10/30/08 Money & Study for Spelling Test

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Money): we continue to work on counting coins. Please work with your student to have them finish the math math 5-3 Counting Collections of Coins. Problem #8 is a journal problem. They need to create their own story and draw the coins that go with it. For example:
I found 75¢ ... first I found a quarter, then I found 4 dimes and then I found a nickel and 5 pennies. That is 75¢ altogether.
They need to draw the coins that go with their story. We’ve practiced this in class.

Part 3 (Spelling): We have a Spelling Test tomorrow. Are you ready?

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

One more thing: I’d like to get from you how your child is doing with all of these different skills. Do you feel the books they are reading are at the right levels? Is the coin counting coming easily to them? What is your impression of how they are doing with basic writing and spelling skills? Please drop me a note sometime with your impressions about how your child is developing academically! I am quite honored to be the teacher to such a wonderful group of students! This is optional, obviously, but it helps he gauge the progress of the class as a whole...

10/29/08 Comprehension: Making Predictions

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Below, please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Reading Comprehension): One of the main focuses of our year has been reading comprehension. Simply reading a book, article, or passage isn’t enough. Readers need to be able to re-tell what they’ve read in their own words!  Tonight your student is reading another short passage about bats. We’ve previously studied bats so they already have some knowledge to start with. After they read the passage then need to answer 4 simple questions about the passage. There is explicit and implicit information available to help your student answer the questions. Explicit means that the information is written on the page. Implicit means that they figure out their answer from clues provided on the page. Readers need to constantly check for implicit and explicit information. See if your child can readily figure out the main idea of the article. Can they use clues to figure out what kind of book the article is from? Can they finish the chart at #4 with a good title? Do they know what a myth is?

Part 3 (Your Turn to Write #8, Predictions): Your student did some pre-writing today with YTTW #8. I am sending it home again. I’d like them to make it even neater and better. We will be using YTTW #8 in class tomorrow to write a paragraph dealing with making predictions, the clues that help us make predictions, and outcomes. I have already assigned each pre-writing a letter grade. Please go over your student’s work and make sure they understand what we are doing. Even if your child’s YTTW #8 is already wonderful it can still be made neater.  Here is an example of the kind of paragraph they'll be expected to write tomorrow from the pre-writing exercise YTTW #8:

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

10/28/08 Punctuation & Counting Money

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Punctuation): We are constantly talking about what makes a sentence. As we all know, sentences are complete ideas that begin with capital letters and end with punctuation marks. Tonight I’d like your student to figure out what kind of sentences they are working with.   We have:

• Basic telling sentences that give information
  
• Question sentences that ask for information
  
• Exclamation sentences that show strong emotion
  
• Command sentences that are for telling someone what to do 
  

Your student is to put the appropriate punctuation at the end of each sentence and then fill in the blank with what kind of sentence it is. Please discuss their answers and reasons with them.

Part 3 (Finish Questions 7-9 of the Quarter and Half Dollar Work): Please note that your student needs to come up with their own story for the journal entry. For example:
I have 3 dimes, a nickel, and a quarter. 30+5+25=60. I have 60 cents so I have enough to buy the orange. I count it this way: 30, 35, 60!
The important part is that your student actively think about how he or she could add the coins together to get to 60 cents.

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. 

10/27/08 Math: Money

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Counting Money with Corn Sack Count): Friends, it is time for your student to learn how to count money! Let me say that money counting can be a bit difficult some some students so I need all the help I can get on this one! Please, please, please work with your child on counting money at home! Tonight’s homework involves counting pennies, nickels, and dimes. I suggest that you find some real coins that your leaner can work with as they count coins. One more thing: if your little one gets frustrated don’t let it bother you too much... we’ll all be counting coins and making change in no time.
Part 3 (Money Counting Math Mat): There is a game on one side of the math mat that we played in class today. It would be worth getting some coins out and playing it with your student. Also, go over the Home-School connection on the other side of the mat with your child and have them do the activities given.

