Monday, October 7, 2013

Unit 2: High Frequency Words and Phonics Patterns

Thank you for working with your child to reinforce the skills and concepts.

Unit 2 High Frequency Words:
one, two, three, live, away, out, why, her, want, they, put, does, show, who, under, some, of, make, no, today, eat, way, into, school, many, late

Phonics Patterns:
Unit 2 Week 1 - short o - on, fog, nod, hog, fox, not, top, pond, rob, mop, got, box
Unit 2 Week 2 - short e - led, test, tell, fed, bed, peg, bend, fell, pen, ten, yet
Unit 2 Week 3 - digraphs /th/ & /sh/ - shop, path, crash, wish, thank, thick, thin, math, path, dash, shed
Unit 2 Week 4 - short u - up, pup, us, bus, bug, dug, fun, run, but, cut, mud, rub
Unit 2 Week 5 - l blends - black, blob, blank, glad, flip, flat, plan, slot, cluck, clam, slant, club

Students are expected to apply the phonics patterns in reading and spelling.

Assessment Dates:
October 25th - Phonics Patterns for weeks 1-3
October 30th - English Language Arts Unit 2 Assessment 1 (This assessment involves reading a short 3 page story independently. Then, answering multiple choice questions about the story. Finally, writing a written response to a question about the story.)
November 8th - High Frequency Word Assessment
November 14th - English Language Arts Unit 2 Assessment 2
November 15th - Phonics Patterns for weeks 4-5

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Wish List

Thank you to those who have donated items from our class wish list. There are still a few items we would like. Remember, for every $10 spent, you receive 1 volunteer hour.
1. personal cd player (x3)
2. mechanical pencil refills (1.3mm #2 lead)
3. vinyl bean bag
4. jump ropes (x4)
5. clipboards for student use during work on writing
6. mouse pads (x3)
7. colorful dry erase markers (bright colors)
8. gallon size ziploc bags
9. plastic lap desks for use during work on writing
In order to earn hours, include your receipt (labeled with your child's name and grade) with the item. Thanks!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Unit 1: High Frequency Words and Phonics Skills

Make flashcards and practice reading the high frequency words every day!
High Frequency Words:
a, with, up yes, come, that, now, has, jump, it, run, on, use, for, the, to, over, good, very, have, not, down, ride, be, help

Phonics Skills:
-at, -an, -ad, -ap, -ack, -in, -it, -iss, cr-, gr-, tr-, -nd, -st, -nt, -nk
Sample words: sat, cat, mat, hat, man, can, ran, tan, lap, tap, nap, dad, sad, bad, tack, back, sack, kit, hit, sit, pin, bin, win, hiss, miss, kiss, crab, crib, grab, grass, trap, trip, sand, hand, land, vest, fast, west, ant, sink

Please remember these sample words are not to be memorized. They will NOT appear on the phonics assessments. Students will assessed on their ability to apply these phonics skills when reading and spelling words. You are welcome to use these words as practice by having your child read and spell them, but please add additional words that follow the same patterns.

Assessment Dates:
High Frequency Word Assessment - October 4th
Phonics Skills Assessments - September 20th and October 11th

A hard copy of the high frequency words and phonics patterns will be coming home tomorrow along with the September reading log.


Friday, August 30, 2013

Homework

Next week, we will begin assigning homework. Do not expect to receive many homework packets. Homework is to be an extended practice, reinforcement, of the lessons and skills taught in the classroom. You will receive a list of unit 1 high frequency words as well as phonics skills for the unit. Please create flashcards for the high frequency words and drill your child daily. They should be able to read the high frequency words and use them in a sentence. As an extended practice, work on accurately spelling all high frequency words.
Phonics skills should be reinforced daily through reading and spelling. Students should be able to read words containing the phonics pattern and accurately spell words with the phonics patterns. I will provide you with a sample list of words with the phonics patterns, but it is your responsibility and your child's to extend practice by creating new words with the patterns. For example, if I provide you with the word "cat," you need to develop other words with the -at pattern (bat, sat, mat, etc).
There will be no spelling list for students to memorize. Instead, students will be asked to read and spell words containing the patterns. All units last approximately six weeks. You will have 6 weeks to practice the high frequency words list as students are assessed on the 6th week (last week) of the unit and every third week will be a reading and phonics assessment. I will provide you with the assessment dates at the beginning of each unit. Once an assessment is completed you will receive a report indicating what is mastered and what needs remediation (additional practice).
A reading log will be sent home once a month and returned at the end of the month. The goal is that your child read at least 20 minutes each night. It is crucial that your child read books on his/her level and practice retelling the stories accurately. In the retelling, your child must include characters, setting, and what happened at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of the story. If your child is unable to recall important details, practice the skill of "back up and reread." If your child continues to struggle, practice the skill of "check for understanding" - stop at the the end of each page and ask who is in the story and what's happening now.
For math, you should be reviewing addition facts to 10 daily. For example, you could create math flashcards.
In summary, your child should do the following four things each night:
1) read for 20 minutes and retell the story
2) read high frequency word flashcards
3) read and spell words with the phonics patterns
4) practice addition facts to 10

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Openhouse

Don't forget that openhouse is Wednesday, August 28th at 6pm. We will have a conference sign-up sheet available in Mrs. Meeks' room. It is our goal to meet with each family, so please be prepared to choose a convenient date and time. We look forward to seeing you!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Welcome to Mrs. Meeks and Mrs. Jordan's First Grade!

Welcome to first grade! We are honored that you have chosen to entrust us with your child. This year will be filled with learning and laughter. It is our desire to work with you to ensure your child has a successful year. This website will help keep you informed of the academic and extracurricular activities of Samsula Academy. Looking forward to a wonderful 2013-2014 school year!