Reading:
Story of the week: Fall is Here genre: Animal Fantasy
Skills: er sound spelled with er, ir,and ur
          review contractions
          comprehension skill: classify and categorize
Please read the decodables, do the daily timed tests twice a day, and read Fall is Here on Wednesday or/and on Thursday. Don't forget to initial the white read an respond sheet.
Complete the spelling  page and the phonics page.

Math:
We have been practicing telling time to the hour and half an hour. We will test this week.
Please continue to practice time telling with an analog clock at home.
 Complete the two math sheets.

Friday-Dr. Seuss
This Friday the school is celebrating "Read to Me Day" and first grade is celebrating Dr. Seuss day. Please have your child practice reading any Dr. Seuss book. Do not worry if you do not have one. I have plenty you may borrow just let me know. The students will be reading it aloud to other students on Friday.
We will be eating green eggs (no ham). We need some material to make this happen.
Please let Mrs. Cordola  (one of our awesome room moms)if you would like to contribute something. She will be emailing you soon.
Here is what we need:
30 small dixie cups
30 small paper plates
30 forks
30 knives
2 loaves of wheat bread
1 tub of butter
1 half gallon of milk
1 gallon of OJ
30 small waters
Free Magic Mountain Ticket
Do you want a free ticket for this summer? Fill out the pink form and send it in. You already are doing all the reading.
Parent Teacher Conference
Your form to request a conference will be coming home on Tuesday. Please sign it and return in as soon as possible.

Reading
Story of the week: A Storm Comes-genre: narrative nonfiction
question of the week: How does weather change?
skills: adding inflected endings such as -ed and -ing   and words with the ar sound
         we are learning about the "bossy controlling R". Ask your child to tell you the story
         of this mean letter that bullies the vowels.
comprehension skill: sequence (ask questions using: first, next, and last)
Read the Family Times small newsprint page in the homework packet, it gives you fantastic ideas to enrich your child with the skills being taught in class. It also ,always, provides a game for you to use for reinforcement.

homework-complete spelling page 63
Math
We are working on the chapter on time-students have learned how to tell time to the hour on an analog clock. This week we will practice telling time to the half an hour.
 
homework-complete the math sheet 129

This homework packet is lighter to give you an opportunity to work on the oral report due this week. Also you can really concentrate on helping your child memorize the sight words as well.
The timed reading logs are coming in with very impressive results! I will be doing a timed reading test in the beginning of March to show you how your child is progressing in the classroom. I will share it at conference time.

THANK YOU!
Our amazing room parents (Mrs. Cordola, Mrs. Metlen, Mrs. Roberts) planned a terrific week for teacher appreciation. Come in and see the wonderful decorations that they placed on my doors. The Charton doors are the talk of the school!!The artistic Mr. Metlen assisted the room parents and created an amazing picture of Mrs. Charton with all of her adorable cupcakes (the students). I love it!!!
And thanks to all of you for all the wonderful gifts, yummy treats,and priceless notes. You are truly amazing and I thank you and your children from the bottom of my heart!

READ TO ME DAY Friday, February 28
The entire school will be celebrating Read to Me Day. We will be visiting other classrooms and sharing our favorite Dr. Seuss book. Please have your child choose a Dr. Seuss book and practice reading a few pages that he or she will read to other students during this fun day. I have many books in class if you need to borrow one, please let me know.
Also, first grade will celebrate Dr. Seuss Day on this day. We will be eating Green Eggs ! (10:15 to 11:15).
We will be needing some materials to make this happen. Please contact the room parents if you would like to contribute (milk, toast, butter, plates, forks, cups, orange juice, waters) Thank you!

 Other Materials needed for the class:
Glue sticks :)


 

READING:
Story of the week: Honey Bees 

• Talking about how a community of insects is like a community of people.

• Learning about Long e spelled e__e (ex. Pete) , spelled e (ex. be) and spelled ee (ex. feet).

