November 9-13, 2009

What a wonderful weekend! I could really get used to this amazing weather. Mistletoe was just fabulous and the perfect way to enter the upcoming holiday season!

READING
Our whole group sound for this week is /sh/ as in sheep. We will also have a Thanksgiving related activity once a week in November. This may be in for form of a writing job or something to display in the class. I forgot that /ea/ as in eagle was introduced also last week. As expected some had a bit of trouble in dictation with words with the /ea/ sound. Time, along with practice will help.

ACCELERATED READER
Thanks for helping prepare your child for AR tests. I think that at this point children can take 2-4 tests a week. Most children are comfortable with taking test, they just need to step it up a bit. In January I will require that every child take at least one test a day.

MATH
We are still on Chapter 10 in math. We will probably test Friday, so look for the review sheet to come home Thursday. Homework for math will be lessons 10 in the Practice Math Workbook.

Don’t forget the two new links I have added to provide math skills practice and math facts practice. At both sites children can choose “First Grade Skills” to practice math facts through interactive games and timed drills. These sites also provide practice for Pre-K to Sixth Grade for siblings that may need extra fun practice.

LANGUAGE - (DOL)
We have covered rules 1-10. These rules can be found in your child's take home notebook. I introduced Rule 11: Nouns are words that name a person, place, thing. Monday I will introduce adjectives, words that describe. *Please Note* there is no rule for adjectives on the Grammer Rules sheet in your child’s notebook. We will continue to practice Rules 1-11 in the sentences each week. Sentences for Friday come directly from the sentences practiced Monday-Thursday. (There may be some Thursday’s that I will give a worksheet that is related to the rule that was introduced and practiced for the week, therefore there won’t be any sentences for that day.)

UPCOMING EVENTS

*November 11 - NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day
*November 19 - Teacher Treat Day
*Signed papers and AR report will also be sent home
*November 23-27 - NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday


FUTURE DATES TO KEEP IN MIND

*December 7-11 - DIBELS testing by a team of teachers
*December 17 – Class holiday parties 1:30-2:15
*December 18 – End of the second nine weeks and first semester, WOW already?
*December 21-January 3 – Winter Holidays
*January 4 – Holiday for children due to Inservice Day for teachers
*January 5 – Children return to school

Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.
-- W. B. Yeats

Have a wonderful week!