More Helpful Websites!

http://www.mrsperkins.com/dolch.htmhttp://www.dolchword.net/   - dolch word lists, games, flashcards to print off...ready, set, read!!!
Math Games
The Robot Calculator Game  You can't go wrong with a calculator that has it's very own Robot!!!
How cool is this...click on the link and make your own word wall word word search!

Posting Comments...

You should be able to post comments now without needing to register!  Please post comments while keeping in mind that I want this to be a support, helpful and positive experience for everyone who chooses to view my blog! ;)

Helping Children Learn Their Letters!

Fun with Letters

Click on the above link.

Friday Wrap Up!

Once again a week has flown by!  We are settling into routines and the students are getting used to the number of times I change their desks around! J  Hopefully everyone had a chance to check the agenda bags.  The grade twos have a new math note and the grade ones brought home their Wacky Word Wall Word books and journals.  Please take the time to look them over with your child.  The grade one books are due back Wednesday.  The grade twos will be bringing their Word Study and writing books home next week.  Unfortunately I simply ran out of time to send both home today.  

I hope to send more ideas for take home reading practice but it is not to overwhelm you.  I simply want to make sure I give you as much information as I can about our day at school and to give you the opportunity to help your child if they are struggling.  I completely respect your role as the parent to alter the homework routine to suit your child and your family.  I try to communicate as much as I can so that there are no surprises.  I also try to give you a variety of ideas and suggestions so that you can pick the ones that work best for your child at home.  Maybe your child needs to learn through games and movement, maybe you are on the road a lot and flash cards or plastic plate ‘white boards’ work best in the car, etc... or maybe your child is already reading above grade level and you are focusing more on their needs in math.  

Keep in mind that there are 36 students, and even more families, that I am trying to reach and I realize that no two are the same!  For that reason I strongly urge you to contact me at any time with questions or concerns.  I cannot help if I don’t know there is a problem.  I am the mother of two boys and I too have had my, “this teacher must be nuts”, moments.  I do however support and respect every teacher they have had and I go directly to them with concerns (remembering never to voice them in front of the boys).

We are all in this together!  I only want the VERY best for your child and your child’s educational experience!  Yikes I must be tired...talking far too much!  Time to make dinner!  Enjoy your weekend!!!

Today's Math - Math Meets Literature!

Today we welcomed Mrs. Forbes into our class.  She worked with us to find the math in our story Six Dinner Sid and she helped us to develop strategies that we can use in all of our problem solving!  We turned a math problem into math success!  

Sneaky Sid found a way of eating 6 dinners each day.  The grade ones worked with a partner to figure out how many dinners Sid would have eaten in 3 days and the grade twos worked in pairs to figure out how many dinners Sid ate in a whole week!  They used pictures, numbers, and words to show their thinking while they worked out the problem.  What a bright bunch...I was so proud!  

Ask your son or daughter to tell you about the story and the math they learned today!  A great big thank you to Mrs. Forbes for being a new friend and helper in our class today!  We were very excited to work with her and we are looking forward to her next visit.

Want to see the math, and your child, in action?  Ask them to work out this problem at home:  Sid had a friend... 4 dinner Frank!  Frank eats 4 dinners in a day.  How many dinners will Frank eat in a week?  Don’t forget to use pictures, numbers, and words!  (The words can help explain the numbers and be a part of the answer.)

Yes the math that we grew up with is definitely changing (for the better)!!!  If you feel lost...don’t worry, just ask your child to explain it to you! ;)

Problem Solving

Problem solving our way!  We have started working on our problem solving strategies and we are doing our best to learn each of the problem solving steps.  We will continue to use problem solving throughout our mathematics curriculum and the students will continue to use it throughout their educational experiences so it is a very important skill to learn.  I will occasionally post an activity or a problem solving question for each grade.  If the students feel like giving them a try that would be AWESOME and if not then it will also be a good chance for parents to see a few of the math expectations we are tackling!

Math in the Blink of an Eye!

Can't get your kids off the ipod...homework is always a battle?  Tonight I found 3 FREE ipod apps for my boys!  Addition and multiplication (my boys are older) apps as games and flash cards!  They have reading ones too!  Sshhhhh don't tell the kids it's homework!  If you would like me to name the apps let me know.

A Peek Inside Our Classroom!

We had our bus evacuation this week and we also got to watch a video about bus evacuations.  The children did a wonderful job of evacuating the bus safely!  Practice is so important!  Just as important is the awareness of following the school bus rules.  The grade ones completed a list of school bus rules as part of our writing curriculum.  We are working on using the word wall words in our sentences so if you would like to make a mini word wall board at home it may help the students to write sentences independently (all other words can be sounded out).  The students should be able to independently look at the words in alphabetical order and find the word they have forgotten how to spell.  Maybe you would like me to make mini word wall boards for the students to bring home?  Please let me know if this is something your child would use and you would like me to create it!

The grade twos wrote a letter to a friend today.  The letter had to be about the best birthday party they had ever been to.  We are working on making our ideas clear and supporting our ideas with lots of interesting and descriptive details.  We are also working on parts of a letter, editing our work and using our voice in our writing (i.e. if you’re writing to a friend what would your writing sound like – “Garrett it was the best birthday ever.  I wish you had been there with me!”).  Ask your child about the letter they wrote.  How many details and ideas did they use?

Join in our day!

This Week's Favourite Websites!

I have found two great websites for practising reading word wall words!  The first one is my favourite!  Each word list gets more challenging so if you are finding the games too easy simply pick another list to try.  Let me know what you think!  I listed the sites in the red note I sent home about my new Blog.  Here's the first one again in case you no longer have the note.  http://www.netrover.com/~kingskid/sightword/dolchgames.htm

October is Here!

Wow we have made it through September!  Congratulations to parents and students!  I am very proud of how well the students have settled in and how hard they work every day!  Thank you to the parents as well!  The support and dedication you have shown amidst the hustle and bustle of September deserves a round of applause!  I look forward to working with you and getting to know you and your child even better as the year unfolds!