2014 brings a few new routines. Now here's hopes we can get into those routines as the weather calms down and full weeks of school are ahead.
Monday Math Mania & Math Flashcards
Each Monday, your child will bring home a new sheet of weekly basic math fact flashcards. Our first set of Math flashcards (doubles facts) went home on Monday, January 13th. Please see that your child cuts these cards out, puts their initials on them, and practices them nightly. Also, please be sure your child does NOT write the answers on the front of the flashcards. They are meant to be used repeatedly for quick, mental recall to develop automaticity. They are welcome to write the answers on the back if they desire. We will also take time daily to practice our basic math facts daily at school, too. Like a variety of your child's school activities and needs (for example their new 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 canvas Book Bag. A labeled Ziploc bag went home with the new basic math fact flashcards on Monday, January 13th.
Each Monday, 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 challenging math facts. We have spent the first half of the school year working on understanding relationships between numbers and have developed strategies to solve these problems. Now, we move to focus on automaticity. 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.
Weekly Word Flashcards
On Monday, February 3rd, 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, February 3rd, 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. Based on pre-assessments, some Kindergarteners may assess out of the need to study Weekly Words. If this is the case I will communicate this home to you.
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 math flashcards 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 canvas book bag. A labeled Ziploc bag will go home with the new Weekly Words Flashcards on Monday, February 3rd.
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