October 14, 2011

October 14, 2011

Friday, October, 14 2011

            The Pre-K class has been busy this week with apples, leaves and Halloween activities.  We have now finished our apple unit and have begun our leaves and Halloween units. In math we are doing many things with patterns.  If you have some time this weekend ask your son or daughter to make and identify some patterns around your home.  The week of October 26^th the Kindergartens will be having a Halloween party.  Details will follow shortly but now is a good time to go out and start looking for a Halloween costume for your children. 

Reading Tips

What tips can I use to help my child learn to read?

Tip 1 – Talk to Your Child

Oral language is the foundation for reading. Listening and speaking are a child's first introduction to language. Talking and singing teach your child the sounds of language, making it easier for him or her to learn how to read.

Here are some things you can do to help your child build an appreciation for words and language:

·                       Tell family stories about yourself, your child's grandparents, and other relatives.

·                       Talk to your child as much as possible about things you are doing and thinking.

·                       Ask your child lots of questions.

·                       Encourage your child to tell you what he or she thinks or feels.

·                       Ask your child to tell you about his or her day – about activities and games played.

·                       Be patient! Give your child time to find the words he or she wants to use.

·                       Sing songs, such as the alphabet song, and recite nursery rhymes, encouraging your child to join in.

·                       Play rhyming and riddle games.

What we did in our centres this week.

Literacy Centres

1.      ABC puzzles.

2.      Guided reading with a teacher.

3.      Computer story “Tooth Fairy Witch” and phonics games.

4.      Halloween activities.

5.      Phonics Ff.

Math and Science Centres

1.      Pattern necklaces.

2.      Pasta sorting game.

3.      Play dough copying pictures to make fall fruit.

4.      Making patterns from lego.

Student of the Week

The student of the week is Valerie.  She has improved so much since the first day of school and is not afraid to try new things.  We are so proud of you Valerie!!!!  

Reminders and Notices

1.      Mini books (My Aa, Bb) that get sent home need to be brought back to school.

2.      Remember to bring back library books by Tuesday (you can keep the books longer then a few days).

3.      October 26^h there will be a Halloween party.

Like always, if you have any questions or concern you can always write me an email at bsharp.his@gmail.com or come by and speak to me in person.

Cheers

Braedon

Learn from the masses, and then teach them. 
Mao Tse-Tung 

Week of Oct 7th

Friday, October, 1 2011

            Another exciting week in the Pre-K class has passed.  Last Friday we had a great time making our apple crisp and it was fun to see the students in the class that have a sweet tooth!  This week we did more activities with apples.  We made some counting apple books in math and we dissected an apple to learn about all of the different parts.

Library books only have to be returned by Tuesday.  Children at this age love re-reading books over and over again.  The repetition helps with comprehension and overall enjoyment of the book.  I could read some books every day for the entire year and the students will never get tired of them.  Below are is this weeks reading tips.  Have a great long weekend and lets hope it will be sunny and warm.

Reading Tips

How can I help my child?

As a parent, you are your child's first and most important teacher. When you help your child learn to read, you are opening the door to a world of books and learning.

Reading aloud to children is the best way to get them interested in reading. Before long they will grow to love stories and books. Eventually they will want to read on their own.

With the help of parents, children can learn how to read and can practice reading until they can read for their own enjoyment. Then they will have a whole world of information and knowledge at their fingertips!

Reading can be a family activity. Spending time with word games, stories, and books will help your child to:

·                       gather information and learn about the world

·                       learn how stories and books work – that they have beginnings, endings, characters,     and themes

·                       build a rich vocabulary by reading and talking about new words

·                       learn how to listen and how to think

·                       learn the sounds of language and language patterns

·                       fall in love with books

It's natural to want to compare your child's reading abilities with those of other children of the same age, but not all children develop reading skills at the same pace. What's important is that you are aware of your child's reading level so that you can choose books and activities that will help him or her improve.

What we did in our centres this week.

Literacy Centres

1.      b and d cut and paste activity.

2.      Guided reading with a teacher.

3.      Computer story “Franklin Goes to School” and phonics games.

4.      All about me books.

5.      Phonics Ee.

Math and Science Centres

1.      Number writing.

2.      Pasta sorting game.

3.      Pattern necklaces.

4.      Apple counting game and books.

Student of the Week

The student of the week is Daphne.  She has shown a lot of improvement with her listening skills and has worked really hard during our learning centres.  Great job Daphne!!!

Reminders and Notices

1.      Mini books (My Aa, Bb) that get sent home need to be brought back to school.

2.      Remember to bring back library books by Tuesday (you can keep the books longer then a few days).

3.      October 10^th there will be no school.

Like always, if you have any questions or concern you can always write me an email at bsharp.his@gmail.com or come by and speak to me in person.

Cheers

Braedon

We shouldn't teach great books; we should teach a love of reading. 
B. F. Skinner 

September 30th

Apple Crisp

September 30th

Friday, October, 1 2010

            Wow!  October is already here.  I am very pleased with how far the Pre-K’s have come in a very short time.  The students are already surprising me with how much they can do now. Our centres are working very well and every student is trying so hard!

 Every Friday we do “Writers Workshop” which is weekly writing activity about what we did that week.  It is posted on the wall in the classroom and you are more than welcome to come in and see what your child is writing about.  The students love showing their family what they can do in class.

Every October I offer a homework pack for the month.  It involves various short activities (10 minute maximum) that shadow what is covered inside the classroom.  It goes out on Monday and can be returned so I can take a look at it on Friday.  If you would like your son or daughter to participate then could you please come and talk to me or write me an email so I will know how many I need to make.  There is also a letter explaining how it works.  If you are confused or need some clarification come by and we can discuss it.  Like I mentioned it is voluntary and I will never grade it.  I will look at it and then write some tips or suggestions to help the student.

Since library books and the letter books are going home on a consistent basis I have decided to give some tips on how you can help your son or daughter with learning to read.

 How will my child learn to read?

Learning to read does not happen all at once. It involves a series of stages that lead, over time, to independent reading and to fluency.  The best time for children to start learning to read is when they are very young, usually at the preschool level. This is when they are best able to start developing basic reading skills.

1.  The pre-reader and the beginning reader:

·                       likes to look at books and likes to be read to

·                       likes to behave like a reader – for example, holds books and pretends to read them 

·                       learns about words by looking at picture books and playing with blocks that have letters on them, magnetic letters, and so on

·                       learns about words from songs, rhymes, traffic signs, and logos on packages of food

·                       learns how text works – for example, where a story starts and finishes and which way the print proceeds

·                       begins to understand that his or her own thoughts can be put into print

·                       uses pictures and memory to tell and retell a story

What we did in our centres this week.

Literacy Centres

1.      Phonics book Dd.

2.      Guided reading with a teacher.

3.      Computer story “Franklin Goes to School” and phonics games.

4.      All about me books.

5.      Finishing art activities.

Math and Science Centres

1.      Birthday cakes cut and paste activity.

2.      Dice rolling blocks game.

3.      Memory with cards.

4.      Apple counting game and books.

Reminders and Notices

1.      Mini books (My Aa, Bb) that get sent home need to be brought back to school.

2.      Remember to bring back library books by Tuesday (you can keep the books longer then a few days).

3.      October 10^th there will be no school.

You teach best what you most need to learn. 

Richard Bach

Like always, if you have any questions or concern you can always write me an email at bsharp.his@gmail.com or come by and speak to me in person.

Cheers

Braedon