go

Dates to Remember

October 8^th: Fundraiser Ends

October 10^th: Fall Party at 9 & Dismiss at 12:30

October 24^th: Field Trip to Rutledge Wilson Farm