Hello everyone! The past two weeks were so fun and jam packed with Christmas activities. Since it was a short time being back at school I figured it made the most sense to just consolidate the newsletters!
We made some beautiful Christmas trees which decorated our hallway! Students loved using the glitter and all of their trees turned out beautifully. I hope they are decorating your home now!
We also did another class book report with the story Melrose and Croc A Christmas to Remember by Emma Chichester Clark. This story was sweet and sentimental, and really encompasses the true meaning of Christmas.
We also read this English and Spanish Christmas story. Students were excited to learn how to say Merry Christmas in Spanish, and we even listened and danced to “Feliz Navidad”! We also used My Merry Christmas to help introduce the concept of fact vs. fiction. The story is about animals who decorate and prepare for Christmas. Students were able to understand that this is not something that would really happen, so it is made up or fiction! This is a concept we will continue working on in the new year!
In reading we went over the words ‘where’, ‘was’, and ‘said’, and we did the letters Jj, Xx, Qq, Nn, Cc, Vv, and Ii. Students played lots of games to practice isolating sounds in words. We are now focusing on ending and middle sounds, as students have almost mastered beginning sounds. A fun way to do that is to match pictures with similar beginning, middle, or ending sounds. But be sure to review this skill over Christmas break so it doesn’t get lost!
Students practiced reading a few different decodable stories this week, and some even got the chance to practice reading to each other! We also are working on sentence building and using correct spacing, capitalization, etc. One way we remember these things is by using our fingers as a “finger space” in between words. You’ll see more of this in students’ packets for their Flexible Instruction Days!
Students did a fun graphing activity during Math centers where they got cards at random and had to fill out the graph to match the information on the card. They used Christmas erasers as counters and had to check each other’s graphs!
In Math we have been talking about 3D shapes and counting past 10! Students got to use blocks as manipulatives to help learn the different kinds of 3D shapes. They also got to try out a geoboard for the first time and use rubber bands to make their own shapes. They loved experimenting with this and making their own unique shapes!
This past Friday, students enjoyed Polar Express day at school! They got to visit different classrooms with different grades and do many fun activities. We then watched the movie in the afternoon with first grade. At the end of the day they got to go out and enjoy the snow! We used it as a chance to talk about where snow comes from and why we salt the roads and sidewalks/what the salt does.
Another memorable moment from the past two weeks was that we played a fun game of Memory Match during Free Play! This is a great way to enhance student’s memory skills, and even just having them practice following directions and taking turns. Having them practice playing games like this without my guidance also fosters independence! They had a lot of fun! Also on Friday, students got to watch a presentation done by StepAfrika, a dance organization that educates and teaches children about stepping! They really enjoyed trying to do it on their own. It was so fun to watch them! I will attach a video them dancing in an email for you all to see!
Please don’t forget to complete the Flexible Instruction packets for students for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. If you need help with any of the packets please let me know! And you can always refer back to the email I sent out with details on some of the specific packets and what they contain. I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday. Talk to you all in the new year!
Love,
Ms. V