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus one point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91: 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

10/23/08 Writing, Math & Spelling

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Writing): Every day in class we engage in writing. Parents, I’d like to have your children do some writing with you. I’ve sent home one of the “draw & write” sheets that we use in class. I’d like your student to do their best job drawing and writing using the word infest. (one of this weeks’ vocabulary words). If they have trouble remembering what infest means say, “Mr. Copeland’s dog is infested with fleas!” That should jog their memories. Parents, see if your student is starting their sentences with capital letters and ending with punctuation marks. Do the sentences tell complete ideas? Is the writing neat and legible?

Part 3 (Study for the Spelling Test): We have a spelling test tomorrow. Are you ready?

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus one point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91: 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

10/22/08 Comprehension, Cause & Effect, and Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it.

Part 2 (Reading Comprehension): One of the main focuses of our year has been reading comprehension. Simply reading a book, article, or passage isn’t enough. Readers need to be able to re-tell what they’ve read in their own words! Tonight your student is reading a short passage about spiders. They need to use the implicit and explicit information in the three paragraphs to answer four simple questions. Please have your student explain to you their answers and why they marked what they’ve marked. You should also ask your child to tell you what the main idea of the article is and have them show you the main idea sentence.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

Part 4 (Cause and Effect): We are working on writing about cause and effect. We are starting with Your Turn to Write #7. Your child is to write about making something happen. On the left side of the sheet should be causes. On the right side they need to write effects.  I’ve sent home the example that I showed the students this morning. I’d like your student to re-do their Your Turn to Write #7 (I am including the one they completed in class today). If the one they’ve already done is fine then they should look for ways to write it neater and make it nicer on the copy they are writing tonight. Some students need to start over and focus on writing causes and the effects that go with them. We will use the completed YTTW#7 to write a paragraph in class tomorrow. Please go over their YTTW#7 to make sure that they understood and completed the assignment correctly.

10/21/08 Pronouns & Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it.

Part 2 (Pronouns): We are beginning to work on pronouns. A pronoun is a word that stands in for a proper noun. Example: Richard is a proper noun. I could write Richard is running. I could also replace the word Richard with the pronoun he and write He is running.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

Part 4 (Place Value): In math we started working on Place Value (OK... re-visiting Place Value). Please look over the Math Mat with your student, discuss the game they played in class, and try the home-school connections listed on the front of the math math with your student.

10/20/08 Math & Reading

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night.

Part 2 (Two Part Math Problems): I have been working with the kids on solving two part math problems. It has been touch and go for some of them. Please review this concept with your child. Consider problem #1: Carmen found 4 shells on Monday and 5 more on Tuesday. How many shells does Carmen have? The problem continues: If Carmen finds 6 more on Wednesday, how many shells will she have then? The problem needs to be solved in two steps:  4+5=9  and then 9+6=15
Check to see if your learner understands that they need to figure out the first part of the problem before they move onto the second part of the problem. Also know that some two part math problems go from being addition problems to subtraction problems and visa versa. For the journal problem (#8) please have your student write their own 2 part problem. For example: Tyrell has 6 cars. Chandler gives him 8 more. After that he loses 4 cars. How many cars does he end up with? 6+8=14 then 14-4=10 so Tyrell has 10 cars.


Part 3 (Math): Drops in the Bucket Math: we are reviewing many of the math facts that we have learned to date: comparing numbers, patterns, adding and subtracting, how many in all, money, place value, time, and shapes.
When working on Drops in the Bucket with your student please constantly ask them to explain themselves to you. Say things like: “How do you know that?” and “Tell me why.” when they give you answers.
On problem #3 the students are asked to do some double digit addition and subtraction. I’ve taught them to re-write the problems “up and down” and then solve them. 
Problem #9 deals with telling time. Many of the children don’t know how to tell time on a clock with a face yet. If this is still hard for your child read the face to them, “5:00” and then have them write the time on the digital clock.

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

10/16/08 Study for the Spelling Test Tomorrow

I was out from school today.  The sub assured me that she would remind the kids to study for the spelling test tomorrow!

