March Benchmarks

Language Arts Benchmarks:

March:

• Can identify all uppercase and lowercase letters
• Can isolate and pronounce the sounds in CVC words.  (c-a-t)
• Reading Level C books
• Can print uppercase and lowercase letters
• Begins to use punctuation, spacing and begins a sentence with a capital letter
• Writes to a single topic
• In fiction texts, can identify characters, setting and major events.
• Can identify similarities and differences between two stories.  

End of the year benchmarks:

• Level D reading level
• Comprehension of text in fiction and non-fiction.  The students can identify characters, setting, and major events in a story.  They can also retell the story in order with a beginning, middle and end.
• Reading the 20 kindergarten sight words correctly
• Spelling the 20 kindergarten sight words correctly
• Writes an opinion piece (I think PE is the best special because we can play tunnel tag.)
• Writes a narrative.  (I lost a tooth yesterday and the tooth fairy came.)
• Writes a how to book including several steps (How to make a snowman.  First, roll a big ball.)
• Can isolate and pronounce the sounds in CVC words.  (c-a-t) 

Suggestions for extra practice:

• Read the leveled books found in the "book in a bag" every evening.  Please remind your child to bring home a new book each night.
• Continue to support the comprehension of text at home.  When reading with your child, ask about the characters, setting, and to retell the story to you.  What happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story?  Is this story similar to one we have read before?  How?  
• Write at home about anything!  Let your child choose the topic and write as long as their interest level allows using inventive spelling.

Math Benchmarks:

March:  

• Can identify numbers from 0-20
• Has One to one correspondence
• Can count to 100 from any given number
• Can write numbers to 20
• Understands addition as putting together and subtraction as taking away
• Begins to solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 using materials

End of the year benchmarks:

• can add and subtract fluently to 5 without materials
• Can solve addition and subtraction problems within 10 using materials\
• Understands place value (15 is 1 ten and 5 ones)
• Shape identification

Suggestions for extra practice:

• Continue to practice the math flashcards.  Try to see how many your child can do in a minute.
• Practice writing numbers (especially teens!) in fun ways!  Draw the numbers in sand, shaving cream or pudding!  Make it with play-doh, etc.

November 2-6

Important News

• No school on Tuesday!

Language Arts

We will be reading about our favorite characters from the stories Bear Snores On and Bears New Friends.     We will be comparing and contrasting these stories and the non-fiction story The Big Bears.  We will be continuing to work on ending sounds.

Our sight word this week is--AS.

Math

We will be playing the games grab , count and compare & the game compare (war).  The children will be working on comparing numbers.   We will also be working on solving story problems.  Please have the children continue to practice writing the their number from 1 - 10.

October 26-30

Language Arts

We will be reading fiction and non-fiction books this week about winter and hibernation.  We will be focused on asking students to share key details from the text.  For word study, we will be focused on ending sounds.

Our sight word for the week is HE.

Writing Workshop

We began writing workshop last week with the goal that our students begin to see themselves as writers!  Did they share that they are in a writing club?  We will be writing several times a week.  Last week we learned that "When we think we are done, we have only just begun!"  That means we can go back, reread our writing and add more details to our pictures or add more words.  We could also start a new paper.  The students chose their own topic.  We suggest they choose something they know a lot about.  What does your child know a lot about?  Talk with him/her about some possible writing topics.  Do they know a lot about animals, baseball, ballet, fishing, the beach, bike riding?  Any topic will work!  If you would like, you could create a list (with pictures) of ideas for writing and send it to school.  Your child can keep the list in his/her writing folder in case they get stuck and need an idea.

This week we will learn about stretching out words to write them and how to write about things that the students might think are too hard to write about.

Math
Our District Math coach, Mike Lipnos, will be working with our students this month during our math time.

Important Notes

• Picture Retakes are on Wednesday.
• Friday is our Fall Festival Party.  Please send your child's costume to school in a bag because the children need to change at the end of the party before they go home on the bus.  Please do not send any costume weapons or treat bags.  Thank you!  It will be a fun party!

October 19-23

Book Fair

Our Book fair will be here next week, October 19-22.  The class will browse the book fair during their library time (Monday for Mrs. Gallucci, Tuesday for Mrs. Haughey) and create a wish list.  Their wish list will be sent home to you.   If you want to purchase books, you have 3 options.

1.You can send money back to school indicating which book(s) from the wish list you would like to purchase.

2. You could visit the family night on October 21 from 4:30-7:30.  The time includes a story time with local author Eric VanRaepenbusch.

3.  You can go online and purchase books using the link below.

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=millerelementaryschool16&appesp=CPT/ib/20120101///txtl/FairFindertoHomepage

Also, please note:  Keep your library books at home for another week!  

 Language Arts

We will begin a unit on the seasons and weather.  We will be reading both non-fiction and fiction books about these topics.  While reading these books, we will focus on main idea and comparing and contrasting.  We will also be writing about the things we see during each  of the seasons.

October 12-16

Sight Words

Please continue to practice the first 20 kindergarten words.  When your child has mastered all 20, then move on to the additional ones sent home each month.  Remember when practicing these words, we want the students to say the word "in a snap".  That means they aren't sounding out the word. They should just know it.

Report Cards
Report cards will be given out at Conferences so that we can go over it with you.

Principal's Pals
On Monday, our classes will enjoy a special time with the Principal called "Principal's Pals".  We will hear a story and enjoy a special treat.

This week we will be reading several stories about Mrs. Wishy-Washy.  The children have enjoyed the versions we have read so far.  These stories will help us continue to focus on character and setting. We will also learn about how a pumpkin grows.

Don't forget next week (October 19-22) is the Book Fair.  The children will create a wish list during their library time and bring it home.  You can send in money any day that week.

No School on Friday!  Have a great week!

Craft Supplies Needed

Do you have extra craft supplies at home?  We would like to make a center that the kids could use their creativity!  We are looking for toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, buttons, cards, ribbon, cupcake liners, stamps, etc.  We would appreciate any materials you donate!  Thank you for your help!

September 28-October 9

Picture day is on Wednesday, September 30!

Important News

• Remember to send your picture envelopes to school on Wednesday!
• Thank you for remembering to send back the book buddy bags every day!  

Language Arts

We will begin a unit on apples that will last two weeks.  We will be reading several stories, fiction and non-fiction, about animals and the seasons.  This works perfectly with our Lake Farmpark field trip.  During the field trip, the children learned how to make apple cider from the apples at the farm.  They had an opportunity to taste apple cider!  We will continue practicing fluency with the Apple, Apple on the Tree poem in our poetry folder.

Phonemic Awareness skills:  letter names, letter sounds, ending sounds, syllables

Practice sight words!  We would like the children to be able to read 5 sight words by the end of the first quarter (October 15).  The words are: a, it, in, on, at

Math

We will continue our unit on counting.  We have learned some strategies for careful counting.  Ask your child to share these strategies with you.  Also, we are practicing counting from any given number.  We have been practicing counting by 10s to 100.  We are also working hard to learn what number comes next when crossing over a decade.  What number comes after 29, 39, 49...