Summer is here! Don't Stop Reading!!! How to avoid the Summer Slide

Research has shown that some students will lose up to 30% of academic achievement during the summer months.   To avoid this happening, be sure to encourage reading every day.  Our local library has a summer reading program.  Check it out!
Little Scholars founder Stephanie Jefferson suggests:

1. Read EVERY day!  Read non-fiction, fiction, ebooks, poetry, newspapers and read out loud! For most children, twenty minutes is an appropriate amount of time to read for a child who is an independent reader. Most libraries have a wonderful summer reading program with incentives and rewards for books read over the summer.
2. Cook with your children.  This is one of the best ways to integrate math, reading and following directions.  Let your child design the menu too!  Help your child put together their favorite recipes in a cookbook.
3. Plant a garden.  Your child will gain responsibility and pride as they watch their plants grow and thrive.
4. Take a field trip to a museum, zoo or local park with walking trails.  Keep a journal about your travels.
5. Learn a new word each week!  Hang it on the fridge and see who can use it the most times throughout the week.
6. Enroll in a quality summer program that will provide your child with opportunities to build their critical thinking skills.   
7. Play quick games with flashcards like Math War or Concentration to keep math skills sharp.
8. Listen to Audio Books during your road trip.
9. Take pictures and make a summer scrapbook.
10. Did I mention READ?!  If your child does nothing else this summer make sure he/she is reading!

In addition to what she has suggested, you may try the following resources:

Scholastic's Summer Reading Challenge! Try to read the most minutes and help to set a new reading world record! Great fun!

http://www.scholastic.com/ups/campaigns/src-2014 

Try your hand at online games that build reading skills.  We love this site:

http://www.phonicsplay.co.uk/BuriedTreasure2.html

 

Play lots of games at:

http://pbskids.org/sesame/games/

I hope these will get you on your way to stopping that summer slide! 

Mrs. H

Happy Halloween El' Skippito! Skippyjon Jones made an appearance today!

Our students had a great Halloween Day at school with lots of reading, writing and math fun! We also read about Skippyjon Jones and made a hat in his honor. :) Thank you for sending snacks today! Mrs. H

Hello Parents!!! Welcome to Our 2013-2014 Student Portal and our FIRST Sight Word Powerpoint!

Since August, I have been working very hard to help your child know his/her letters, sounds, numbers, shapes and how to write names and read! During our conference I explained the importance of practice at home, especially with the enormous amount of words kindergarten students are required to master this year.  In addition to the lists you were given during conferences, I have developed an animated slide show presentation to help your little one focus on our current sight word challenge.  During the month of November, your child will be practicing words from Lists A, B and C, then take tests on each list.  During December we will practice all words and add lists E and F to our increasing sight word vocabulary.  It is such an exciting time in the life of a kindergartener! 

Here is our slideshow.  Be sure to practice frequently.  10 minutes each evening would be a great goal! 

You do not need slideshow software to view this animated presentation! Just click on the little rectangle icon at the bottom right hand side of the picture (on the orange bar).  This will open the show in a new window where you can choose "Start the Slideshow" at the top of the window.  

Let me know if you have a problem getting this feature to work.  I want my students to be very successful!

Here are two other slideshows that will benefit your child as we learn letters and numbers:

Click on the little rectangle icon at the bottom right hand side of the picture (on the orange bar).  This opens the slideshow in a new window that you can play it from.

Here are links to three files for additional practice with beginning sounds.  Just provide scissors and glue and watch your little one go to work! You will be amazed at what they have learned!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwugBzJawFTaVDEwTkxORXBzVDQ/edit?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwugBzJawFTaNmh1SGdzb01fQmM/edit?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwugBzJawFTaZTJacWpYVGdtTDQ/edit?usp=sharing

Keep watching our site for more activities! The Reading and Math tabs at the top of our home page have other sites you can use for practice reading and math skills! 
Thanks for all you do!
Mrs. H

Winter ends and Spring begins...Hello from our class!

