Language Arts

     At this point in the year, we have made our way through the entire alphabet. We continue to study about letter sounds, but now it is about constant review. We are blending sounds together to both read and write words. We are also focusing on hearing the vowel sounds in words. I have introduced the idea of short and long vowels and we are in the beginning stages of learning to hear the difference. We continue to add new sight words to our reading and writing each week. Please make sure your child is practicing at home so they can read the words quickly and easily.

     We continue to talk about the characters, setting, and the problem/solution of stories we read. We are also asking questions about what we read, making predictions based on what we notice happening in a story, and putting the main events in order. These are all things you can practice with your child at home.

     This upcoming week I will be starting reading groups. Each child will begin bringing books home during the week to read with a grown-up. The books come home in a plastic ziploc to keep them protected. Children will have read the book at school before bringing it home. They are to keep the book overnight, read it multiple times, and then bring it back the next day. I will not send a new book home unless they have brought the old book back, so it’s very important to help your child bring their book back. As students get used to the routine of reading groups, and taking books to and from, I am hoping to have students bring books home every other day. When the first book goes home, please take the time to read the information in the Ziploc. It gives more information about how the system works and ideas on how to help your child read. Please make sure to help your child take care of the books. They are small, but expensive to replace since they come in sets. This means no eating or drinking around the books, storing them in a safe place, and keeping them in the ziploc when they are not being read. These books will be used for many years to come so it is vital that children take excellent care of them.

Math

     We are focusing on the numbers 11-20. We are reading, writing, making, counting, and comparing them. We continue to work on writing the numbers correctly. This month we have also begun to look at 3-D shapes. We are learning about cones, cylinders, spheres, cubes, and rectangular prisms. We discuss how many faces each shape has and what the faces look like. We are observing real objects that are the different 3-D shapes. We talk about which shapes can roll and/or slide.

Character

     The whole school is focusing on treating people and our school with respect. This means the way we take care of our school, the way we talk to each other, and the way we solve problems. In class, it means all of the above, but also being good listeners. This is not a new concept, but one we needed to review after winter break.

Expedition News

     We are all set to start our new expedition: Winter Matters! We will be spending the next few months learning about how winter effects our lives, how to have fun and stay safe in winter, and what kind of jobs people have specific to winter. We will study about weather, snow, and states of matter. We will learn about what happens to animals, and possibly plants, during the winter. Our crew will continue to read fiction stories centered around winter and introduce informational texts.

     This expeditions includes an adventure aspect, so just a heads up that there is a significant amount of field work. We kick things off this week with learning how to stay safe in the snow!

     ***The final book from our first expedition arrived this week. I was so excited about getting it done and sharing it with the kiddos that there are some editing issues. I will be sharing the copy that came with the class, but the final book to be donated to the school (and the one parents can order from Shutterfly if interested) won’t be ready for a few weeks.

Important Dates

January 23: field work, winter survival

January 28: report cards go home

January 30: field trip, Arts for the Schools

February 12: field work, cross-country skiing

February 18-22: Ski/skate week, no school

March 14: field work, cross-country skiing