April 28, 2017
Dear Parents,
We will work on a “Seed and Plant” unit next week. We will learn that all seeds and plants need soil, water, air, and sunlight to grow. We will learn the different parts of a plant and which parts we eat. We will also find that some plants grow on a vine, some grow above the ground, but not on a vine, and some plants grow under the ground.
____Your child will need to know the different parts of a plant and what each part does. A root pulls water and food from the soil. A stem holds the plant up and takes the water to the other parts of the plant. The leaves make food for the plant. The seeds make more plants.
____The VIP activity involves your child writing about what he/she knows about plants. Your child will draw a picture of a plant that he/she has seen in the yard, in the park, or in the woods. Have your child write about the plant. Remind him/her that all sentences begin with a capital letter, have spaces between the words, and end with some type of punctuation mark. Have your child use descriptive words when they write. Have your child write his/her first and last name and return it to school.
____Math Focus: Have your child count by 1’s, 5’s, and 10’s to 100. Let him/her count by 2’s to 20. Then have your child write the numbers 0-100 on the paper found in the folder. If your child makes a number backwards, have him or her practice writing that number on another piece of paper and then have him or her correct the numbers on the number paper. Ask your child what pattern he/she sees as he/she writes the numbers to 100. Return the math paper to school.
____Words: Please review all of the words we have learned so far. Let your child write the sight words using a pencil, marker, crayon, in shaving cream, etc. Your child can also make any words he or she is having difficulty remembering with magnetic letters.(Remember that you have the word list for kindergarten. Your child should know these words by the end of kindergarten.)
____ Books: I read five books (or 50 minutes) to my child this week. Don’t forget to write the books that your child reads to you! Let your child practice retelling one of the stories to you. (This is a kindergarten skill.)
I read the following books to my child.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
____“eat” word family list-Have your child read the “__eat” word family list. It begins with a known word “eat” and then adds beginning and ending sounds. After your child reads the list and the sentence, please sign and return the paper to school. This practice helps our child to decode unknown words. If he/she can locate similarities between an unknown word and a known word, it is easier for him/her to decode the unknown word.
____Communication Connection: We will not be sending a “Communication Connection” home this week.
____ Please review any report card skills for which your child received a 1 or a 2. Many of the children are still confusing lowercase “b” and “d.” Call out one of the letters and have your child write it. Repeat with the other letter. Continue with this process, alternating between the two. If your child is reversing other letters, work on those as well.
Reminders
Book Lists: Please continue to read to your child and turn in the lists. Even if you have read 100 books, the greatest pleasure is reading with your child. If you have not read 100 books with your child, please do so. We have volunteers reading to the children, but it is not the same as having mom or dad snuggled up and reading with them.
Report Card: If you have not already signed the back of the report card envelope, please do so. Then return the envelope to me. I need it for my records. Please keep the report card for your reference.
Leveled Books: Please check your child’s book bag for important papers and leveled books. The children are forgetting to read the books to someone at home. Thanks!
Book bags: Some of the children are not bringing their book bags to school. Please remind your child to bring his/her book bag every day until the end of school.
***We are beginning to assess each child’s reading level for next year. Please work with your child on the sight words so that he/she can reach his/her highest potential! We work on the words daily at school, but it is not the same as a quick independent review with parents.
Library Books: All library books are due back to school by Friday, May 19th.
Art Project: The students will be painting in Art class next week. Please dress your child accordingly.
Looking Ahead
*“Book Bash” Party- Thursday, May 25th, at 1:30. Parents are invited to attend!
*Memorial Day-Monday, May 29th-No school
*Field Day is on the morning of Tuesday, May 30th.
*Half-days- June 2, June 5, and June 6. The students will be dismissed at 11:00am on the half-days.
*Kindergarten Recognition-Thursday, June 1st at 8:15am. The children will sing some songs and receive their Kindergarten certificates. We will also present a student slideshow of pictures that were taken throughout the school year. You do not want to miss this!
Your Partner in Education,
Ginger Carter
Parent signature: Child’s name: