Griffin

August 31st

Our grasshoppers are doing a great job of falling into our classroom routine.  They are becoming active learners!

This Week in Review

1.  We learned the sound made by the letters b and f.  We also learned to write them.

2.  We began learning to read our sight words.

3.  We located where we were born on a map and where we live now on the globe.

4.  We used location words to tell where objects were located.

5.  We sorted m&m's and created a bar graph of the data collected with the help of our 5th grade buddies.

6.  We wrote stories about ourselves.

7.  We enjoyed milkshakes and created a picture graph of our favorite flavor.

8.  We enjoyed some great books about "Me".

9.  We discussed how people are different and how they are the same.

10.  We participated in new center activities.

Looking Ahead

We will be:

studying our families (members, responsibilities, similarities, differences). 

grouping objects by shape, color, size... 

discussing feelings

meeting with our school  guidance counselor

identifying the sounds of and writing

the letters n and m

Our letter of the week is F.

                    Notes and Reminders:

No school on Monday

Please complete and return the "My Family" assignment.  The children are so proud of their families and love to talk about them.

A special thank you to Aaron's family for providing syrup for our milkshakes.

Thank you to Parker and her mom for the doughnut holes in honor of her birthday.

Our next Grand Grasshopper is Alex!!

August 24, 2007

                                                          Hickory Dickory Dock

                              They've cleaned up the books and blocks.

                                             They've boarded the bus,

                                                    without a fuss,

                                          being a Grasshopper rocks!

Yes, we've been having fun with our Nursery Rhyme unit.  See if your grasshopper is up to the challenge of reciting any of the rhymes we've been learning.

This week in review:

           1.  We started our phonics lessons (Fundations) with the letter T  (T, top, /t/).

           2.  We learned about the lines on our writing paper (sky, plane, grass and worm).

           3.  We learned the proper pencil grip (pinch it, lay it back, give it a table to rest on).

           4.    We practiced writing our numbers 1-10.

           5.  We counted up to 5 and back down to 0.

           6.  We counted objects.

           7.  We learned the names of our fellow grasshoppers.

           8.  We practiced coloring , cutting, and gluing as well as following 1 and 2 step directions.

           9.  We discussed the importance of following the rules, why we have rules and that everyone

              has rules to follow.

         10.  We made edible dominoes.  Yum, Yum!

Looking ahead:

Our new "Me" unit begins next week.   Please work with your child on learning your address and telephone number.  They also need to know where they were born.  (We'll be locating it on a map.)

In math we'll be working on position words (beside, above, below, in front of, behind, outside and inside.  We'll be playing games, using manipulatives and drawing diagrams.

Our new letter sounds will b and f.  We'll also be writing these letters.

Our Letter of the Week is Mm.  If anyone would like to send in a small bottle of chocolate or strawberry syrup for our Milkshakes, please email me.  We'll be graphing our favorites.

A Huge thanks to all of those who've signed up to help our class.  I'm looking forward to working with all of you.  You'll be hearing from our fabulous Room Reps very soon.

Reminders:

Please send in a healthy snack each day.  (pretzels, carrot sticks, apples, crackers, cheese, nuts, cereal, raisins...)  We do have extras (thanks parents) in case you forget one day.

Make sure that your child has a bath size towel for rest time.  Beach towels and blankets don't fit in the cubbies and take up a lot of floor space.  We send them home each Friday for washing.

Homework: Choose one of the following:

1.  Make a list of items you have in your home that start with the letter M.

2.  Make a collage of pictures cut from newspaper or magazines of items starting with the letter M.

This can be handed in anytime this week.  (August 27- 31)

August 22, 2007

If you are reading this, then let's celebrate that we've worked out all the kinks, and I'm now able to Blog with you. 

The Grasshoppers have had an incredible two weeks.  Come back and visit soon.  I'll be posting with some reminders, tips and news.

Thank you so much for sharing your precious children with me.