1. MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Nov. 24 th – No School, Teacher In- Service Nov. 25 th – Nov. 27 th No School, Thanksgiving Break Dec. 1 st – November Reading Logs are due. Remember, our goal is 175 minutes of reading! You can do it! Dec 2 nd – Christmas Show Dec. 9 th – December Project is due Dec. 11 th – Report Cards Please check our school website for additional news and events. Falling For Addition and Subtraction! Please continue to practice the math flash cards that your child made in class. Create fact families to review both addition and subtraction facts. Attached are some new math games. If time allows, please play these games over your vacation. Create or purchase additional math flash cards to practice with your child. Mrs. Frost’s First Grade Reminders Read Everyday!!! Let me know if your child needs additional books to read at home. December’s Project Reading Project Designing a Christmas tree of book recommendations Project guidelines and ornaments were sent home last week. Please let me know if you have any questions. I can’t wait to see everyone’s creativity! Feel free to type your recommendations and attach them to each ornament. You may add additional ornaments (real or fake), garland, etc. to your tree. I look forward to transforming our hallway into a winter wonderland! This will be the last project of 2015. I understand that this is a busy time of year. I would like to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope that you have a restful, relaxing, and blessed vacation. Thank you for your continued support.

2. Daily Reading Practice Daily reading should consist of fluency practice, sight word practice, and free-choice reading. Break these into separate times to prevent them from feeling time consuming to your child. Fluency Practice Poetry Practice (5 minutes a night) Echo or choral read poems or short stories together to model expression and fluency. This week, please practice the Thanksgiving poetry folder that was sent home last week. Sight Words (5 minutes a night) Don’t forget to practice the Dolch sight word booklet on a regular basis. Five minutes of daily sight word practice can make a big difference! Also, please have your child practice reading the weekly words that are attached to our spelling list. These words are in conjunction with our weekly phonics/spelling skills. Reading these words will help your child apply our phonics skills. Free Choice Reading (5-10 minutes a night) Allow your child to select a book at their reading level to read aloud to you. When time allows, read to your child. This will inspire them and help them grow as readers. Gobble Up A Good Book! Our Christmas show is almost here! Please practice the carols below. Oh Come, All Ye Faithful The First Noel Away in a Manger We Three Kings Joy to the World I’m sure that many students will be writing their letters to Santa over Thanksgiving break. Below are some items to ask Santa for. Pencils and pencil top erasers Glue sticks Crayons Colored pencils Writing journal (for home) Have a wonderful week and a blessed holiday season! Ho Ho Ho … Only a month to go! This is a an eventful time of year. Please make sure your child is getting a good night’s sleep. Please continue to practice correct letter and number formation at home. Drop the pencil and practice writing in shaving cream or chalk. Build letters and sight words with play dough, letter tiles, or stamps. Encourage your child to keep a journal at home to practice writing stories.

3. Story Connection: Please select one of these questions to discuss with your child each evening. Take a picture walk through the story. Look at the pictures before reading the story to predict what may happen. Setting - Where does the story take place? Who is/are the main character(s) of the book? What was the problem and/or solution of the story? Draw conclusions – How do you think the story may end? What was the main idea of the story? What was your favorite part? Why? Compare and contrast characters, other stories, etc. What type of genre? Visualize – what mental pictures do you make as you are reading? Write down 2-3 words that were challenging to read and add these to your sight word list to practice each evening. Rate the book. Tell why you liked or did not like the story. Text–Self connection – this story reminds me of… A time when I… A person I know… A book I read… List the sequence of events Summarize the story Monitoring Comprehension Below are the story connections that we are currently working on. Please find time to have a book talk with your child on a regular basis. As your child becomes an independent reader, it is important to discuss with them what they are reading. This will enable you to monitor their comprehension and help them with book selections.