Phonics
In phonics the students have continued to practice reading and spelling words with blends. The students are currently learning about words with three-letter blends and digraph blends. Challenge your child to search for words with blends as they are reading and listening to books.
Ask your child to read and/or spell the following words:
-strap -script -thrill
-split -bench -shrunk
Before winter break we will begin to learn about silent e words!
Ask your child to read and/or spell the following words:
-strap -script -thrill
-split -bench -shrunk
Before winter break we will begin to learn about silent e words!
Daily 5
Listen to Reading provides pronunciation and expression models that can only come from hearing fluent and expressive examples. It is especially beneficial to young, reluctant readers. Hearing a book read aloud helps students see how the words on the page can come alive! Listening to books on CD can provide a wonderful opportunity for children to hear their favorite books read aloud again and again. In addition, the more they listen, the greater the likelihood that they will learn and, in turn, utilize new vocabulary words. The benefits of listen to reading are many, but one of the most important reasons we do listen to reading is because it is fun!!
Reading Workshop
Asking Questions Before, During, and After Reading
To increase their comprehension of text, the students have been practicing asking themselves questions before, during, and after reading. Readers who ask questions throughout the reading process are actively engaged and involved and thus tend to remember important details and information. While asking questions, readers are monitoring their comprehension. The students learned how to generate their own questions and discovered that not all questions will be answered.
Tuning In To Interesting Words
Another strategy we have been focusing on in reading workshop includes tuning in to interesting words. When students come across a word they find interesting and/or unfamiliar as they are listening to or reading a book, they should stop and think about what the word might mean. When students build word awareness and the understanding of words, they have the "thinking power" left in their brain to comprehend and make meaning of what is read. Students who tune in to interesting words will encounter and remember new words, thus expanding their vocabulary.
Writer's Workshop
In writer's workshop we have been focusing on accurately sequencing our small moments by including a clear beginning, middle, and end. Last week we began to discuss the importance of starting our stories with a bold beginning, developing a mighty middle, and crafting an excellent ending.
Bold Beginning - The students determined that authors need to get their reader's attention right away so the reader will be excited and want to keep reading! There are many different ways an author can begin his or her story. The three types of bold beginnings we discussed include identifying the when and where of the story (i.e. setting), beginning with a question, and starting with a sound. The students practiced writing bold beginnings for their own small moment stories. I was blown away by their creativity!!
Mighty Middle - A writer's mighty middle should include transition words that help to tell their story in the correct order. For example, first, next, then, after, finally, etc. A mighty middle also includes clear, specific details that help readers visualize what is happening in the story.
Excellent Ending - A writer must include an excellent ending that "stays in the moment" and ties the story together for their audience. While there are countless ways in which authors end their stories, we focused on four different types including tying it up with a thought or feeling, stating a lesson, ending with a surprise, and finishing with a laugh.
Bold Beginning - The students determined that authors need to get their reader's attention right away so the reader will be excited and want to keep reading! There are many different ways an author can begin his or her story. The three types of bold beginnings we discussed include identifying the when and where of the story (i.e. setting), beginning with a question, and starting with a sound. The students practiced writing bold beginnings for their own small moment stories. I was blown away by their creativity!!
Mighty Middle - A writer's mighty middle should include transition words that help to tell their story in the correct order. For example, first, next, then, after, finally, etc. A mighty middle also includes clear, specific details that help readers visualize what is happening in the story.
Excellent Ending - A writer must include an excellent ending that "stays in the moment" and ties the story together for their audience. While there are countless ways in which authors end their stories, we focused on four different types including tying it up with a thought or feeling, stating a lesson, ending with a surprise, and finishing with a laugh.
Math
This week we will finish our first topic on subtraction! The kiddos have been hard at work understanding how addition and subtraction are connected. Addition and subtraction have an inverse relationship. The inverse relationship between addition and subtraction can be used to find subtraction facts; every subtraction fact has a related addition fact. Research says that activities that emphasize part-part-whole relations help children see how addition and subtraction are related. The students have also learned this week that equal means the same. Students are familiar with fact families in which three numbers (two parts and a whole) are used to show two addition facts and two related subtraction facts. However, they may not recognize that "=" indicates a relationship in which the quantities on each side are equal. Accordingly, the students practiced identifying whether or not two quantities are equal. For example, 5-3 and 2 are equal, 7 and 5+1 are not equal.
Check out our equal means the same song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKrL4K4GGMM
Check out our equal means the same song! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKrL4K4GGMM