January 3, 2012 Upcoming Events: January 13- No School Teacher Workshop January 16- No School Martin Luther King Day We are working really hard this month assessing sight words and letter sound recognition. All kindergarten students are expected to know all letters, sounds and read 25 high frequency words. All first graders are expected to know all of the above and read 100 high frequency words. When we are filling in our progress reports in January, we will be assessing to see if your child is progressing toward these end-of-the- year Minnesota State Standards. Please continue working with your child. Thank you. Please send your child with a hat, mittens, boots, and snow pants for recess. Students will not be able to use the sledding hills or play in the snow unless they are dressed appropriately. They are welcome to leave an extra set at school if that is easier. Thanks for helping us have fun in the snow! This week in writing, each homebase chose a mentor author to study. We have read books by these authors and identified the writing craft that appears throughout the books. Using books by our mentor author we have learned about using ellipses, large print and comeback lines. Ask your child which author they are studying and how they have implemented some of that author’s writing craft into their own writing. All students took a spelling assessment. These assessments are used to tailor spelling instruction for your child. The assessments use specific words to determine your child’s developmental spelling stage and the spelling patterns they need to master. There are five different developmental stages working on a variety of spelling patterns. The stages that your child will go through from now through sixth grade are Emergent, Letter Name, Within Word Pattern, Syllable Juncture, and Derivational Constancy. Students will be working on sorting words and building our spelling routines. Lists will go home every other week to all first grade students. Today each first grade student will bring home their first list to practice and will be given a Spelling Feedback assessment the following Tuesday. These words will be chosen by your child from a list of similar word patterns. For example, your child’s list may focus on certain initial consonants, consonant blends, or vowel sounds. Along with bringing home these words to study, your child will practice finding similar words, rhyming words in books, playing word games, and other means of practice. When your child begins bringing home a spelling list, please assist them in the study of the list he/she chooses for feedback. While kindergarten students took the assessment and were placed in their appropriate spelling groups, research shows that they are not yet developmentally ready to take feedback and will not bring spelling words home. Students are continuing to work on reading strategies to help them decode words and become stronger, more fluent readers. We are in the process of assessing each student to see what gains they have made so far this year. Look for an updated reading level for your child in the progress reports that will come home at the end of the month.