10/15/08 Writing, Comprehension, & Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. 

Part 2 (Reading Comprehension): One of the main focuses of our year has been reading comprehension. Simply reading a book, article, or passage isn’t enough. Readers need to be able to re-tell what they’ve read in their own words!  Tonight your student is reading a short passage about bats. We have been studying bats this week so they already have some knowledge to start with. After they read the passage then need to answer 4 simple questions about the passage. There is explicit and implicit information available to help your student answer the questions. Explicit means that the information is written on the page. Implicit means that they figure out their answer from clues provided on the page. Readers need to constantly check for implicit and explicit information.

Part 3 (Writing with a Purpose): Your student needs to write a short paragraph about why we should like bats. Their paper should have a title on the top line. They should skip the next line and then begin their paragraph with a main idea sentence. Often, the title of an article and it’s main idea sentence will be exactly the same! After the main idea sentence your student should write 3-4 detail sentences that let us know exactly why we should like bats. I am sending home a similiar assignment that we worked on in class today (feel free to use it as a reference and then keep it at home). This does not have to be a long piece ans your student should be able to finish it neatly and quickly.

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

10/14/08 Verbs & Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night.

Part 2 (Verbs): From early on in your child’s education, they have probably heard about “action words.” When I taught 1st grade we often used the terms “action words” more often than we used the real term: verbs. We are now studying verbs. Tonight’s homework is simple enough: your student is to draw a line from the sentences to the verbs that go in them. After that they are to write the verb into the sentence to complete the sentence. Discuss with your child why they choose what they choose. Do they understand that verbs are action words? We have a chant we say in class. It goes, “Verb! It’s what you do! Verb! It’s what you do!” Please let me know how your child does with this concept.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday.

10/13/18 Math & Reading

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night.

Part 2 (Math): Drops in the Bucket Math: we are reviewing many of the math facts that we have learned to date: comparing numbers, patterns, adding and subtracting, how many in all, money, place value, time, and shapes.
When working on Drops in the Bucket with your student please constantly ask them to explain themselves to you. Say things like: “How do you know that?” and “Tell me why.” when they give you answers.
On problem #3 the students are asked to do some double digit addition and subtraction. I’ve taught them to re-write the problems “up and down” and then solve them.   Problem #9 deals with telling time. Many of the children don’t know how to tell time on a clock with a face yet. If this is still hard for your child read the face to them, “6:20” and then have them write the time on the digital clock.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus one point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91: 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

Part 4 (Thinking Addition 18 to Subtract): The kids have been studying how to use their addition facts to solve subtraction problems. For example, a kid might know that 6+5=11. Knowing that addition fact should help your learner be able to quickly tell you that 11-5=6. Knowing one should help them know the other. Problem 17 asks the kids to write a subtraction story. Then they are to include an addition fact that could help solve the story. For example: I have 4 pies and I eat one. I have 3 pies left. 4-1=3. An addition fact that helps me know that is 1+3=4. Please make sure they explain themselves like that on #17.

10/9/08 Writing, Spelling & Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it.


Part 2 (Writing): Every day in class we engage in writing. Parents, I’d like to have your children do some writing with you. I’ve sent home one of the “draw & write” sheets that we use in class. I’d like your student to do their best job drawing and writing about something that is fierce (one of this week's vocabulary words). Parents, see if your student is starting their sentences with capital letters and ending with punctuation marks. Do the sentences tell complete ideas? Is the writing neat and legible? Give your student about 20 +/- minutes to do this assignment and see how they do.  The assignment reads: "Draw and write about a creature that is fierce. Use a lot of details. Use complete sentences. Use describing words. Start sentences with capital letters and end them with punctuation marks."

Part 3 (Study for the Spelling Test): We have a spelling test tomorrow. Are you ready?

Part 4 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus one point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91: 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

10/8/08 Reading for Comprehension, Minute Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it.

