Happy Groundhog's Day

 A look at our learning...

Fundations: we have begun Unit 3, which will mainly focus on learning to "tap out" 3-4 letter words quickly when reading and writing.  We will also begin learning "trick words."  Trick words are words that can't be "tapped out" and are words we have to "just know" or memorize.  They are important words, as they are ones that will show up often in books as they are becoming readers.  In your Fundations parent packet there are "trick word" flash cards.  I encourage you to cut these out and place in a baggie to practice often.  I have included these words in our spelling words for the rest of the year.  Meaning, when it is the week in Fundations for us to learn a particular "trick word," I will make sure it is also one of our new spelling words that week.  That way you aren't practicing additional words.  That being said, you do not have to wait until that week to start practicing the other words with your child!  The more you practice, the better they get! 

Please check your child's Take Home Folder for their end of Unit 2 assessment to see what areas they did well on and if there are any areas you may need to practice at home.

Shared Reading: we read the poem "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and read the Big Book What is at the Zoo? to help us practice our new spelling words and build on our bank of reading strategies to try when we come to an unknown word.

Next week's spelling words:

said

on

Writing Workshop: Since we have moved to new writing paper with more lines to encourage more details, our lessons have focused on how to write more detail.  We are learning about a resource called the Story Hand. 

Here is a quick explanation of the Story Hand:

1. Heart-choose a topic that is close to your heart (then it is easier to add more detail)

2. Characters (girl and pig)-tell who is in your story

3. Setting (barn)-where your story takes place.  For example: "I went to Target with my mom." This includes who is in the story and where it took place.

4. 3 details (1, 2, 3)-we are moving beyond one sentence.  For example: "I went to Target with my mom.  I got a new Lego set and my mom got food and we got a hot chocolate"  

Adding more detail is something that will take some time and we will work on for quite awhile.

Math: we began Unit 5.  Please see the handout in your child's Friday Folder to see what your child will be learning over the course of this unit and how to help extend their learning at home. 

Groundhog's Day: we had fun learning about this special day!  We are excited that the groundhog did not see his shadow and spring is on the way! I sure hope he's right!

January Packmate of the Month: yay Evelyn! She was chosen, by her peers, as our January Packmate of the Month! We celebrated her and the other winners at an assembly this week.

100th Day of School: a reminder that 100th day collections are due from ALL STUDENTS no later than Friday, February 9th.  This is a great way to practice counting by 1's, 10's and talk about capacity!  So many math skills!  The 100th day of school is on Monday, February 12th and we are so excited to celebrate this fun-filled day!  Start thinking on what your child will wear if you haven't already!  Can't wait to see them dressed up as 100 year olds!  It's always one of the most fun days of the school year! 

School day things...