We have had a busy beginning to 2013, and the amount of beautiful work continues to amaze me! Students are writing words, sentences, and just this week we began to write books! Students are learning about fiction and non-fiction selections, as well as how to go about creating a book with a cover, a beginning, middle, and end, and art that matches the text! Just look! At our penmanship!!! 

In math, we are beginning to learn 2 and 3-D Shapes! Yesterday we learned to make different sizes of rectangles by combining 2 or more smaller rectangles.
If you want to help us practice at home, check out these youtube videos by Mr. Harry:

We will soon begin working on the chapters in measurement, then Mrs. Hufstedler will supplement our learning with a unit on patterns, time, and money! Watch for new practice homework in the coming weeks! Be sure to leave a comment if you have questions or just want to share :).

What a BuSy Week we have had! Here's what we've been up to!

During December, we work very hard to master all letter sounds, write complete sentences, count and recognize numbers to 20, and learn to make our handwriting more uniform by using simple lined paper.  I am so pleased with how our students have learned most of these goals, and look forward to seeing the proof when we take our benchmark assessment the week before we get out for Christmas break! Please follow this link to redo the download of the Benchmark Powerpoint.  I have added another slide that will help you child to prepare for the Nonsense Word Fluency portion of the DIBELS assessment.   The slide has rows of nonsense words with arrows that pop up at five second intervals.  This should help your child build fluency and know how to respond to the assessment.  My students are so proud of themselves when they beat the arrow!
This is a private link.  Download, but please do not share.  Thanks!
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BwugBzJawFTaVHN2VHVvRUZMX2c


Keep these dates in mind:
December 13-Elementary Music Program at the High School at 7:00 p.m.
December 20-Pajama Party/Class Christmas Party for students and teacher
December 20-High School Christmas Program at 7:00 p.m.
Christmas Break December 21-January 4
2nd Quarter Report Cards will be issued the second week of January

I am thoroughly enjoying your child, and look forward to amazing progress in the 2013 New Year!

Here are some things we have done!
We Love Letter Sound Land! http://thumbp16-bf1.thumb.mail.yahoo.com/tn?sid=1162963796&mid=ANvbi2IAATwNULlmRAiUX30IPfY&midoffset=2_0_0_21_46533&partid=1&f=1602&fid=Clip%20Art&w=717&h=401&httperr=1 http://thumbp16-bf1.thumb.mail.yahoo.com/tn?sid=1162963796&mid=AMnbi2IAAMcjULlmrwgjWUexSEI&midoffset=2_0_0_21_47161&partid=1&f=1602&fid=Clip%20Art&w=717&h=406&httperr=1 We are writing independently now! Woohoo! http://thumbp16-bf1.thumb.mail.yahoo.com/tn?sid=1162963796&mid=AOrbi2IAAUu9ULlkagD0pkqtVOc&midoffset=2_0_0_21_48411&partid=1&f=1602&fid=Clip%20Art&w=717&h=401&httperr=1

Mrs. H

Benchmark Assessment Powerpoint! Do this at home to help :)

In December, we will be doing a mid-year assessment to see how everyone is coming along in reading.  This powerpoint activity should help your child to master the components of the Benchmark Assessents.  Just go to this link to download:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B0Ix53joUMyNZGczcE5rUTI5ajA

What a busy day! Christopher Columbus, the Fire Truck, and Pumpkin Craftivitiy...Whew!

What a beautiful day to be busy! We began by visiting the teacher's car to get a pumpkin from Mr. Hufstedler's pumpkin patch.  We found out that pumpkins are heavy, that they come in all shapes and sizes, and that some are different colors than others.  Here are our smiling faces as we picked out our pumpkins and carried them to class.

Mr. and Mrs. Worthy brought the BB Road Volunteer Fire Truck and taught us about Fire Safety!

We enjoyed their presentation!

 

This afternoon we learned about Christopher Columbus, King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella, three ships, and that the world was not flat after all!!! Everyone thought it was funny that people used to think the

world was flat.  We are happy that it is round.  Would you want to sail your ship off the edge? Not us!