Since our classroom and students are constantly evolving, we have made some changes to the small groups we meet with. Be sure to ask your student what color group they are in so that you can keep up with all the wonderful new things they are doing and the fantastic projects they're working on. I am so excited that I am now getting to meet with every student in our class at least twice each week. You guys have some amazing kids!
Yellow Group: We are working hard to practice our writing skills. Writing is so important for students-- it helps them to express themselves and also helps to develop literacy skills. In small group, I ask students to write one sentence and then illustrate that sentence with a picture. Since we have started sight words in the classroom, they really just need help with sounding out unfamiliar words. For at home work, you can make sight word flash cards: is, my, and the are our words of the week. If you're feeling ambitious, work on writing a short story (as few as 3 sentences) with your child that uses the sight words. Have them circle the sight words they know when you are done.
Red Group: I am also working with the red group on writing. We will be practicing the sight words of the week--is, my, the--and using them in written work. The students seem to really enjoy expressing their ideas in writing, and they love to illustrate what they've written. Tomorrow, we will be reading a short story and writing what we like about it with the prompt "I like...." This is something you can definitely do at home. Even if you don't write it down, brainstorm good response sentences to the books you read together.
Green Group: Green group is making huge strides together on letter and sound identification. They are well on their way to becoming great readers and writers. This week we are talking about the letters Q q R r (they're that far along in the alphabet!). Students practice writing these letters, but also identifying them within a group of mixed letters. For at home work, take your student on a "word hunt." Take out a book, magazine or newspaper and "race" your student to find certain letters. This is a fun, free game to play at home.
Let's Talk About It: Let's Talk About It students are discussing a picture of a rocket taking off this week. They worked hard today to write their sentence for the week (responses included "The rocket will go to space." to "The astronaut is fighting the aliens.") These boys are seriously creative writers.
The best thing to do at home to build good verbal communication skills is to simply talk with your student. However, finding things that they are really excited to talk about isn't always so easy. Try checking out this cool rocket launch video and talking with your student about what they already know about space. If you want more, visit the public library to find kid's nonfiction books about space (The Magic School Bus books are fantastic).
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