Weekly Update 9/27

 Important Dates:

10/7-15: Fall Break - no school  

10/14 & 10/15: Mandatory Q1 conferences (Parent only event)

10/23: Kindergarten Pumpkin Day - please see the sign-up email (sent by class liaisons to help with supplies or volunteering)

10/27: Dress like your favorite book character, Treat Friday, Birthday Book Club

11/11: Veteran's Day - No School

11/12: Music Concert 

11/20: Kindergarten Thanksgiving Celebration - Email is forthcoming and will give much more information

11/27-11/29: Thanksgiving Break- No School

Check out what we learned this week:

Spalding:

Throughout the week, we reviewed all single 26 single-letter phonograms. We also introduced our 1st set of 2 letter phonograms: sh, ee, th, ow, ou. We focused on where our tongue is when we say the sounds for th. One is unvoiced with air, and one is voiced with sound, but our tongue is between our teeth for both. This skill takes a while for some children, so please keep practicing at home. Example: practice saying Thursday, three, the, or this and have them observe where their tongue is in the mirror. Then, have them practice watching where their tongue should be. We also continued to work on finding the syllables and sounds for simple words. We will soon begin weekly Spelling words. 

Literature:

This week, we read Arrow of the Sun, a Pueblo Native American tale. We talked about virtuous characteristics, such as courage and perseverance. We continued our week reading Jumping Mouse and learned about friendship, perseverance, and wisdom. Then we read another Native American Legend called The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush. The class talked about how Native Americans used plants to make colors and dyes for things. For poetry, we listened to the poem One, Two Buckle my Shoe. We acted it out and talked about rhymes and numbers. While studying grammar, we spoke about capitalizing the 1st word in a sentence. We also continued to review retelling a story or part of a longer story. 

Math

This week in math we continued our study of shapes. We have learned all about cones, cubes, cylinders, spheres, circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, and hexagons. We discussed all of the different attributes to the shapes and defined a lot of new vocabulary like faces, sides, and corners. The scholars successfully sorted shapes by many different attributes and had a lot of fun trying to find obscure ways to sort our shapes. Students were asked to explain the difference between a square and rectangle and how putting shapes together can make new shapes. There was lots of hands on practice in class this week and the students were even challenged to draw a picture out of circles, triangles, squares, and rectangles. The students became very creative with their drawings and making different looking rectangles or triangles. They discovered that as long as it had 3 sides and 3 corners it was accepted and had a lot of fun manipulating it to fit their picture.

History

The children traveled to Spain and France this week for the history lesson! We learned about the culture and food. We watched a video on Flamenco dancing, and the children enjoyed clapping along with the music. When discussing France, the children were shocked to hear people eat escargot! One phrase I used is, "Don't yuck my yum." You might not like something, but that doesn't mean it's the same for everyone. We also learned all about the Eiffel Tower. The same person who designed the Eiffel Tower also designed the Statue of Liberty. We also learned there is an apartment at the top. 

Science

In keeping with our previous talks about healthy bodies, we experimented by soaking hard-boiled eggs in various liquids overnight to see what happened. The experiment taught us that some beverages stain our teeth, and some eat away at the enamel, causing cavities. The students were very surprised that toothpaste doesn't always help get rid of the stains, and the only way to prevent cavities is to brush twice a day and visit the dentist. 

Weekly Update 9/20

 Important Dates:

9/23-9/27: Book Fair - Have fun ordering books- support our school and your child's reading at the same time

9/26: Literacy Night Winnie the Pooh theme - Come have a fun night at school and celebrate reading

10/4: Early Dismissal at 12:30

10/7-11: Fall Break - No School

10/14-10/15: Mandatory Q1 conferences *look for a signup in email 

Check out what we learned this week:

Spalding:

We have learned phonograms 1-26 and practiced writing all upper and lowercase letters (HOORAY!). Please continue to review these formations as your scholar does homework or practices writing at home. We are building our understanding of sounding out words and working towards using our phonograms to read words.                                             

****Homework expectations will change after Fall break****   

Students must complete homework with a parent nightly. Please do not have them independently copy the phonograms. Below are some videos to look at in preparation for the change. 

