Almost March!

It is a sunny Saturday and it is almost March! I know SO many people who are very glad to have February over. I think having some sunshine will help. I know the children need to get outside more often and run around and I also need some fresh air. We have such a short time for recess but we may try getting outside when we can. Our playground is still pretty snowy but if kids bring boots maybe we can go out now and again. We may even try the big playground from time to time since they will be out there next year and need to learn the rules.

Literacy Night is this Tuesday, March 2nd from 6:00-7:30. I hope all of you can come.

Your children are doing marvelous jobs reading. The more chances they have to read, the better they get. If your child is still sounding out every word, have him/her practice the slow way (sounding the words out) and then practice reading the fast way (trying not to sound out unless needed). This will help with fluency.

Have your child practice saying the names of letters (both caps. and lower-case). They will be tested on this in April. They have to say the letters correctly and quickly.

Another thing they will be tested on is reading nonsense words. A good game you can play is to write out a common ending on a piece of paper (see my suggestions following). Write it pretty large. Then, using the letter cards from the homework notebook, put all the consonants upside down on the table (your child should be able to sort consonants and vowels). The first person draws a consonant and puts it on the front of the word ending and reads it. If it makes a word s/he gets a point. The next person then draws a consonant and puts it on the front of the same word ending and reads it. S/he reads it and gets a point if it is a real word. The person who makes the most real words wins. By playing this game s/he will be practicing reading real words and nonsense words.

Here are some word endings for the above game to get you started: at, it, ut, ug, ox, et, og, ip, ap, ell, ot.

Our letter in phonics this week is "w" and we will be writing sentences about a wagon.

In math we are working on the larger numbers 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20. Your child needs to be able to count up to these numbers but also be able to recognize and write the numerals out of order. We only need to add up to an answer of 10 but if your child can add amounts that are larger, it is good practice for them for first grade.

Our vocabulary words this week are witty, plump, aware, prod, and scraggly.

We are working on writing a book called, "All the Way up the Hill." It is about playing in the snow with friends. Be sure to have your child read this several times to several people when s/he brings it home. Also, when you come for literacy night be sure to look at the writing our class did about what we like in kindergarten that is hanging in the hallway! It is amazing how well they write! It is hard to believe that kindergarten students can do so much!!!!!

Have a fun weekend playing outside!