We had such a great Awards Ceremony today! We are so proud of all of our students and how hard they work through out each nine weeks. As promised for our "Million Word Campaign" reward, our principal, Mrs. Phillips was duct taped to the wall for two hours as she read a book!
Your child should be reading every night, logging in the title, level and whehter they liked the book or not.
Reading nightly is so important! Please read the following to truly understand it's importance:
Did you know one of the most prominent indicators of a successful reader is the amount of time spent actually reading? Let's figure it out -- mathematically!
Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!
Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes
Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.
Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.
Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year.
Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.
By the end of 6th grade if Student A and Student B maintain these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days.Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?
Some questions to ponder:
Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Contraction Action
Contraction Action
(Tune: The Hokey Pokey)
(Tune: The Hokey Pokey)
You pop some letters out!
To put apostrophes in!
You pop some letters out!
That's the way you must begin.
To do contraction action is as easy as can be!
Come on and dance with me! Oh Yeah!
We have been having a lot of fun learning about contractions in school! Here are some fun online games to play and learn more!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Synonys & Antonyms
We have been learning a lot about synonyms and antonyms in class this week! Here are some fun games that you can play at home to learn even more about synonyms (two words that mean the same) and antonyms (two words that are opposite).
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
We also have fun songs that we have been learning! Ask your child to sing them for you!
Game 1
Game 2
Game 3
We also have fun songs that we have been learning! Ask your child to sing them for you!
Synonyms Song
Sing to the tune of "Hush Little Baby"
Synonyms are the same,
Synonyms are the same.
Come, let’s play a matching game,
Sing two words that mean the same.
When I’m happy I am glad.
When I’m naughty I am bad.
If it’s large it’s also big.
A hog is also called a pig.
See me hurry, see me rush.
To be quiet means to hush.
If I want, I also wish.
A plastic bowl is still a dish.
Practice or repeat a song.
If you miss you’ve gone way wrong.
If you end you stop the game.
They have like meanings,
Much the same.
Synonyms, almost the same.
Synonyms, almost the same.
The Antonyms Song
Sing to the tune of “Shortnin’ Bread.”
We can find opposites, opposites, opposites.
We can call them antonyms here we go.
Top and bottom
Front and back
Happy and sad
Left and right
Up and down
LOUD and soft
Open and shut
Stand and sit
We can find antonyms, antonyms, antonyms.
We can call them opposites here’s some more.
She and he
Out and in
Stop and go
Boy and girl
Old and new
After and before
Below and top
First and last
We can find antonyms, antonyms, antonyms.
We can find antonyms way to go!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Hands On Children's Museum Field Trip
Last Friday, we went on our first field trip of the year to the Hands On Children's Museum. We had a blast! There are 15 exhibits the children could interact with. They could be a vet, firefighter, EMT, banker, server at a restaurant, Winn Dixie employee, an actor, a news reporter, and the list goes on! Enjoy our slideshow below of our fun-filled day!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Parts of a Plant
What are the parts of a plant and what do they do? Our super 1st grade scientists should be able to answer these questions! Here is a fun website to help them practice and remember parts of a plant.
Have fun Scientists!
Have fun Scientists!
Friday, October 7, 2011
Kevin Henkes
Dear Family,
We are studying the children’s author and illustrator, Kevin Henkes. Ask your child about the books that we have read (Chrysanthemum, Weekend with Wendall, Wemberly Worried, Owen, Sheila Rae, the Brave) by Kevin Henkes. Also ask them about the reading and writing strategy that we have been working on, called “making connections.”
We are trying to find answers to things we are wondering about Kevin Henkes. Below is a list of common wonderings, but ask your child about things that they wonder about Mr. Henkes. You might find information in the public library or on the Internet. This is not a mandatory assignment. Your child may enjoy searching for the information and bringing some of the answers to our questions in to share with classmates.
Things we wonder
Childhood
Ø Does Mr. Henkes have any brothers and sisters?
Ø Did Mr. Henkes have a pet mouse when he was a kid?
Ø Did Mr. Henkes like to read when he was a kid?
Family today
Ø Does Kevin Henkes have any children of his own?
Kevin Henkes, the author
Ø We know that Kevin Henkes writes about young children starting school. Does he ever write for anyone else?
Ø Where does Mr. Henkes get ideas for his stories?
Ø Are the stories Mr. Henkes writes from things that really happen to him?
Kevin Henkes, the artist
Ø Does Mr. Henkes draw anything except mice?
Ø Has Mr. Henkes ever won any awards?
Try some of these Internet resources:
http://kevinhenkes.com/ http://www.carolhurst.com
Library references: Talking About Artists by Pat Cummingham (ed), Simon and Schuster, 1995. Ask your Librarian about other references.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Pumpkin Patch Math
On Friday, we selected our center group 2 to perform "Pumpkin Patch Math" from our Dramatic Play Center. Since this group worked very well together these past two weeks, they were chosen to share the play with the class. Thank you Group 2 for an excellent puppet show!
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