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.