September 30, 2012
Dear
Parents,
First, thank
you all for making the effort to come out to our Horizon Curriculum Night. We are proud of all the learning that takes
place here every day, and the Curriculum Night is something we look forward to every
year– a rare time when we get to have you, the children’s parents, in our classrooms -- to
talk about our shared product: your children. Once again, we very-much enjoyed the night. Please
don’t hesitate to email me if any of your questions did not get answered.
Reading: in this, our third full week of
school, we are nearly done with the reading assessments. Students know what their “Just Right” reading
level is, and they know how to use the “five finger” rule to test out if a new
book is, indeed, “just right” for them.
Remember, when your child is doing “at-home” reading, it is a perfect time
for practicing what they have learned
rather than trying to break new ground. Ask
them to read to you out loud (especially if they are “beginning” readers –
usually Level A-J). If they are laboring
through a story, it’s usually an indication that it’s too hard. Have them pick
something easier so they can read it quickly enough to be able to use expression. Developing an ear and a voice for smooth,
expressive reading is just as important as developing an eye for accurate
reading. An accurate-but-painfully-slow
reader won’t learn any more quickly, and they’re less likely to fall in love
with reading. I will be contacting you
shortly to let you know your child’s instructional
level and independent level. (A
child’s instructional level is
usually one letter beyond their independent
level.
In Writing, students are writing the second
drafts of their first short stories. They are learning (or for second graders –
remembering) how we run Writer’s Workshop, when it is ok to
talk, and when it’s necessary to be quiet so everyone can pay attention to
their memories and their imaginations. In the writing pieces themselves, students
are learning to write with strong voice, i.e., writing it the way they would
say it.
In Math, students in First and Second are
equally excited to begin the October Calendar and see what pattern it reveals! We are now extending our study of patterns
(repeating patterns and growing patterns) to study sorting. Sorting is everywhere from our grocery store to our sock
drawer. Students are getting lots of
practice with increasingly-difficult sorting challenges.
In Tech Lab this week, First and Second Graders logged
onto their email accounts, and they exchanged emails with me. Parents, if you
haven’t already done so, please email your child at firstnamelastname@cssu.us that way, he or she can reply to you and you
will be off and running. In addition to
our weekly project in the Tech Lab, I will have students working on ongoing,
laptop-based projects in the classroom, so they will have ample opportunity to
check their emails and respond to you.
Sharing: Students did a wonderful job sharing their ME
bags. They shared enthusiastically, and they asked sincere and interesting
questions of each other. It was a great way for us to get to know each other.
The Sharing theme for this week is “Something I collect” or “Something
someone I know collects.”
Four Winds: we are excited for this year’s first
Four Winds lesson (this week on Friday morning). Can’t wait!
That’s it
for now, Everyone. Have great week.
Mr. Bolger
