PLACE VALUE
In math, we finished up our introductory unit on place value. We will revisit these skills and concepts later in the year when we learn two and three digit addition/subtraction and work on making change. Your child should be able to identify the ones, tens, hundreds and thousands places and their values. He/she should also be able to read and write numbers with at least four digits.
A great game for practicing place value skills using is called Base 10 Fun. This is a free web-based game. To get this same game to work on the iPad, you will need to purchase the app called Base 10 Bingo which includes the same practicing games as the online version plus a fun bingo game. Be sure to also ask your child about a favorite game we play on the whiteboard called Zim Zam Zowie.
SEND WHOOPING CRANE CONTAINERS TOMORROW
Don’t forget to send in your sturdy reusable container for our Change4Cranes fundraiser by tomorrow. We can also use a few more if you have any extras. This week will decorate our containers with decals and send them home along with this Operation Migration fact sheet. These containers and the money collected are due back at school by Friday, December 13th. If the container gets too full, please transfer the money to a ziplock bag (labeled with your child’s name) before sending it to school. See this page to learn more about what our students did in the past, including a hot chocolate stand and serenading Metra commuters! We are sending these containers home now in hopes that children can speak to family members and neighbors over the Thanksgiving Holidays. If your child does any creative fundraising, please take a photo and email it (large resolution) to Ms. Harrison. We will collect, sort and add up all the money before we leave for the longer Winter Break. Thank you for supporting this wonderful cause!
READING GROUPS
Last week, the children met for the first time in a small reading groups with Ms. Harrison and three to five other children. These groups will be flexible and will change throughout the year based on children's needs and abilities. During reading groups, children work on a common skill and/or text. We will focus on different reading strategies, comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. Assessment is ongoing and often based on observation and note-taking as children read and discuss texts. We are also beginning some of our formal assessments in both spelling and reading. We will have information to share about your child's progress at the winter parent-teacher conferences.
SYLLABICATION
To help children become better readers and spellers, we will be introducing the rules for syllabication (dividing words into syllables). Understanding syllable rules helps children identify the correct vowel sound and give children a strategy for "chunking" longer words into manageable parts. The first rule we learned is that a syllable is a word or a part of a word with one talking vowel. Be sure to ask your child about jelly bean and elephant words (one syllable and multi-syllable words). This week we will learn about closed syllables.
WISHING MS. HOLLADAY FAREWELL
This week marks our last two days with Ms. Holladay. We will have a special goodbye for her in class on Tuesday. If you or your child would like to keep in touch, we will send along her address/email in an upcoming email. Ms. Holladay will be greatly missed but we wish her good luck with wonderful new adventure that awaits!
FAMILY MESSAGE JOURNALS
Please make sure to return your child's Family Message Journal (with your reply) to school by Tuesday. We will not write new letters this week because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
We hope you all have a restful and relaxing Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends.