Week of November 29th

Week Review:  In reading groups this week, we will focus on our writing skills.  Level D will be writing sentences looking for words that have the beginning blends such as "sw" or "sl" or creating lists of words that have that beginning blend.  Level E, when writing words in our sentences, they will be accountable for the beginning sound and ending sounds.  They need to focus their attention on listening to the medial sounds by STRETCHING out the words slowly.  Levels F & G will be writing sentences that include new words that we broke into chunks at the beginning of the story.  We will talk about how breaking a word into chunks helps us READ it and WRITE it.  Levels H will be answering questions about their books, but they will also find facts/details in the story that support their answer.  Level I and above will be working on writing out our predictions to a story.  We have worked on predicting before we read, but we will also stop and predict through out the story. 


Book/Author Suggestion: First grade is learning about and celebrating Hanukkah this week, which begins on Wednesday.  Here is a story that will fill your child's heads with a better understanding of Hanukkah and their hearts with the spirit of the season.  

• The Trees of the Dancing Goats* by Patricia Polacco.  I am a Patricia Polacco fan :)  Her stories are heart-warming stories from her past that leave you with a desire for a stronger family and to answer the call for someone in need.  This story is no exception.  During the winter season, her town is hit with a scarlet-fever epidemic.  While her family celebrates Hanukkah, they take time to bring a little spirit and miracle into the lives of their neighbors.  No matter which holiday your family celebrates, love and cheer can be shared by all. 

* indicates if it can be found in the Sappington Library. 


Parent Tip: Happy Hanukkah!  I do not celebrate Hanukkah, but I am fascinated with the holiday and the celebrations of others.  Take some time with your child to explore this holiday.  Try visiting websites, reading books, watching videos, playing traditional games, or cooking traditional food.  Any of these activities, expands your child's knowledge of the world and of the differences in the world around them.  I found a website with some Hanukkah activites for kids.  It includes the story of why they celebrate Hanukkah, games, songs, activites, recipies and more.