This week, we will be continuing our investigation of winter and snow. Children will be taking turns 'touch reading' the story "In the Winter" (it is written out on large sentence strips and they will also be bringing home their own copies to share with you). When children 'touch read' they touch each word with a pointer as they say it. This helps them understand that each sentence is made up of a number of words. It also encourages correct directionality (left to right) , proper word order and the tracking of print. The reading strategies that we are focusing on currently are using picture clues and the beginning sounds of words.
Our 'shared reading' or 'big book' this week is called "The Snow". We are focusing on making connections (text to text, text to self and text to the world) and identifying sight words.
Writing activities include recording winter words, writing about our favourite winter sports and, of course, practicing our first and last names.
We will be working on subtraction as a large group, as well as in our small groups. Some will use manipulatives (snowmen counters ) to figure out the solutions, others will do it on their fingers, and some in their heads! Please be sure to try some at home.
Our artwork this week is a painted 'blizzard' on canvas...Markus, Adrienne, Jeremie and Abasiofon finished theirs today and they look amazing!
We have a few science experiments on the go, as well. Ask your son or daughter about the Paperwhite Narcissus (thanks to Mrs. Erola) we planted on Thursday! The kids were very excited to plant the bulb and they loved the 'puck' that magically turned into soil when we added warm water! Lots of 'mucking about' by everyone! We then drew what we observed, discussed what plants need in order to live and figured out where the best spot to put our growing flower would be. Watch for photos...coming soon. This week we will also be investigating whether snow is clean, or not....
AT HOME READING
Thanks so much to everyone for getting our At Home Reading Program off to such a great start. The repetitive nature of the books promotes reading success, which in turn, builds confidence in our young readers. Keep it up and keep it fun!
SCHOLASTIC BOOK ORDERS
Book order forms were sent home today and are due back by Friday, January 21st.
LOCK DOWN
A pink note explaining board 'lockdown' procedure/practise was also sent home today. Our class will miss the school-wide morning drill, but we will have our own practise so all the children are comfortable and know what to do. I explained it in simple terms without going into detail about 'why' a lock down might occur (to avoid any unnecessary anxiety).
SHOW AND SHARE
Our January Show and Share continues to be a big hit! The kids love listening to the clues and trying to figure out what is in the box. We are now learning how to 'tally' the number of guesses. Today, Kyle guessed Abbey's 'surprise' after the first clue! Nice work, Kyle (and great clue, Abbey!).
SUPPLIES
Our class is getting very low on Ziploc freezer bags (we use a lot!). If you are able to send in another box, it would be much-appreciated. Thank you.
POSTING RESPONSES
Please add your comments to the blog site! As always, I am eager to hear from all of our parents, grandparents, caregivers and friends. And, we're always looking for new ideas (crafts, great books, science experiments), too. Please join in.
Have a great week!
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