Hello teammates!  What a year 2010 has been so far!  Even though it feels like we haven't been in school much because of holidays and WEATHER, we are learning lots, and the children are progressing well.  In reading and spelling, we are focusing on PAL sounds. Please practice these with your child daily as well as the high frequency words. I have listed the high-frequency words for 3rd Quarter below.  Our reading groups, centers, and spelling lessons will keep reinforcing the different PAL sounds.  We have enjoyed a neat game I found over the holiday break that makes the children think while improving spelling skills and having fun at the same time.  The name of the game is Scrabble SLAM.  You can purchase it at Walmart or any store that sells board/card games.  Please help your child to start noticing the silent e or "two vowels go-a-walking" as he/she decodes words. We are reading a variety of books to help the students improve their reading skills while emphasizing the joy of reading.  After you read with your child, check to see if he/she can answer questions about the story using the 5 Ws:  Who?  What?  Where?  When? and Why?  The children should be getting to the point where they can retell stories including the 5 Ws with just a little prompting from you.  They are all making progress.  AWESOME!!!  The children are also working on becoming authors in writing.  The children are doing well writing a beginning, middle, and end.  Now, we need to work hard on adding detail, including adjectives and feelings.  Any type of writing you can get them to do at home will be beneficial.  Please reinforce having them get their thoughts on paper first, and then look back over it to correct punctuation and capitalization. Also, they need to keep practicing spelling their high frequency words correctly in their writing.  Please be looking for their next published piece over the next couple weeks.  In math, we finished our study of graphs and probability.  Some of the students are having difficulty with the vocabulary for probability. These include certain, impossible, most likely, less likely, equally likely.  Please use these words with your children whenever possible at home and in the car.  For example, "It will most likely rain today because the clouds are so gray."  We are beginning our study of patterns.  This study will include repeating and growing patterns.  Also, begin working with them on memorizing their basic addition and subtraction facts.  Speed drills will begin next week.  In science, we have almost finished our matter study.  Our matter celebration went well.  We will learn more about solids, specifically rocks, as well as how solids move.  We will also continue to learn about penguins.

  **We will be very successful in all areas as long as we (parents, students, and teachers) work as a team.  Let's TEAM UP FOR SUCCESS!

High Frequency words for this quarter:  will  up  other  about  out  many  then  them  these  so  some  her  would  make  like  him  into  time  has  look  two  more  write  go  see

Be watching the weather and pay attention to the news for school information.

NOTE:  The PTA will be doing the Tryathlon as a fundraiser again this year.  As a part of this, first graders will have to know all 25 high-frequency words for this quarter as well as their addition and subtraction facts.  Please be practicing these daily.

REMEMBER:

*Read each night.
*Practice your addition and subtraction facts.
*Exercise your body and mind.
*Make learning fun and meaningful!