Open House

Untitled from Michelle Ellis on Vimeo.

Using Strategies To Read

Reading is a complex process and, because of this, no single strategy works best all of the time. In Kindergarten the boys and girls learned strategies that provide a balance between reading strategies, self-monitoring, and cross-checking behaviors. This year in first grade we have been reviewing the reading strategies and taking them a little deeper using harder text. Here is a list of some of the strategies your child should be familiar with.

1.Look at the Pictures - readers make predictions about words based on clues gained from the picture.

2.Point to the Words - young readers to be sure that they are saying the same number of words that are on the page. This is not a strategy they will as they become more proficient readers.

3.Does it Make Sense? Good readers need to make sure that what they have read is logical and sensible.

4.Get Your Mouth Ready - readers need to get their mouth ready for the beginning sound(s) when they are stuck on unknown words.

5.Reread- children reread to use knowledge of oral language and to check meaning.

6. Chunk it - readers break unknown words apart and look for parts that they do know.

Every Day Counts Calendar Math

Each afternoon, we spend 10 minutes learning a variety of math skills through the calendar. We talk about the days of the week and when they fall for this month. For example, September 9th is on a Wednesday. Each number card also has a different picture so we explore patterns. We count how many days we have been in school. Today was day 12. We represent that number using the Tens Frame and with sticky notes that follow a pattern. We also explore the number 12. The number 12 means we have one bundle of 10's and 2 ones. We also use the number 12 to help us count minutes on the clock. Using the 100's chart we practice counting by different numbers like 5's and 10's. The last portion is picking two numbers and writing a word problem to match those numbers. It can either be an addition or subtraction problem. The students make up the problem and write an equation to match. It is a lot of math in a little bit of time. It is a very powerful part of our day. Have your child look at the picture above and teach you about each part.