• Trapp’s News 

    September 17, 2016

                 

    *        We are now reading stories & singing a song about making new friends (but keep the old!). This week at the Art Center the children cut, arranged, & glued to make a girl/boy picture. Their picture could represent them or a friend. On Friday everyone had a turn using water colors on their picture. Their pictures are awesome!! After we enjoy them hung in the room for awhile, I will send them home.

     

    *        Sight words I, can, & the have been introduced. If your child needs practice, please make sight word cards & say sentences using the words. Here is the link to locate the easy to print sight cards. (Wonders Reading Program ) You can also access a sentence game on the Wonders Site to help your child practice sight words.  The children played a dice game at the Letter & Sounds Center practicing I & can. This next week the game will include “the”.

     

    *        The children have practiced writing Mm’s & brainstorming words that begin with the sound /m/. We played on-line Wonders games that included words beginning & ending with the m sound.

     

    *        I am starting to call groups to my STAR table to guide & listen to children point & read. I have 4 levels of books which go with each week’s lesson. The pages are colorful & the stories focus on each week’s theme. These books cannot come home. However, you are able to access 3 of the levels on our Wonder’s web site. (Wonders Reading Program ) The books you will see are color coded: orange - Approaching Level, blue - On Level, & green – Beyond Level.

     

    *        The paper readers that are coming home focus on the sight word/s being introduced. Please observe your child & guide them on moving their finger left to right, top to bottom, and having 1-1 correspondence as they point and read.  You will be the judge on how often your child needs to practice reading in order to memorize the words. For a child who is already reading, these paper books could be used to reinforce spelling of the sight words. In addition, your child might enjoy coloring the books. This would be particularly good for some who need to improve on their fine motor skills (resting hand on paper, moving fingers/hand not arm, small strokes).

     

    *        The Home-School Connection reading homework is important to use with your child to reinforce Comprehension. This week our emphasis is on key details. Looking closely at the pictures & making a connection with the story is a very important skill to develop. After completing Unit 1 Weeks 1 – 3 a test will be given. Looking for details in pictures are very much a part of these tests & I feel this homework helped my students last year.

     

    *        The “Weekly Homework” (Unit 1 Week 1) I sent home has a Beginning Sounds activity. This also reinforces skills the children are tested on though they are given pictures & they listen for the same beginning, middle or ending sound.

     

    *        In Math it is exciting to see how well the children are writing their numbers! The poems for 1-5 are so helpful!! Probably the hardest # to write is #5. I tell the children that when they go around, they need to stick it out like Santa’s belly!

              Our new math chapter is focusing on comparing by counting & matching. I am encouraging the children to talk about what we are doing. If a child can talk about it, there is understanding & growth in math vocabulary. Here is the link to access comparing activities: Harcourt Go Math! . Here are 2 Mega Math games your child may enjoy:

     

               HMH Mega Math Country Countdown, Counting Critters, Level A

              HMH Mega Math Country Countdown, Harrison's Comparisons, Level A

     

    *        This week for Science the children explored using a magnifying glass, balance scale, & ruler with the following objects: small toy dogs, shells, plastic butterfly. After their exploration, they chose & colored the picture of their favorite tool & object. Many children made 100% but some had to make corrections due to not following directions.

     

    *        Class T-shirt money is due Friday. I will be out that day (going to my 45th high school reunion!). Try to send it by Thursday. If you forget, send it on Monday the 26th. Thanks!

     

    *        During Dismissal I am taking the children, who go to the Gathering Spot, a different way. I will no longer be walking along the front sidewalk. Instead, I will be coming across from the big covered basketball /PE area. Please be sure to meet us at the Gathering Spot. A sidewalk from the bridge is going to be poured shortly. That will be nice for all!

     

    *        Saylor went to Mexico & brought back maracas for her classmates! After showing a Brain Pop Jr. video on Mexico, each child got to choose one. Thank you, Saylor!