On Monday, January 7th, your child will be bringing home a variety of new tools/activities. Below you will find more information about these tools/activities.
Math Flashcards and Time Test Tuesdays
Each Monday, beginning on January 7th, your child will bring home a sheet of weekly basic math fact flashcards. Please see that your child cuts these cards out, puts their initials on them, and practices them nightly. We will also take time daily to practice our basic math facts. Like a variety of your child's school words (for example their new Literacy Tool Kit and Weekly Words Flashcards) these basic math fact flashcards should travel back and forth to school each day. They can be stored in a labeled Ziploc bag in your child's Bunny Bag. A labeled Ziploc bag will go home with the new basic math fact flashcards on Monday, January 7th.
Each Tuesday, beginning on January 8th, students will complete a three-minute time test focusing on memorizing their basic math facts. As students score a 90%, or higher, they will move onto more challenge math facts. The goal is to memorize all our basic addition and subtraction facts so that we can readily, and easily, solve harder problems as we move into two- and three-digit addition and subtraction. Look for your child's weekly time test to go home the following Monday.
Weekly Word Flashcards
On Monday, January 7th, your child will begin the study of sight words ("Weekly Words"). Each week, the Cottontails will study two, three, or four sight words during our "Weekly Word" focus. These "Weekly Words" will be listed in the Monday row of each week's Cottontail Communicator. On Monday, January 7th, your child will take home the "Weekly Words" we will be study over the next several weeks. Please have your child cut out these sight words, put their initials on the back, and practice them nightly. We will practice these words daily at school, too. Together we will discuss that sight words are words our brains should "just know". Often times, sight words do not follow the English language rules and just need to be memorize. We will understand that if we can learn these words it will give our brains the chance to focus on more challenging words. Like your child's Spelling Sort, black and white books, and new Literacy Tool Kit these Weekly Words Flashcards should travel back and forth to school each day. They can be stored in a labeled Ziploc bag in your child's Bunny Bag. A labeled Ziploc bag will go home with the new Weekly Words Flashcards on Monday, January 7th.
Literacy Tool Kit
On Monday, January 7th your child will be adding their much anticipated Literacy Tool Kit to their Bunny Bag. I have changed the name from "Reading Tool Kit" to "Literacy Tool Kit" as the items in this tool kit will help your child's literary development grow in all areas of Literacy (Reading, Writing, and Spelling). This Literacy Tool Kit holds a variety of "tools" your reader can use to help their reading grow. Your child's Tool Kit should stay in their Bunny Bag and travel back and forth home and school. New tools may be added as our reading continues to grow. Items you will find in your child's Tool Kit on Monday, January 7th include:
• reading strip (to focus on line-by-line reading)
• pipe cleaner (to focus on line-by-line reading)
• post-it notes (to focus on line-by-line reading, mark holding spot in book, writing down ?s or thoughts that may occur during reading, and a way for you to help them with at-home post-it note writing)
• bookmarker (to mark holding spot in book)
• witch finger (to track words while reading)
• googly-eye pointer (to track words while reading)
• word blending mat (A hands-on way to help sound out words and blend them together. See below for more information.
Encourage your child to use their Literacy Tool Kit while reading, writing, and spelling. This will help build their fluency, comprehension, writing confidence, and phonemic awareness. Have fun!
More Information Regarding the Literacy Tool Kit's Blending Mat
This blending mat can help your child sound out three and/ or four letter words. It will help them further strengthen their recognition of consonant sounds, short vowel sounds, and even long vowel sounds. Take a few minutes each work to use this blending mat to help your child start spelling and sounding out words. You can use magnetic letters, or a dry erase marker as the mat is laminated. If using a dry erase marker, just use a tissue, sock, or cotton ball to wipe it clean. If you have little trouble wiping it clean, just use a bit of water. This laminated mat should last throughout the remainder of Kindergarten and beyond.
Here are few ideas of words to spell on using the blending mat.
• Word Families such as -at, -an, -ad, -ag, -ot, -op, -og, -ill, -it, -et, -en, -ug, -un
• Change CVC words to CVCe words (For example, mat to mate; pin to pine)
• Weekly Words listed on our Cottontail Communicator
Other Items you will find in your child's Take Home Folder
In addition to the above items you will find in your child's backpack and Take Home Folder, your child will also be taking home the following items.
• Math in Focus Chapter 6 Parent Letter
• completed math packet and other classroom work
• new Cottontail Communicator
• new spelling sort
• new math packet with new fact practice pages (Have your child use the fact practice pages to strengthen their recognition of basic math facts. As we introduce "Time Test Tuesday" and get use to the routine use these homework, fact practice pages to practice your own at-home, three-minute "Time Test" event. Kinders in years past LOVE this "game"! Often times, it becomes a student-created center activity as the time eachother.
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