Week of December 5 - 9

Dear Parents,

What a great start to the month of December! The scholars and I had a glorious time this week creating “short a” sound words, cutting and pasting letters onto a card and reading the words they made (van, man, ran, fan, etc.).  We worked on Chapter 3 (Matching and Counting) in our math book and learned about “more” and “less” to count objects.  We also explored our five senses in order to observe the world around us with more accuracy.  Throughout the week, each scholar completed worksheets in a packet I put together for them. They all did a great job - please look for the completed packet when it comes home on Monday.  The students also made snowmen that will displayed in our front hallway this Holiday season.  Each child designed clothing, etc. for a snowman.  They are so cute! Enjoy!

Lessons This Week...

This week in phonics, we are moving past “short a” and onto “short i.” We will begin a new book in our phonics series, “Six Kids.” As such, we will be making words and playing rhyming games to get familiar with the sound. Accordingly, two of our spelling words this week have this sound - “fit” and “pin.”

Our sight words this week (the other two spelling words), “but” and “had,” will become very useful to us as our reading skills improve.  We will use the word “but” to show comparison and talk about “had” in terms of what we possess. *When you are studying the words with your scholar this week, pay special attention to how he/she writes the “b” and “d” in these words. We want to make sure they not only see the difference in the letters, but understand the different sounds attached to each.*

In math, we will be completing chapter 3 and taking our “test” on Friday. This week, we will be interacting with counters (small objects) to be able to see when things are more and/or less. 

I’m very excited for our science lessons this week. We are starting our Earth Science curriculum and will be discussing mountains, rivers/oceans, valleys, and deserts. As we learn a new concept each day, we will be creating a “scene” of landforms. I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Manner and Classroom Management

We spent some time last week learning about manners. Each scholar drew a picture about what he or she thought good manners looked like. I wrote their thoughts down and then each scholar came up with his or her own discipline strategy if he or she was ever in a situation where good manners were not being used.  They really understood the concept and challenged themselves with appropriate restrictions.  As the children are getting older, exploring the boundaries between classroom versus playground behavior, I think this new management strategy might hold them even more accountable for their actions.  

Also, based on the book How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath, on Monday we will be implementing another management strategy, too.  Each scholar will be given a jar (we are going to refer to it as their “bucket”) with a certain number of “drops” in it.  For every good action, students receive a “drop.” For every not so smart action (silly choices, I call them), a “drop” gets taken out.  Our goal is to have our bucket overflowing, for that just makes life all the better...

If you have any questions about either of these strategies, please do not hesitate to contact me. Ms. Diane knows all the ins-and-outs of this, too, if you need some clarification when you pick up your child in the evening.

Holiday Festivities

Santa Claus is coming to our farm on Wednesday, December 14th. We will also be having our Holiday party in class that afternoon. This time, we are going to do a lunchtime party. Details will be posted our our classroom clipboard this week.  

Our Winter Recital is on Friday, December 16th. Kindergarten, along with Ms. Melissa’s toddlers and Ms. Denise and Ms. Sandy’s Pre-Kindergartners, will be singing especially for you!  The concert starts at 2:30 p.m. in Room 2. 

Book Club

Okay, this isn’t a “club” per-se, but I still want to share with you books I think your children will enjoy... so here are some more books for you to peruse - - 

Whoops... first thing's first, though - don't just take my suggestions... as a parent of an emergent reader, you MUST buy this (includes lists of AMAZING titles - quality words, quality literature):  

The ABCs of Literacy: Preparing Our Children for Lifelong Learning by Cynthia Dollins, EdD

Okay, onto some suggestions...

How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors  by Joyce Sidman

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney 

Once a Mouse... by Marcia Brown

Dreams by Ezra Jack Keats

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Always Room for One More by Sorche Nic Leodhas 

We could be a club, though. I’ll come up with a catchy name...

As Always...

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to email me, stop by the classroom, talk to Ms. Diane, or leave a comment on our blog.  Please become a “follower” of our blog and “like” our school’s Facebook page, if you haven’t already done so.

Have a terrific week!

Mrs. Stuhr

... and Santa Claus visits on Wednesday, December 14th