Second Week Down

Ask Your Child About...

1. The different parts of trees (roots, trunk, branches, leaves).

2. What observe means: we are observing trees in science, but we are learning that there are many things are person may observe!

3. What writer's say when they think they are done. 

4. What they learned about families this week.

5. To identify to word 'I' in various writings (it was our focus word this week)!

This week went quick! We are starting to get use to our daily routines and will only become stronger in them with time. Thank you for your helpful reminders to your children about lunches, Lincoln Lion folders, and transportation each day; it truly helps! Thank you for helping with our All About Me posters! Your pictures from home are sure to make the classroom more homey and comforting to the children. 😊

Friday Folders only have a few items in them this week. The CDs are yours to keep, so please use them as you see fit! The tree book is an activity we completed during science to help us learn the parts of trees. Due to the rain this week we were unable to get out and complete one of my favorite activities: leaf gazing! If you have time, I encourage you and your family to find a lovely large tree to lay under and look up into. We talk about how the leaves blow in the wind and look like they are dancing. 🍃The children always seem to enjoy this visual especially if you are able to do so under different trees and light. We also discussed how as scientists we can use our senses (touch, smell, sight, and hearing in this case) to observe the trees. Get out and enjoy a tree walk on this hopefully good weather weekend! 🌳🔆

In math we focused on identifying, grouping, and writing the numbers 1-4. You should have seen a math sheet come home each day as we complete a lesson. We do a whole group lesson at the rug with examples and practice, then we split to our tables to complete the sheet that you see from your student each day. Some days we also pair up for math games that relate to the topic of the day. 🔢

This week in reading we focused on the word 'I'. We practiced writing and identifying it. I chose various read aloud books that repeated the word multiple times so the students could be exposed to the word more frequently, and encouraged them to use it in their writing. Our topic for the week was family with the strategy of retelling. We discussed how all families are similar and different and did our best to retell each story after we had read them. I encourage your family to read stories about family this week and have some discussions about what it means to be a family (what it looks like, sounds like and feels like). 📗

We have begun our writing curriculum and are off to a great start! The students have decided to call themselves the Lion Factory Writers! 🦁 Writing is always a new experience for students no matter the age. Many have misconceptions on what is considered writing and what is not. Right now we want to encourage our learners to try, try, try! I keep telling the kiddos it does not matter if it is exactly right or not, what matters is if we try. We aren't looking for perfect drawing or spelling, we are simply looking for details and effort. Help encourage your student to try their best and help boost their confidence! We are all writers! 📝

For those of you that are interested, Scholastic Book orders will be due the 21st. They typically take a week to arrive, so that allows for them to arrive before the next month's flyer comes in. If you are interested in ordering, you can do this by filling out the flyer and attaching a check payable to Scholastic Book Club, filling out the flyer and sending cash, or going online to pay (you can search for our class by my name or our class code: RCYJT).  I have already received some orders, so thank you and please be patient as I wait for any others that may decide before the 21st!

Again, if you ever have questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to contact me by phone through the school anytime during the week or through email at grady.allison@iowacityschools.org

Thank you and I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! 😊🔆