Part 2 (Reading Comprehension): One of the main focuses of our year has been reading comprehension. Simply reading a book, article, or passage isn’t enough. Readers need to be able to re-tell what they’ve read in their own words! Tonight your student is reading a short passage about the explorer Christopher Columbus. After they read the passage then need to answer 4 simple questions about the passage. We have talked at great length about implicit and explicit information. All of the questions asked about this passage are explicit (that means the answer is clearly stated in the passage). Please discuss you child’s answers with them. Why are they answering the way they do? Also, please check if your child understands the difference between explicit and implicit. Let me know how it goes!

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus one point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91: 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

10/7/08 Simple Sentences, Minute Math

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Writing Simple Sentences): Since the beginning of the year we have been working on understanding that a sentence:

*Tells one idea
*Begin with a capital letter
*Ends with a punctuation mark
*Needs to “make sense” and “sound right”

Tonight your student will be working on simple sentences. The instructions are easy enough: they use the words provided in the box to make complete sentences. Please have your learner explain to you why they are making the sentences they are making.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Friday. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus one point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91: 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

10/6/08 Minute Math, Drops in the Bucket Math, and Reading

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Math): Drops in the Bucket Math: we are reviewing many of the math facts that we have learned to date: comparing numbers, patterns, fact families, adding and subtracting, how many in all, money, place value, time, and shapes.

When working on Drops in the Bucket with your student please constantly ask them to explain themselves to you. Say things like: “How do you know that?” and “Tell me why.” when they give you answers.

On problem #3 the students are asked to do some double digit addition and subtraction. I’ve taught them to re-write the problems “up and down” and then solve them.

Problem #9 deals with telling time. Many of the children don’t know how to tell time on a clock with a face yet. If this is still hard for your child read the face to them, “11:35” and then have them write the time on the digital clock.

Part 3 (Minute Math): Minute Math is a daily activity. It is not due until Fri

day. The grade on Friday is calculated like this: 20 points per day Minute Math is done at home plus 1 point for every correct answer on Friday (a student who did their Minute Math every day and got 11 correct on Friday would get a grade of 91... 80 points for the days worked at home plus 11 for the right answers at school). Have your child finish as many of each day’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

Part 4 (Parent-Teacher Conference): Students, have your parent e-mail me, write me a note or call me to let me know when they’d like a Parent-Teacher Conference.

10/2/08 Reading with the Family

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): I am sending home a book-bag for your child tonight. This is a book from our school’s Guided Reading Room so please ask your student to be careful not to loose it (these books are expensive to replace). Please have your child read to you from this book. I’d like to hear from you how your child did. Was the book right on level? Too easy? Too hard? Is it a genre they enjoy? I’d like to personalize each child’s reading experience and feedback from the family members can be very helpful in this regard. As always, your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. They are free to read books above and beyond those I send home for them. Thanks!

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Part 2 (Minute Math): Have your child finish as many of Thursday’s problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.

10/1/08 Adding Three Numbers Together

Part 1 (Daily Reading Homework): your child needs to read at least 20 minutes every night. Please record what they read, how long they read for and then initial it. Thanks!

Part 2 (Math): Today we have been learning to add three addends at a time. Example: 5+5+2=12. The main focus of the lesson was that the kids need to add two of the addends first and then add in the remaining addend. In the above example it might goes like this: “5 plus 5 is 10. Then I add 2 more and I get 12.” Or it could go: “2 plus 5 is 7. Next I’ll add the other 5 to that 7 and I’ll get 12.” Have your student complete the Do you understand section on the Guided Practice page (right under problems 3 & 4. They need to show two different ways to add 3+4+7. They need to do that again with problems 15 and 17. They need to show different ways to add three numbers together. To the right is an example of how to add 5+6+4


Part 3 (Minute Math): Night 3 of minute math. Have your child finish as many of Wednesday's problems as they can with a pen in 1 minute. Mark how many they got right in 1 minute at the bottom and then initial. Then have your child finish the unanswered questions with a pencil. This needs to be done every day but does not need to be turned in until Friday. If you have any questions about minute math please contact me.