Week 5: Dig, Dig, Digging

Story of the week: Dig, Dig, Digging by Margaret Mayo

Poem: Bats

Phonics: T

Math: Patterns, Numbers 1-5

Science: Animals

Reminders:

·         Practice poems at home.

·         Do M and T in the alphabet book.

·         Practice naming and making patterns with colors, sounds, and shapes.

·         Incorporate counting in activities at home.

·         Congratulations to Jackson Knoll, our student of the month for Respect.

·         Start saving for the Apple Valley!

Dear Parents,

            Each month, our Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Nerren teaches a lesson about character. This month the students learned about Respect. Each teacher is asked to recognize a student in their class who embodies the trait. Students who are chosen will go to a breakfast to honor them and their picture will hang in the hallway. I have chosen Jackson Knoll as our student of the month! Jackson is extremely polite and respectful each and every day. He is kind to both children and adults. He is such a joy to have in our classroom.

            This week we are talking about things that go. Our story is about all types of transportation and machines that help us get our jobs done. Start a conversation in your home about machines that you use on a daily basis that help around the home.

            We will be learning all about the letter T this week in phonics. We will be making turtles, making tigers out of Ts, and drawing pictures of things that start with T. We will learn how to listen for the /t/ sound as we listen to songs with lots of Ts in them.

            This week will be the first week for Alphabet books to go home. Let me remind you that I have changed my mind on the directions since the front page was printed. To save on paper, you may simply draw pictures and practice writing the letter on the same page. Your students will need to do two letters this week, M & T so be sure to pace yourselves.  

            We will be taking our patterns assessment on Tuesday and beginning numbers 1-5. Patterns proved to be quite a tricky topic in our new Math curriculum, so I think counting, writing, and recognizing numbers will come as a relief. Incorporate counting at home by using objects to count. You can even compare sets of objects to see if they are alike and different. You can even incorporate position words like left and right as you talk about numbers at home. (Which group has three in it? The one on the left or the right? Etc.)

            In Science, we will be continuing our investigation of animals. We will talk about how all animals grow and change. We will be learning about the life cycles of frogs and butterflies. We will start talking about classifying animals as well. We will begin with mammals and fish.

            Our first field trip has been scheduled! We will be going to Apple Valley Farms on Friday, October 21^st. We will take a tour of the orchard, learn about apples, listen to story time, see how apples are sorted, and view the machine that makes the cider. It will cost us around $5 for each child to go. Payment is not required but a donation is strongly suggested. If we do not receive enough donations, the trip will be cancelled. So, go ahead and start saving some spare change so that we can afford to take this fun trip.