Week 8: Spookley the Square Pumpkin

Halloween is approaching and we have started reading some Halloween-themed stories in our classroom.

We read a great story about how everyone and everything is different, called Spookley the Square Pumpkin.  This book was all about a pumpkin who felt different because he was square-shaped instead of round like all of the other pumpkins. 

It was a great time to continue talking about being bucket fillers and bucket dippers!

 

After we read the story, we made our very own unique pumpkins and wrote about them!  They turned out great!

 I love our unique pumpkin patch!  Everyone is truly

 "one-of-a-kind." 

 



Week 7: Rainbow Ways to Make 10

This week in math, we learned and practiced the 11 addition facts that equal 10.  We used a rainbow to help us memorize these math facts!

Ask your child to recite all 11 ways to you!  These math facts can help your child solve other math facts quickly.

For Example:  If 8 + 2 =10 Then 8 +3= 1 more than 10 (11)

Our Class Rainbow-Ways to Make 10



Week 6: Sight Words and Snack Time

After recess, we have our snack and we practice our leveled sight words that are found in your child's BEE book.

We like to have an easy snack on Mondays-Thursdays (pretzel rods) while we practice our sight words.  It gives the children a chance to refuel with a simple snack, but we don't have to lose too much academic time-since the children are focused on practicing their sight words!

On Fridays, we like to have a different type of snack (goldfish, animal crackers, fruit snacks...) and we take a break from our sight words!

Your child's leveled sight word list is found in their BEE Book.  Please continue to practice these words with your child at night.  Your child should know them in a 'snap' and shouldn't have to think too long about a word. 

When your child passes a level of sight words, they receive a sticker in their data folders at school!

Week 5: Rocket Math

We do rocket math everyday to help us memorize our basic math facts!  I am amazed at how we are 'rocketing' and learning our facts and it is not even October! 

This is what Rocket Math looks like in our classroom:

Congratulate
First, we congratulate any children who passed the day before.  We give them a round of applause and then they color in the level they passed.

Partner Practice
The children sit with their monthly partner.  Partner A is the learner and partner B is the checker.  I say, "On your mark, get set, practice".  The learner orally practices their math facts and the checker listens and corrects any mistakes. 

If the learner makes a mistake, the checker tells them to stop and they tell them the answer.  Then the checker tells the learner to say the addition fact 3 times and then go back 3 problems. 

The students continue practicing for 3 minutes, and then they switch roles and practice all over again!

 

1 Minute Test
After the children practice their rocket math orally, it is time to take a 1 minute test!  Students have 1 minute to return to their seats, put their name on the paper and put their hands in the air.  They are allowed to use a pen or a 'skinny' marker on rocket math tests!  We don't like to use pencils because they break easily and children like to erase their mistakes, which causes them to waste valuable time during the 1 minute test.

Clean Up
When the 1 minute is up, children look at their paper and determine if they have passed.  They put their rocket math folders in the green bin if they passed or the red bin if they didn't pass.  Their rocket math paper goes in their mailbox to practice at home!

On Fridays, we take a 3 minute mixed addition test.  Their goal is to strive for 50/50 in 3 minutes by the end of the school year!