MRS. PFEIFFER'S "HOPPING" GOOD NEWS
FEBRUARY 13TH - FEBRUARY 17TH, 2012
THEME:
Last week, we learned about dental health. Our essential question was "What are some good dental hygiene habits?" We discussed the difference in primary and permanent teeth and why it is important to take good care of your teeth.
This week, we will discuss President's Day and why this holiday is celebrated. We will also discuss our current presdent, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. Our essential question is "What characteristics make a good president?"
So, how does our day begin? Each day, your child arrives and begins his/her independent warm-up. Some are making corrections from the previous day, others begin with Mountain Math, some are starting Mountain Language, others are updating their individual class calendars, some are taking reading tests, while others are beginning their handwriting lesson. It is a very busy start to our morning. I am very proud of my students working so hard each morning to start the day. I also appreciate your help as well. By getting your child to school on time, they can begin their day at 8:15 and they do not start the day behind. Thank you for helping your child to learn and grow in his/her responsibilities!
SPECIAL REQUESTS: Please continue saving/sending in empty Pringles chips cans with lids for our "telescopes" in February. We have 17 so, only 4 more to go.
MATH:
This week we will begin Topic 12:Ordering Numbers. Your child will write numbers that are 1 more or 1 less and 10 more or 10 less than a given number. We will compare two-digit numbers and find missing numbers on a hundred chart. We will use the words before, after, and between to order numbers. Please practice with your child the words greater than (>), less than (<), and equals (=). We have started with this vocabulary in Mountain Math but practice will help. We are continuing Mountain Math. Monday-Thursday the students do approximately 5 problems which cover the entire first grade curriculum in math. Ask your child what he/she does in Mountain Math? Please help your child correct/stop reversing numbers. Remember to practice math facts with your child. Can your child write his/her numbers to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5's, and 10's? Can your child quickly give a sum for problems with sums to 15? We have also started Minute Math. This is an activity to test the speed of recall of facts to 10. Your child is asked to complete 30 problems in one minute. I will send the results of the first three days this week in your child's folder. My goal is to do Minute Math three times a week.
HANDWRITING:
We will be copying from the board. Does your child form the letters from the waistline or headline or are they forming the letters from the footline? No letter is formed from the footline. Do they have one finger space between words? Are the letters the correct size? Is your child's handwriting neat and legible?
READING:
Please continue to work on mastery of Themes 5/6 vocabulary words. Please cut apart the words and use as flash cards or for a review game until your child masters the list. Mastery of a word is when your child can identify the word without any clues or sounding out of the word. If your child has not mastered Themes 1- 4 list, please continue to work on the words not mastered. We will continue nightly homework. Your child is to READ TO YOU 20 minutes a night, 5 times a week. Each night, you will record the "minutes" your child reads and sign your signature on the "parent signature" side. When your child completes the book he/she is reading, then write the name of the book on the page entitled "RED HOT READERS". I will then assign a new book for your child to read. If you wish to mark your page with a bookmark, I will not remove it but please don't mark it with the folder since I need to remove the folder to check. Please ask your child questions concerning his/her nightly reading. Ask who are the characters, where does the story take place, or tell me the story in your own words. These strategies help to develop comprehension skills. When you spend 20 minutes with your child listening to his/her reading and asking questions, you are helping your child become a GREAT reader. Remember, the nightly homework also counts for the Towne Criers Reading Log requirement. The Towne Criers Reading Logs are due on the 5th of each month.
LANGUAGE ARTS:
We will continue with our unit on special names (proper nouns). The students will identify and capitalize all special names. We will review that we ALWAYS begin a sentence with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark of (.), (?), or (!) depending on the kind of sentence. This week, your child will do Mountain Language independently. Mountain Language is a program which asks students 5 questions each day covering the mechanics of language a first grader should know.
SPELLING:
This week, we will have our REVIEW unit on the words with the long (o) and long (e) sound. There are no proper nouns this week. Therefore, if your child capitalizes a word, I will deduct 1 point from the total score. This is a REVIEW unit so I WILL NEED the test signed/returned on Friday.
Spelling Unit 13
1. bone 11. me
2. nose 12. see
3. cone 13. mean
4. home 14. feet
5. broke 15. eat
6. own 16. he
7. show 17. maybe
8. woke 18. sheep
9. whole 19. other
10. also 20. these
REMINDERS:
*The Weekly Work Folder was sent home on Thursday, February 9th. Please return the Weekly Work Folder on Monday, February 13th. with the midterm, vocabulary checklist, signature (purple) page, behavior card, and tests found on the left side of the folder SIGNED in the proper places. Also, have your child choose a sample of his/her work to be displayed on the GREAT WORK board.
*Due to more rigid guidelines from the State Department, please email me or the office or send a guardian's note or a physician's note FOR EACH ABSENCE. If your child has an excused tardy note, doctor's or dentist's note, please send as well.
*If your child is going home a different way than usual, please send a note.
If your child is riding a bus with another child home, be sure and send a note for the bus driver as well.
*If your child is tardy, please walk in and sign your child in at the office. Please note the new security system at the front door. You will buzz at the door and an office personnel will let you in.
*We will try to go out daily if weather/temperature permits. Please send a jacket or sweater daily. The jacket also helps when our room or the cafeteria is a little chilly in the morning. If your child wears flip flops or sandals to school, please send closed toe shoes for playtime and I will let them change before we go outside. Be sure to have appropriate shoes for PE which is every Friday.
* Wednesdays are our Library days. Please send your child's library books so they can check out 2 more new books.
*Be sure to collect Box Tops for Education and Campbell's Soup labels.
*Please join the PTA and Booster Club. Both organizations have your child's learning as their prime focus. It is never too late to join.
DON'T FORGET THE FOLLOWING DATES:
Monday, February 13th - Return the weekly work folder and midterm. PTA program at 6:30. Second grade students will be performing.
Tuesday, February 14th - Valentine's Day and party. Please have your child make or buy a valentine for each student in our class (21). Don't forget we have a new student. We will be making our Valentine's Day bags in class.
Yours In Learning,
Mrs. Pfeiffer
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