Reading The students are still meeting in guided reading groups two to three times per week (except when testing). They have made great progress and are developing into very fluent readers! When listening to your child read each night, please do not tell them a difficult word until they have tried the following strategies:
Please also encourage your child to “read the punctuation.” The students do a great job when reminded. Again, asking questions about plot, summary, characters, etc. is a great way to help improve their comprehension. Your child may be moving from guided reading groups into literature circles soon. Once a certain level of fluency is achieved in a child’s reading, I move him/her into literature circles. There will be information letting you know of this happening. Writing The class and I will be working on writing friendly letters. They will choose a person to write to for the first letter. They will write it and then we will fix it together. We will not fix the spelling. The rest of the letters we do will be tied to the basal reader. However, please encourage your child to write a letter to a loved one or friend once in a while and go over it and actually send it out.
Valentine’s Day PartyOur Valentine’s Day party will be on Friday, February 13. It will begin at around 1:00. For Valentine’s Day the students will be celebrating with a Valentine card exchange and an ice cream sundae party. If your child is going to participate in the Valentine card exchange during our party, he/she must bring a positive Valentine card for everyone in the class. There are 24 students in our class. I will provide the ice cream for the sundaes. I am asking for volunteers to send in a topping to contribute to the sundae making. We will also need bowls/spoons for the sundaes. If you have a topping or bowls or spoons to send in, please send them in before-hand or bring them with you if you would like to join us. All parents/grandparents/younger siblings etc. are invited! Mrs. Showalter has volunteered to bring in an activity to do with the class. I usually don’t have any other activities planned, but, if you have an activity you would like to do with the class please call or write me a note and we will find time for you to come in.
Good Behavior Ski Day Tuesday, February 10 is the day our class is scheduled to go skiing at Crystal Mountain. The class will be leaving the school at or around 8:30 a.m. (Please try to be here on time!) and returning at around 3:00 p.m. Please be sure your child has all the necessary winter gear for the outside. It is also a good idea to pack extra mittens/gloves, socks, hat, and even snow pants (if possible). The kids can get pretty wet with all the spills and fancy maneuvers on the hills. Please also be sure your child wears socks that come over the ankles. Sweat pants are the best thing to wear under their snow pants. Please pack a generous lunch (unless ordering from the school) and a couple of snacks. For the volunteers, I will hand out passes and give a general description of the day before we leave for Crystal Mountain. It should be a fun and enjoyable experience for all.
Buddy ReadingEvery other Friday the students have been Buddy Reading with other students in the elementary. Our schedule for the rest of the year will be as follows:
Winter Break Monday, February 16th is our winter break. Please remember we will not have school on that day. |
