Our first week of Words Their Way is behind us and I'm happy with how things went. Ten out of seventeen WTW Home books were returned on Friday. Students should have two complete sorts written in their books each week. The first one is done on Tuesday when they look at and read each word and then write it the appropriate column. The second one is completed on Wednesday and it is a blind sort and write. A parent reads the word to the child but doesn't show them the word. The student is expected to write the word with proper spelling in the appropriate category.
Students completed their spelling tests online using the Spelling City website on Friday. This made it quick and easy for students to complete their personalized spelling test instead of me having to give five different spelling tests throughout the day. The words are read to the students individually and a sentence is read using the word. The students type the word into the space provided. I was very happy to see the level of mastery that students achieved with their words and that most students were able to extend their knowledge to spell three new words that follow the same spelling patterns. Way to go 3FM!
Starting this week, in addition to their Words Their Way words, students will write five Word Wall Words in their agenda. These words will be basic sight words. Please ensure that your child can read and spell these common words by the end of the week. Thank you for your support!
Our home reading program is up and running with many enthusiastic readers earning beads for their necklaces! I am super proud of their dedication to their reading skills!
I have been meeting with students for reading conferences during our read to self time each day. During this time, I listen to a student read and we discuss their strengths and areas that need some attention. I teach them a strategy or two that I want them to focus on during reading practice. The strategies focus on one or two of our CAFE reading areas: Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanding Vocabulary. It is during this time that we also adjust reading levels throughout the year.
In writing, we have been focusing on building our stamina while writing in our journals. Students have also thoroughly enjoyed writing home on Fridays in their Back and Forth books. Daily, students are reminded of the proper writing conventions expected in all written work. Sentences need to start with a capital letter and end with proper punctuation. Proper names of people and places must be capitalized within a sentence.
Math News
Our first month together was spent exploring and building on our general number sense. Through weekly graphs, How Many Ways and basic addition fact practice, I have been able to get a sense of where the students are at when it comes to their math skills. This insight helps me plan future activities and unit studies. This week we will start our patterning unit. Students will explore and extend increasing and decreasing patterns in a variety of ways. They will learn how to define the pattern rule in a given pattern and how to create their own patterns.
I would like to take a minute to explain one of the strategies that I have taught the students to help them with their basic math facts. When students are unable to quickly recall their basic addition and subtraction facts (up to 9+9 or 18-9), they often become quite frustrated. Touch Math is a fantastic strategy that works with all math operations.
There are two things that you need to know to use this strategy:
1) where the spots are on each number
2) how to count on or back
Students quickly memorize the spots on the numbers one through nine (see chart above).
From one to five, all spots are single touches, meaning that students touch them and count them once. Numbers six and eight contain double touch spots, meaning that you touch and count them each twice. Numbers seven and nine contain double touch spots and a single touch spot.
Once students have memorized the spots, applying it to addition is simple.
For example,
6 + 4 =
Students start by touching the bigger number and say it's name, "Six..." While touching the spots on the four, the student counts on from 6, "7, 8, 9, 10."
After a little practice, students become very proficient, consistent and confident using this strategy.
* If you have any questions about Touch Math, please do not hesitate to contact me at school at your earliest convenience.
This week, we will look at using Touch Math to help us with subtraction.
Art News
October's art projects will focus on the theme of Halloween using a variety of materials. We started the month off by creating a spider web using white glue. Students first followed a guided drawing lesson to create their web in pencil and then carefully traced their pencil lines with white glue. This Friday, we will use soft pastels to add some colour to our webs.
A big thank you goes out to Mrs. Toogood and Mrs. Bennett for helping out during art!
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