Hello Families, earlier this week, Ms. Eiden and I sent home the progress report. The progress report is not the report card or a permanent grade. We wanted to inform you how your child is currently doing in school. We wanted to tell you now, when there is time to change, instead of when you receive the first report card at the December’s conferences. Many families ask how their child can grow in reading and writing. To do better in reading and writing your student should practice at home. Soon, I will send home books that your child read at school. Our kindergarteners should be read to every night for 20 minutes and practice iReady lessons at home.
IReady
Our class is done with the first assessment (there are three assessments in kindergarten through fifth grade). Your student’s progress report included the iReady scores. Now we are working on lessons. Every student should be working at home and at school on lessons. In school, our goal is to do 30 minutes of reading instruction and 30 minutes of math instruction a week on Chromebooks. The more practice your child has with the iReady, the better they will do. The iReady lessons are different for every child and should be working on concepts your student struggled with during the test. I am able to see the minutes that your student practiced the iReady and the scores they got during the lessons.
Practice lessons are offered online at https://login.i-ready.com/
Make sure when you are logging in to click the K-1 Login button, then type in the class number. You should be able to use iReady on iPads as well.
Last week vocabulary words were: shelter, search, remain.
This week’s vocabulary words are: find, loose, gap.
All the vocabulary words will be assessed during the next iReady tests.
What is the iReady?
It’s a program chosen by the District to test and measure how students are doing relative to the Common Core skills being taught. Students are tested three times per year (beginning, middle, and end!) So teachers and parents can quickly see where a child needs more work and where they are excelling. And…it is ADAPTIVE! That means when the student is testing, the questions will change and “adapt” to the skill level of each individual student, reinforcing skills needed by all, but also seeing how far a student can go to let them shine. Students are given individual “growth goals” to achieve throughout the year.
Reports are easily generated at specific levels so teachers can easily spot where each student needs a little more work.
Practice lessons are offered online at https://login.i-ready.com/
Make sure when you are logging in to click the K-1 Login button, then type in the class number. You should be able to use iReady on iPads as well.
Heart Words
Please keep on practicing the heart words (sometimes known as sight words). We send home new words weekly. We work on these words at school, and they should practice writing and reading these words at home. Being able to read and write the heart words will help your child in reading and writing.
The Halloween Party / Field Trip
The Halloween Party / Field Trip will be on October 31st during school. KINDERGARTENERS ARE ALLOWED TO WEAR COSTUMES. They should bring in their costumes in a separate plastic bag, and they can change into them at school. Our field trip is our party. The people in the nursing home will pass out candy to our students. The classroom teachers will buy the candy.
Help Needed
Our classroom could still use some more hand sanitizers. If you are willing to donate some to our class, we would be very thankful!
Also if you ever want to volunteer in our classroom, please contact Ms. Eiden or me. We can always find a time to have you in, even if it is a one time thing.
FYI
Just a reminder that on Monday afternoons we have an hour recess. Please dress for the weather. We go outside most days, even if it is sprinkling or cold outside.
Reading
Students learned about pattern books and how the pattern helps us read a book. A strong reader points to each word and notices when the pattern changes. As soon as your child is able to read a pattern book and notice when the pattern changes, he/she will quickly be decoding simple stories. The purpose of the predictable or patterned text is to give multiple repetitions of words and phrases so that students memorize the patterns and can predict the picture clue. For example, our shared reading this week was In the Shopping Cart. On page one, it read, “We like apples” with a picture of an apple in a grocery cart. On page two it read, “We like bananas” with a picture of bananas in a shopping cart. On page three it read, “We like grapes.” And so on until the last page where the pattern changed to “We like everything.”
Every other Tuesday we have the story lady, Ms. Mimi comes in and reads us a story. Mimi has come into my classroom for years, and students love it when she stops by to read us a story.
We also started reading and writing groups. Your child will receive the individual instruction he or she needs to be successful in writing and reading.
Writing
Our class worked on writing pattern books about one subject. Some students are having a hard time stretching out words and listening to sounds they hear in words. Many students can use heart words to make the beginning of a pattern book.
The Leader in Me
We have two goals – One goal is to have reading stamina of 20 minutes by December 12. The other goal is to sit at the carpet without reminders. Students are expected to sit criss-cross applesauce and stay in one spot during a story or lesson.
Science
We learned about the sense of touch. Ms. Eiden had students put their hands in mystery bags and sort the items in the bags only by using touch. Everyone had a great time!