Happy Summer!

 Thank you for a great year!  We hope you have a wonderful summer. Here are a few tips for keeping the connections they worked on making this year and helps them be strong and ready for 1st grade!

Reading

Every student should practice their reading over the summer, regardless of their reading level. Try to aim for 10-15 min each day. Don’t forget that reading to your children is equally important! By listening to you read, you will help develop a love of reading and a desire to push through when reading becomes challenging. In addition, it models what good reading sounds like and introduces them to new vocabulary which also helps in their reading journey. So, those minutes can be the scholar reading independently, listening to a reader who is more advanced (like mom, dad, older sibling), or listening to an audiobook.

Here at Archway Lincoln, we use a guided reading system that levels books with the letters aa-Z. This is a common way to level books but be aware that not every system is the same. Below are some websites to help you check a level of a book. It is wise to stay close (within 1 or 2 letters) to your child’s reading level and only move forward when they are reading without any difficulty (or answering comprehension questions as well as reading fluently for students above F).

Websites to Help Level Books:

·        Book Wizard

·        A to Z Teacher Stuff

·        Reading A-Z Level Correlation

If you are not sure if the book is a good level or you cannot find the book on one of the listed sights, you can easily refer to the five finger rule. Have your child open a book to any page. They will read that one page and hold up one finger for every word they don’t know, struggle to sound out, or can’t pronounce. The number of fingers they’re holding up by the end of the page tells them if the book is the right level:

·        0-1 fingers: It’s too easy.

·        2-3 fingers: It’s just right.

·        4-5 fingers: It’s too hard for independent reading

Sight Words & Phonograms

Sight words and phonograms can be practiced in several ways, but the most important thing to remember is to keep it fun. If you try something with your child and they do not like it, try practicing a different way. It may take a bit more effort, but you will realize that your child will be more invested. It is not necessary to practice our exact list of sight words. There are many variations of sight word lists (Ayers, Frye, Scholastic, Dolch, etc.) and they would all have multiple lists that increase in difficulty that would be beneficial to practice. We have complied a few ways to practice either sight words or phonograms. You could also search “how to practice sight words” for many more ideas.

·        Flashcards

·        Sticky notes on mirror

·        Hopscotch (writing words on squares)

·        Spelling with bottle caps

·        Race to the word you call out

·        Write on dry erase board

·        Write on window or mirror with dry erase marker

·        Play memory

·        Rainbow words (tracing the word in different colored crayons)

·        Play swat (child must find the word and “swat” it after the adult calls it out)

·        Draw in the sand or in salt

·        Write words on small rubber balls and search for them

·        “Type” words on a “keyboard”. Use a keyboard cover or a printed-out keyboard on a piece of paper.

·        Build words with Legos or blocks

Additional Reading Websites & Resources

·        Starfall

·        ABCya

·        Khan Academy (App only)

·        Teach Your Monster to Read

·        Reading Bear (Best for readers at levels A-C)

·        Spalding Phonograms (App)

 

Additional Math Websites & Resources

·        Singapore Math Review Book

·        Starfall

·        ABCya

·        Khan Academy (App only)

·        Fact Monster

·        XtraMath - 10 minutes a day for math fact fluency

 

Fine Motor Skills (Fun ways to improve handwriting)

·        Drawing Fun (Guided Videos)

o   Art for kids

o   Drawing websites for kids

o   How to draw

·        Coloring (with crayons or chalk)

·        Climbing trees

·        Cutting with scissors (they love to cut Play-doh)

·        Using hands to crawl like an animal

·        Play with clay

·        Squirt guns

·        Gardening

·        Puzzles

·        Legos

·        Peeling stickers and placing them on a line (you could double up with sight word practice and write the sight word out and have your child cover the lines with small stickers.

Brain Breaks Ideas: 10 Crossing Midline Activities for Kids (childhood101.com) – great movement songs/activities to help develop midline crossing to support body control and handwriting.

 

***Most importantly, please take the summer to rest and enjoy your families. Let your child have fun and laugh. If you spend one hour a day doing some of the activities above, you are doing an excellent job helping to avoid the summer slide!***

Weekly Update 5/16

Important upcoming dates:

May 19 & 20: Yearbook signing. These are the only days our scholars can bring their yearbooks for friends to sign.

May 21st: Kindergarten Graduation! 11:00 Please enter through the playground gate. Doors open at 10:30. Children do not need to bring backpacks on this day.

May 20th-22nd: Half-Days. Pick up is 12:30.

Literature: 

We recently finished reading Grasshopper on the Road, and the students really enjoyed all the different stories and characters we met along the way. One favorite was the housefly who started cleaning and couldn’t stop—his obsessive tidying had everyone laughing and sparked some great conversations about balance. Another memorable moment was when the dragonflies zoomed through life so fast they never noticed the world around them, which led to thoughtful discussions about slowing down and paying attention. Each story brought something new and fun, and the students looked forward to every chapter with excitement and curiosity.

Spalding:

 Spalding has been a great method for helping the students continue to practice all 70 phonograms, and they've really been getting the hang of recognizing them. As they read, they’ve become more skilled at identifying phonograms within words, which has boosted their confidence and fluency. Whether it's a simple word or a more complex one, they are starting to notice the familiar sounds and letter combinations that they’ve practiced. This ongoing focus on phonograms has made reading more intuitive for them, and they’re excited to see how many phonograms they can spot in different words. It’s been wonderful to see how this practice is improving their reading skills and deepening their understanding of language.

Math:

 In math, we recently completed our final assessment, where the students demonstrated their progress with counting on, counting by 5s and 10s, and addition and subtraction within 10. It was exciting to see how confident they’ve become with these skills. They were able to count on from any number with ease, and counting by 5s and 10s was no longer a challenge. The addition and subtraction within 10 also went smoothly, with many students solving problems quickly and accurately. The assessment showed just how much they've learned and how well they can apply these strategies in different math situations. It was a great way to celebrate their hard work and progress!