https://safeshare.tv/x/fEb4UYOtd3s  (Flashcard review- move the cards from back to front so you see the back of the phonogram first and can help if needed. This will also ensure there is only one card facing your child at a time)

https://safeshare.tv/x/K6WAMMv3qeo  (Written phonograms - you say the phonogram sound only. They will repeat the sound and write the phonogram. This is an integral part of learning Spalding, so please do not just copy letters or use the letter names during this practice)

Literature:

We enjoyed reading two books this week. The first was Corduroy, where we read about an adventurous bear who learned what a home and a friend were. We talked about how he saw everything new as something exciting. but found his true happiness with a kind friend. We finished our week by reading the story The Runaway Bunny. We talked about how the mother bunny wants to keep him safe. We also talked about building complete sentences. "Home" by itself only tells us where, and "The bunny will go." only tells us who. If you put Who and Where together, you build a complete sentence. In poetry, we read the poem Jack and Jill. We learned what a well is, discussed what was happening in the poem, and came up with ideas about why it might have happened. In grammar, our full-day students continued to talk about nouns and introduced the concept of plural nouns by adding an 's' to show more than one. 

Math

This week, we continued learning about shapes by discussing flat or 2D shapes. We learned about circles, squares, triangles, rectangles, and hexagons. The students identified these shapes using the vocabulary 'sides' and 'corners.' They counted the number of sides and corners of each shape and recognized the difference between squares and rectangles. We used various items such as play dough, popsicle sticks, and string to try and build these shapes and practice tracing and drawing them on our own. Discuss 3D and 2D shapes and find them around your house to help them practice the correct names. 

History

This week, we began our study on the continent of Europe. The children learned about different flags, languages, and countries. We created a book about the country of England, along with many interesting facts. Many of them already knew that the English call it football instead of soccer. The children enjoyed learning different ways to say common phrases. Instead of saying "Goodbye," they say "Cheerio," and if you're tired, you would say "I'm knackered!". The children are very interested in the differences between cultures. They are excited to learn where each country is on the map. 

Science

We concluded our healthy body lessons by discussing germs and visiting the dentist. We did some fun experiments to see how germs can quickly spread using glitter. The students were surprised to see how easily "germs" were left behind and even learned why it is so important to scrub our hands with soap to get rid of germs. 

Weekly Update 9/13

Upcoming Dates:

9/16-20: Unity in the Community Week - Ask how you can support Archway Lincoln and our students

9/20: Early Dismissal at 12:30

9/25-29: Book Fair

9/26: Literacy Night - Come have a fun night at school and celebrate reading

9/27: Spirit Wear, Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), September Birthday Book Club

10/7-11: No School - Fall Break

Check out what we learned this week

Spalding

This week we finished up with our final single phonograms w, x, y, and z. We now know 26 phonograms and will spend a week reviewing them before we add new phonograms. We also continued sounding out words and writing them. Please continue to focus on letter formation as you practice homework and continue to review phonogram cards daily. Remember you can choose 10-15 cards from the number listed, focusing on the ones your scholar needs to practice. You can use the same cards all week or switch them up each day. Do not feel the need to review all the cards every night, especially as we begin to add more phonograms.

Literature

We continued learning about Folktales this week and read a story called How many Spots Does Leopard Have?, which is a Folktale from Africa. We talked about how the animals counted in different ways. We also practiced retelling the story. Who is it about? What were they doing? What was the problem? How was it solved? Practicing answering these questions helps us in our retelling so we don’t try to say every detail. We read two other stories. One was Rainbow Fish and the other was Harold and the Purple Crayon. We talked about friendship and learned about imagination. We had fun creating a picture in our journal using only 1 color but lots of details. In Grammar, we spent time talking about opposites. See if your scholar can tell you some opposites they might have learned. (ie: hill/valley; up/down; in/out; hot/cold) In Poetry, we listened to a silly poem Hey Diddle, Diddle. Ask your scholar if they remember any of the silly things that happened in the poem.

Math:

The students finished their study of numbers 1-10 this week. We focused on number order (in both ascending and descending order). Make sure that you practice writing the numbers as well as counting. Try naming a random number and have your child count on from the number or count back from that number. Also, make sure to point out numbers in real life situations and why it is important for us to know what each number represents. We will begin talking about 3D shapes in our next unit.

