What a lovely, gorgeous weekend!  I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy some of Michigan’s fall beauty.  Yesterday we went for a drive along Edward Hines Drive and Michigan sure was showing off with colorful leaves.

Today we begin a “Weekend Write.”  On Mondays I will have them write in their Journals about something they did over the weekend.  Most will begin with a picture and then I will encourage them to write a letter or word that will go with their picture.  As the year progresses you’ll be able to see their writing really develop.

READING-Families Change is our Unit.

Strategy Question-How can families change?  (new baby born? older sibling going to college?)

Reading Strategy-Recognizing Story Structure

Reading Skill-Making Predictions

WORDS-This is a review week.  We  we   The   the

LETTERS-This is a review week.  M  m  A  a

Beginning this week I will start the Writing Process.  Our week will look like this…

Monday -introduce writing topic

Tuesday-review topic and expand

Wednesday-Prewrite 

Thursday-Revise and Edit Prewrite

Friday-Publish Writing

MATH-Shapes, Sorting and Classifying

SCIENCE-We will continue using our 5 Senses as we explore the FALL SEASON.  To help us focus on being a Scientist, I would like each student to have a “Lab Coat”  To help make this happen, would you please send in a white T-shirt and I will turn them into “Lab Coats.”  (Used/worn shirts are fine.  🙂 )

Looking ahead…

Friday, 10/16  AM SCHOOL   11:45 Dismissal   NO SCHOOL-PM  (Teacher Professional Development)

Friday, 10/30  HALLOWEEN    We will have an All School Parade in the early afternoon-outside around the track.  Time-TBD  Students are invited to bring their costumes to school in the morning and I will help them change after lunch.  If you would like to pick up your child at 11:20 and take them home for lunch and dress them yourself, that is fine.  They would need to be back at school by 12:45.

We started a new part of Dearborn’s Literacy Program-READ TO SOMEONE.  I thought you might enjoy seeing our students Reading to Someone.

Knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder

Sharing the book

One reading and one listening

Can you find your reader?

Mrs. Smith

Thanks for sharing your children with me.  I love working with them!

Mrs. Smith

We read a story today to go along with our Non-Fiction reading of “Night Animals.”  I’m not giving you the title because I showed the students how to “sign” the title.  So, ask your child the title of today’s story.  🙂

You can also ask them about a “Field Trip” that we took today for Science.  Hint:we were using our sense of Hearing.

This week the district is giving the writing prompt to all students.  Each grade has a different topic.  The students’ writing will be assessed at beginning of the year, mid year, and end of the year.  Our topic this week was to tell/draw/write about a time when something or someone made you happy.  To get them going I played the Pharrell Williams song “Happy” with the Minions.  I thought you might enjoy seeing how my students got “happy” for their writing!

Reminder that tomorrow is a LATE START…Students come to school 1 hour later.

9:35 arrival

Regular dismissal 3:35

Tomorrow is also Library Day.  Remind students to put their Library Book in their backpack tonight.

Mrs. Smith

October is here!  Can you believe that we’ve already been in school for 16 days?  My Student Teacher, Miss Brennan, commented to me today about how the students have already settled into a routine and “look how much they can do now.”  I told her, “Wait till you see them in the Spring!”

Here’s what is coming up next week…

READING-Our unit theme is Families Get Together.  What can families do together?
What are some things that you do with your family?

We’ll read a folktale about a “Squeaky Old Bed” and a Non-fiction book about Night Animals.  On Friday we’ll compare the two texts.

WRITING-Forming letters correctly and we’ll write about a time when they did something with their family.

WORDS-The  the  

LETTERS-A a  (pronounced “ahh”)

MATH-We’ll be using 10 Frames- a rectangle with 5 boxes on the top row and 5 boxes underneath. For example,  we’ll put tokens in 4 boxes and decide how many more we would need to make 10.  4 + ? = 10.

We’ll also work with patterns using colors.

SCIENCE-We’ll be exploring the 5 Senses.  Monday we’ll start with “Touch.”  

SOCIAL STUDIES-We will continue to work on Classroom Routines and Working Well With Each Other.  🙂

Looking Ahead…

WEDNESDAY IS LATE START.  Students will come to school 1 hour later (9:35 am).  Dismissal is regular time (3:35).  Teachers will be in a Professional Development Meeting.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs. Smith

“Chocolate comes from cocoa which comes out of a tree.  That makes it a plant.  Therefore, chocolate counts as a salad.  The End”

Welcome Fall!!  Football, Apple Cider, Donuts, raking up piles of leaves and jumping in them, smells of cinnamon and baked apple pies, ….Hummm

READING- We begin our unit about MY FAMILY AND ME.  

Our 2 texts for this week are Who’s Baby Am I?   and “A Bundle of Sticks”-                 a fable.

READING STRATEGIES-FLUENCY (recognizing our sight words)

–ACCURACY (We are careful and precise with our reading.)

We also will work on “RETURN SWEEP” (Where do we go when we reach the end of the line?   Left to Right Direction when we read)

WRITING-We will practice correct letter formation of our weekly letters and weekly sight words.

LETTERS-M  m  

WORDS-We  we  Can  can

MATH-Count Count Count    We will be counting from 0-10 and practice writing each the number.  Remember, ALL NUMBER FORMATIONS START AT THE TOP, not the bottom.

Lots of opportunities to Listen, Follow Directions, and, Always Be The Best That You Can Be.

Mrs. Smith

Kindergarteners who share, help others, and show empathy are more likely to have personal, educational, and career success as adults.  -Edutopia