History:

 In history, we explored the fascinating world of tall tales, diving into the legendary stories of figures like Davy Crockett and Sally Ann Thunder Ann. The students were captivated by these larger-than-life characters and their incredible feats, like Davy Crockett's wild adventures in the wilderness and Sally Ann Thunder Ann's superhuman strength. The exaggerated storytelling and humor of tall tales sparked lively discussions and imaginations, as the students loved hearing about these iconic figures who seemed to bend the laws of nature with their daring deeds. It was a fun and engaging way to learn about American folklore and the colorful stories that shaped its history.

Science:

In science, we learned about the Wright brothers and their groundbreaking work in aviation. The students were fascinated by how Orville and Wilbur Wright’s persistence and innovation led to the first successful flight. To bring the lesson to life, we followed up by making our own paper airplanes, testing different designs to see which ones flew the farthest. The students loved experimenting with their creations, and it was a great hands-on way to connect the science of flight with the history of the Wright brothers. It sparked curiosity and excitement about how science and creativity can come together to change the world.

Weekly Update 5/9

 Thank you all for making our Field Trip to the Phoenix Children's Museum such a success! The children had an amazing time and it was so fun:)

Upcoming Q4: 

May 20, 21, 23  - Early release at 12:30

May 21st: Kindergarten promotion 

         **Doors open @ 10:30, ceremony starts @11:00 am, all classes together**

We are asking for Cookie donations for the graduates at the end of our celebration: these will be given upon returning the school graduate gown: https://signup.com/go/ovPCXhF

Spalding:

Continue practicing and reviewing your phonograms, always making sure to change the order of sounds and words. We are doing well using our phonograms to sound out words when we read and when we write. This is a great support as you read and write at home too.

Literature:

We continued and finished Mouse Tales. We also continued to practice summarizing each short chapter in a sentence and writing it together in our journal. For poetry, this week, we reviewed the poem Roses are Red.  We talked about what this poem was about and what the words meant. In Grammar, we listen to a simple sentence said 3 times, and then the students had to try to write it independently. They practiced looking over their sentence to check for a capital, spaces, and punctuation. They are also practicing reading back over what they wrote to make sure it makes sense. 

Math:

We are working through learning about place value and numbers to 100. This week we focused on counting on after a random number. The students are so used to rote counting from 1 or from a 10 so this week we challenged them a little. They were tasked to look at a group of objects and given the number. Next they had to count on to figure out the total number. You can help support your child's learning by saying a random number and asking your child to say the following 5 sequential numbers. It doesn't sound like a hard task, but try it out to see if it is a skill your child needs help in developing.

History:

We learned about tall tales, which are funny stories with lots of exaggeration and larger-than-life characters. To help us understand, we read Pecos Bill and Slue-Foot Sue. Pecos Bill was a cowboy who did amazing things like riding a tornado, and Slue-Foot Sue was his brave girlfriend who rode a giant catfish. Their story showed us how tall tales are meant to be fun and imaginative, often showing the spirit of adventure.

Science:

We also learned about storms and how they form. Storms happen when warm, moist air rises and meets cooler air, causing clouds, rain, thunder, and lightning. We talked about different types of storms like thunderstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. We also learned how to stay safe during a storm by going indoors and staying away from windows. 

Weekly Update 5/2

 Upcoming Q4: 

May 14th: Yearbook Signing at Main Event 1:30-3:30

May 16th: Treat Friday, Birthday Book Club, Spirit Day

May 20,21,22  - Early release at 12:30

May 21st: Kindergarten promotion 

May 22nd: Last day of Kindergarten!

         **Doors open @ 10:30, ceremony starts @11:00 am, all classes together**

We are asking for Cookie donations for the graduates at the end of our celebration: these will be given upon returning the school graduate gown: https://signup.com/go/ovPCXhF

Spalding:

Continue practicing and reviewing your phonograms, always making sure to change the order of sounds and words. We are doing well using our phonograms to sound out words when we read and when we write. This is a great support as you read and write at home too.

Literature:

We continued and finished Mouse Tales. We also continued to practice summarizing each short chapter in a sentence and writing it together in our journal. For poetry, this week, we reviewed the poem Time to Rise.  We talked about what this poem was about and what the words meant. In Grammar, we listen to a simple sentence said 3 times, and then the students had to try to write it independently. They practiced looking over their sentence to check for a capital, spaces, and punctuation. They are also practicing reading back over what they wrote to make sure it makes sense. 

Math:

We are working through learning about place value and numbers to 100. This week we focused on counting on after a random number. The students are so used to rote counting from 1 or from a 10 so this week we challenged them a little. They were tasked to look at a group of objects and given the number. Next they had to count on to figure out the total number. You can help support your child's learning by saying a random number and asking your child to say the following 5 sequential numbers. It doesn't sound like a hard task, but try it out to see if it is a skill your child needs help in developing.

History:

We revisited our knowledge about tall tales this week. The students understand that a tall tale is an exaggerated story based on true events and recalled some tall tales we read this year (Johnny Appleseed, Casey Jones). They listened to another tall tale about Paul Bunyan. After listening, they were able to identify some components of the story that were based on truth and others that were exaggerated. 

Science:

We took time to discuss the 4 seasons of a year and which months fall in each season. We talked about how the seasons are different and that depending on where you live the seasons can differ quite a bit. We had fun creating trees in each season. We also discussed the colors of a rainbow and learned all rainbows are actually circles but the horizon blocks some of it from our view. We found it interesting that there are even more colors in a rainbow than we thought and some we can't see.