Science

To finish our 5 senses unit we are spending time talking about how to be healthy and to stay healthy. This week we focused on how we grow and what foods help our body to grow best. We learned about the food groups and what foods fit in those groups. We also discussed what it means to exercise and why it is helpful for our body. We learned about some of the organs that benefit from exercising. 

History

This week in history the children dove deeper into their learning of North America. They learned of some of the animals found on our continent. They also learned so many great facts! Did you know the largest city in North America is Mexico City with 9 million people? It also sinks 4 inches each year due to the fact that it was built on a dried lake bed. The children were surprised by that fact! The children love learning about the continent we all live on, and the variety of traditions, languages, and climates in our continent.

Weekly Update 9/6

 Upcoming Dates:

9/10: Online ZOOM Spalding & Singapore night

Time: Sep 10, 2024 06:00 PM Arizona

Join Zoom Meeting

https://greathearts.zoom.us/j/92127537140?pwd=v39d7zMIbzFvmKOfru2KqXk1xpZLIa.1

Meeting ID: 921 2753 7140

Passcode: 661545

9/20: Early Dismissal at 12:30

9/27: Spirit Wear, Treat Friday (popsicles for $1), September Birthday Book Club

9/24-26: Book Fair

9/26: Literacy Night - Come have a fun night at school and celebrate reading

10/4: Early Dismissal at 12:30

10/7-11: No School - Fall Break

Check out what we learned this week

Spalding

We are near the end of the single-letter phonograms with only a few left. We continued to practice all the previous ones and introduced p, r, t, and v this week. Please continue practicing their phonogram cards each night to build their confidence in the sounds. Choose 10-15 for the week or switch it up each day. The numbers listed on the Agenda note all the phonograms we have learned this year. If you still do not have them, you must purchase them as it is part of homework all year and through 1st grade. Please go here to do so https://archwaylincoln.configio.com/search?txt=phonogram%20cards. 

We continued to learn about syllables and words. We have begun to spell simple words together as practice for future homework. In 2 weeks, homework will change from handwriting practice to listening to phonogram sounds. Then, the scholars will write the corresponding letter. We are practicing in school, so when you see the change in homework, they are comfortable knowing what to do. We will also post videos on the homework tab to help with what it looks like when we make the change.  

Literature

We have continued our unit on Folktales and discovered that other countries also have Folktales. We read 2 African Folktales called Tug of War and Why Mosquitos Buzz. We discussed how these stories are make-believe and what makes them fiction stories. We also talked about Tug of War being a trickster tale. We discussed what else the turtle could have done to become friends with the other animals. In poetry, we read Simple Simon and reviewed vocabulary. We talked about what each of the characters said and why. Full-day students began to talk about nouns such as people and places in Grammar. Over the next few weeks, we will continue to practice identifying nouns in the stories we are reading.

The scholars have done great at learning numbers 0-10. They can write the numerals, form with pictures or blocks, and even show the same number in multiple ways. We are also working on ordering the numbers in ascending and descending order. It is essential for the students to take the time to practice the numbers in a variety of ways so they can recall the numbers more easily.

Math

The scholars have done great at learning numbers 0-10. They can write the numerals, form with pictures or blocks, and even show the same number in multiple ways. We are also working on ordering the numbers in ascending and descending order. Try practicing rote counting forward and backward to strengthen this skill. It is essential for the students to take the time to practice the numbers in a variety of ways so they become comfortable and can recall the numbers effortlessly.

History

With our shorter week, we only had one day of History. The children learned about the three large countries in the continent of North America. They learned about some of the characteristics of our continent, including the largest city, Mexico City. It can be challenging to understand that we live in Arizona, the United States, and North America. Have fun exploring the continent of North America by looking at maps and globes at home. 

Science

We learned about our 5th sense by exploring touch. We discussed how we use our skin to feel light and soft touches and that our skin helps let us know when we feel pain so we can protect ourselves. We played a mystery game where we felt a classroom object hidden in a bag and guessed what it might be. We also discussed what texture means and were able to explore different objects and how they felt.