This week’s theme is the Three Little Pigs, and last week’s theme was Winter. On Monday we drew pictures of Martin Luther King Jr and we will hang them in the hallway. Towards Friday, I will talk more about Dr. King’s impact on our lives.

Homework

By now your child should have brought at least one book home to read to you. I enclosed a letter explaining that I will try to send home two books a week. Please have your student read the book and send it back the next day.

January 24th we will begin writing homework. Look for more information to come.

Please continue working on iReady lessons for 30 minutes in math and reading a week. We will take our next iReady test in February.

We have started all new units in reading, writing, and phonics.

Lucy Calkins is a well-known reading and writing expert who has developed a widely used literacy curriculum for elementary school students. Her approach to teaching reading, writing, and phonics is centered around encouraging students to build their own “superpowers” as readers and writers.

The Reading Superpowers curriculum by Calkins focuses on teaching students the strategies they need to become proficient readers. This includes instruction on phonics, word decoding, and comprehension strategies. The curriculum also strongly emphasizes independent reading, encouraging students to select and read books of personal interest to them.

The Phonics Word Part Power curriculum is a component of the Reading Superpowers curriculum that specifically focuses on teaching students about word parts, such as prefixes, suffixes, and roots. The curriculum uses a variety of engaging activities to help students understand how these word parts can be used to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

The Writing as Readers curriculum is another component of the Reading Superpowers curriculum that focuses on teaching students how to use writing to deepen their understanding of what they’re reading. In addition, the curriculum includes instruction on writing in response to literature and writing to convey information and personal thoughts and feelings.

The Lucy Calkins Reading Superpowers, Phonics Word Part Power, and Writing as Readers program aims to empower students to become independent readers and writers. These programs help the students to develop their reading and writing skills in a meaningful and enjoyable way.

Math

We are learning different ways to make 10.

Knowing different ways to add numbers up to 10 is crucial because it helps children develop a strong foundation for later understanding more advanced math concepts.

For example, if a child knows that 5 + 5 = 10, they also know that 10 – 5 = 5. This understanding can help them when they start learning subtraction. Additionally, knowing that 6 + 4 = 10, 8 + 2 = 10, and other ways to add up to 10 helps children develop flexibility in their thinking, which is a crucial skill for problem-solving.

Furthermore, understanding different combinations that make 10 can help children quickly recognize and solve math problems like if they see a problem like 5+__=10, they can quickly realize that they need to fill in 5.

It also helps children learn the number bonds (pairs of numbers that add up to a given number), a fundamental building block for understanding number facts and mental math.

Overall, learning different ways to add numbers up to 10 helps children with their math skills and improves their problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities.

Social Studies

We are learning about the past, present, and future. Please do if you have not texted me your student’s baby picture. I also printed off pictures of students of what they would look like when they were 100 years old with a filter app. The pictures did not turn out as well as I expected. It made all the boys look like girls; I am not sure why.

Science

The week of the 23rd, we will start our Push and Pull science unit. Look for more information to come.

Field Trips

As a kindergarten team, we are developing a few field trips. Right now, it is hard because most places do not accept kindergarteners, and we also want to be safe and not catch any diseases and be back before lunch. I will give you more information as I know it.