Monday, November 17, 2014

Module 2A

GET INTO THE BOOK!!!


What a WONDERFUL first quarter!  Now, in second quarter, we are more deeply getting into the book!  During this next module, we will use a variety of comprehension strategies (making connections, predicting/inferring, questioning, monitoring, summarizing, evaluating) as we listen and respond to a variety of literature.  We will read cumulative tales, circle stories, and animal stories.  We will discuss the roles of the author and illustrator as well as define characters and setting.  Students will retell stories in a logical sequence and ask and answer questions based on the text.  We will continue our study of identifying words and pictures that rhyme, as well as producing our own rhyming words.  We will compare and contrast our Jan Brett stories as we think aloud about the characters, setting, and major events of each story.  We will read about "juicy" (descriptive) words while reading The Napping House and will include juicy words in our own conversations and individual work.  

·    

Snappy Words

                                 and, are, do, for, have, here, look, play, she, he, was


Please continue practicing sight word cards nightly :)


In Readers Workshop we will:
- Close our books and retell what happened in the book using the words first, next, then, last
- Monitor if we are reading too fast, too slow, or just right
- Practice using ALL of our strategies to help us figure out tricky words
- Make connections to the stories by sharing with our reading partner
- Re-reading our books to sound fluent
- Predict what will happen next or even after the story is over
- Choose fiction books to read for enjoyment and choose nonfiction books to learn new information
- Read a book and then tell facts/things they've learned from the book
- Ask questions before, during, and after reading a book
- Increase our stamina while reading independently

Please continue reading books nightly with your child.  





Our New Favorite Books

                                      The Napping House by Audrey Wood

                                  If You Give A … stories by Laura Numeroff
If You Give… Book Set
                                           
                                            Today is Monday by Eric Carle

                 I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (and other versions)
There was an old lady - top childrens books
                                                 
                                                   The Hat by Jan Brett


                                  Fritz and the Beautiful Horses by Jan Brett

                                          Honey, Honey Lion by Jan Brett
Cover Illustration from Honey Honey Lion by Jan Brett
                                          
                                           Hedgie’s Surprise by Jan Brett
Hedgie's Surprise

                                              Annie and the Wild Animals
Annie and the Wild Animals
                                              
                                             Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell



 In Writers Workshop, we will write narrative pieces again with a greater focus on print concepts, sight words, and awareness of sounds.  Students will focus on "true stories" about something that has actually happened to them.  We will work on:
- Beginning and finishing a new story every day (Beginning, Middle, End)
- Creating work that is "easy to read"
- Planning our stories first across our fingers or by touching our pages before we begin to sketch or write
- First sketching our pictures across pages so we don't forget our exciting idea
- Including the words "first," "next/then," and "finally/last" to show organization
- Stretching words out slooowly to write down one letter for each sound we hear
- Saying a sentence out loud before writing it down on paper
- Using finger spaces to make our writing "easy to read"
- Creating speech bubbles to make our people talk
- Including punctuation marks to show where the sentence stops
- Monitoring our own writing - writing a little, then re-reading our writing to see if what we have written makes sense
- Providing feedback to our writing partners to give tips on how to make our writing "easier to read"
- Including "juicy" words in our writing to describe people, places, or things
- Including sight words in our work and checking to see if we have spelled them correctly 
- Increasing our stamina while writing independently

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Apples and Spiders and Bats, oh my!

Last week we finished up a nonfiction unit on apples, bats, and spiders.  We learned that readers read fiction books for enjoyment and nonfiction books to learn new things.  Unknown vocabulary words such as orchard, echolocation and arachnids were discussed.  Students created KWL charts where we discussed our prior knowledge, what we wanted to learn, and then what we did learn once the unit was over.  Diagrams and books were made to further our knowledge of each of these topics.  Our writer’s workshop unit also turned to nonfiction writing, as we were no longer writing about things that we did, but rather things that we know a lot about.  We look forward to future nonfiction units later in the year!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences

Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences

REMINDER!!! Parent Teacher Conferences will be held Tuesday, November 18th and Thursday, November 20th from 3:45 - 7:30 p.m.  We are all so excited to meet with you to discuss your child's progress.  Please return any paperwork that your teacher sent home by the given date so that we can prepare for meeting with your family.  Thank you and see you in two weeks! :)