Hey guys I hope everyone is doing great and staying well!!!!  I wanted to remind everyone that our Valentine’s Day Party is tomorrow at 11:30.  There is a 100% chance of rain so we may not be able to go outside after lunch to allow for a little more prep time for the party.  If it is raining we will try to delay by taking restroom breaks but this could mean the party may start a little before 11:30.  Set up time for the party will begin at 10:45 so if you would like to help please come then.  You are welcome to take your kiddo home after the party but they can certainly stay too.

Now onto the learning part:)

Spelling words for the next two weeks: like, him, see, time, could, no, make, than, first, been.  This last spelling test was just really not good.  Please remind your kiddos that the words are on the word wall all they have to do is look for them!!!!

Reading:  Your kiddo is on target if they are reading at a level 14 fluently!  We have started a new comprehension piece to our assessments.  Last week your student brought home a story about a Smelly Skunk.  This was a comprehension piece that we did together.  There will be one more that we do together this week, after that, your student will be responsible for reading this passage, reading the questions, and answering these questions on their own.  These stories are on an expected grade level reading level.  The first one that they do on their own will have an actual grade on it.

Phonics:  We have learned about compound words, antonyms, and this week synonyms.  I will begin creating “dead” words for the kids using synonyms.  We, as a class, will come up with other words for overused words like “like” or “said” or “big”.  We place these words in a folder on the lockers and the kids go to the folders when they feel like they have used these words too much. This is a great way to reinforce the concept of synonyms.

Math:  We are working on patterns in numbers, skip counting, money, and continue with a deeper understanding of addition and subtraction.  We are counting a collection of coins such as nickels and pennies; dimes and pennies, quarters and pennies.   Math is really starting to get multi-step and where the kiddos are really having to think!

Writing:  The expectations for writing are getting a little tougher.  We are expecting a beg/mid/end, punctuation should be present at this point, and their stories should really resemble the books they are reading.  They need to be going through the writing process at this time by write-write-writing; re-reading to revise and edit; then preparing their story for publishing.  Our kiddos are having a hard time with the re-reading to revise and edit their stories.  I have set up a buddy reading system during writing that I hope is going to help with this.

Science/Social Studies:  The kids have a fun experiment they are conducting with conversation hearts, water, vinegar, and soda.  February is such a busy month!  We learned about the Groundhog, Valentine’s Day, and now George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  We will also learn about dental health.

Please give me a call or text or email with any questions or concerns!  As always, thank you for sharing your kiddo with me and allowing me to be a small part of their journey.