• Learning about VCCV (vowel, consonant, consonant, vowels words-ex. mitten)

• Comprehension Skill: Compare and Contrast (looking for similarities and differences)

Reading Homework: Please have your child read the three decodables #68-70
                              Read the story Honey Bees-remember you have 2 days to read it. You
may choose to read with your child one day (you read a page, your child reads a page) and the next day your child can try reading it independently. Ask the question in the read and respond white paper and initial.

Complete the spelling page an the phonics page.
MATH
We are working on Numbers to 120 in chapter 8. We are exploring tens and ones and working with the hundred chart. We continue to strengthen our number sense.
Complete the two math pages of word problems.

Other important information:
Pearsonsuccessnet website
You can go on our reading website so that your child may explore and continue to learn  reading skills at home. I have given everyone their password to log on (see highlighted white sheet in the homework folder). Your child learned to log on with the help of Mrs. Mobley's class. Thanks to Mrs. Mobley for making this possible! The decodables and some stories are on line too!

One minute timed reading homework
Next week we will start a new reading unit. Your child will bring book 3. You will notice that  there will be a new homework component.  We will begin one minute timed reading. The green sheet in the homework folder will explain the process. As I told you in the goal setting conferences,
by the end of first grade, your child should be reading 45 to 65 words a minute. With reading, practice makes perfect :0

Hope you are all having a wonderful winter break with the family. Christmas is over and now we prepare for the New Year. I wish you all wonderful happy New Year in company of all your loved ones!
I am enjoying time with my family and look forward to seeing all of your amazing kids on January 13.
See you nes

Reading
Story of the week: Who Works Here? Genre: Expository Nonfiction story
Question of the week: Who Works to make our community a nice place?
Reading Skills: Long i spelled i_e
                     /hw sound/ spelled wh
                    /ch sound/ spelled ch and tch
Comprehension Skill: Author's purpose

Please read decodables 60-63 and choose Wed. or/and Thurs. to read Who Works Here?
Do not forget to initial the question of the week on the white read and respond sheet.

Complete the spelling page.

Math
Skills: subtraction strategies and fact families -will test this week and begin a Data math chapter.
Make sure your child understands the fact families homework page 62.  The test will cover this material this week.

Oral Report: Many of your children  have told me you have started your family traditions
oral report. Many have not, you have until this Friday to present. Props are always exciting to use. Can't wait to hear the wonderful traditions.

Other important messages:

• As you have noticed, long vowel sounds are being taught. If your child is having difficulties with this concept, you must help me support the gaps. Each week we are doing a new long vowel sound. Please reinforce that the e (magic/bossy e)  at the end of a word tells the vowel before to say its name
  (ex. a_e= lake and i_e= Mike). They have also learned that the ce and the ci say the s sound  (ex. mice) and the ge and gi say the j sound (ex. cage). 
  Last week's spelling tests covered these sounds and the long a sound, many students did poorly. Please notice the reading skills above for this week's test and reinforece them at home. Reading will be getting gradually more difficult and if your child is having problems, he or she will become overwhelmed and fall behind. 
  

•  On a good note, no regular homework next week, just a special project is due on Wednesday 12/18/13. This project is a secret holiday card.  Your child will need to make a homemade holiday card for a friend. You will receive the name of the student on Monday. Have your child keep it a secret until the holiday party where he or she will present it to his/her secret pal. This is a sweet and kind way to acknowledge each child in class.
  

• We are studying community helpers, if you would like to come in first thing in the am and spend 10-15 minutes talking about how you help the community, please let me know. We would love to hear our community workers share their knowledge.

• VIP Day -Dec. 19 from 7:45 am to 8:30 - come and hang out with your child at school and wait for a surprise visitor for all of the good children at Plum, lastly stay for our holiday party.

• Holiday Pajama Party- Thurs. Dec. 19 from 9 am to 10 am. You are all invited! The wonderful room moms have some fun and exciting activities planned.They will send a letter with more details soon. We will be asking for a $ donation to cover all of the expenses. Thanks in advance!