1. Reading Workshop  We are continuing our work on developing good reading workshop habits by meeting at the carpet quietly and listening to the mini- lesson, as well as reading independently without getting distracted.  We are also learning that all readers are different just like shoes. We learned that readers select books based on interests and their skills and that it is ok to select different books than our friends.  Finally, this week we will learn the five finger rule which helps us to select books. The five finger rule means that if five words are too difficult and we get stuck on them, then the book is not at our independent level. Your child should be selecting independent reading books that are his/her level. Please continue to practice the skills taught each week in writing and reading workshop at home. Remember the home-school connection is vital in helping your child become a successful writer and reader! Please take at least twenty minutes to read with your child every night. Your child must read everyday in order to become a competent and fluent reader. Writing Workshop This week we are continuing to practice the procedures of writing workshop. We are focusing on getting started right away without getting distracted. We are practicing writing like authors by drawing a picture to hold our thoughts, then labeling our picture, and writing a sentence or more to match the story. We are also working on rehearsing our writing over our fingers and checking to make sure our story includes a beginning, middle, and end. Ideas to increase your child’s writing at school Have your child keep a daily journal. Classroom Information  Classroom Rules-Please continue to discuss with your child making good choices, using good listening skills and being safe with themselves and others. Please talk with your child about the appropriate and inappropriate times to talk in class.  Reading Logs- This week, your child brought home his/her first reading log. This log should be completed and returned to school every Monday. I will review it with your child and place a sticker on our class chart to mark that his/her homework was returned.  Blue Folders- You child received his/her blue take home folder on Monday. It is his/her responsibility to take the folder home and return it daily to school. Please inform your child if there are any important notes to be given to me.  Snack- Don’t forget to pack your child a healthy snack daily, it helps to keep their brain running. Homework Anything that is not completed and has not been checked is considered homework. Please take some time to review any work with your child. All homework must be returned the following day unless it is due to absence. Word Study We are continuing our consonant review as well as our word building with short a. We learned that the alphabet has five vowels and that every word must have a vowel or it does not make sense. We learned that every sentence begins with a capital letter and the other letters are all lowercase followed by a period at the end. Math In math, we are continuing to work on our counting skills both with objects and by writing numbers to 100. Last week, we learned how to count objects and decide if one group was more, less, or the same as the other group. We also learned that we can count objects in groups using tally marks. This week, we will continue to count using tally marks, tens and ones, and a tens frame. Ideas to help at home:  Make a set of addition flash cards and practice them nightly, make an extra set to play memory with.  Have your child write numbers using shaving cream on a pie pan. It’s not only good practice but great fun! Room 127 Newsletter Mrs. Hribar’s First grade Turrill Elementary Lapeer Community Schools August 14, 2013