Week 3

This week we read many Pete the Cat books.  We just love joining in and singing along with these books!  They are perfect for beginner readers because they are high interest, entertaining, and predictable.  When we read books like this, we practice following along from left to right, turning the pages from the front to the back, pointing to each word (1:1 correspondence), finding popcorn words, and having fun with books!

This week we started filling our book bins for Independent Reading time.  We chose books by looking at the cover and turning the pages inside to look for things that might interest us.  When you are reading at home, you might want to share with your child how you picked a book (a favorite author or subject, required reading for classes or work, something you want to learn more about).  It is important for children to see all the adults in their lives reading.  Although the students don't often get to see me reading, I do share when I finish a book at home or show the cover of a book I am reading at school.  If you are interested in reading more about reading aloud to children, I read a great book this summer called The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.  The second half of the book contains lists of great books to read with your child.  I checked, and the book is available at the Derry Public Library.

We are continuing to work on numbers within 10.  Students will be able to show numbers to ten in multiple ways such as with drawings, numerals, and ten frames.  They will be able to recognize how many in a group without counting.  We play lots of games with dominos and dice to help the students practice these skills.  You can play games at home to help your child with math skills and social skills like taking turns.  Some games to consider are Chutes and Ladders, Yahtzee, Candy Land, Go Fish, Hi-Ho Cherrio, Caribou, Trouble, and Guess Who.

Reminder:  Please put your child's FIRST and LAST name on an envelope or baggy containing money.  Also write the purpose (i.e. popcorn, lunch, school store, book order, etc.).  For our families who are new to Grinnell, you do not have to send in money for lunch or snack drink each day.  You can prepay for as much as you want and it will be deposited to your child's account.  The cafeteria can answer any questions about the balance on your child's account.

Say Cheese!  I have had some questions about Picture Day, and it is September 24!

Finally, we are running low on glue sticks!   We will also start using Post-It Notes in our Reader's Workshop. If you can donate Pos-Its or glue sticks we would appreciate it!