• I need a couple of volunteers for the next couple of weeks while we are working on our shape unit in math.  I need help cutting out pattern block pieces and shape pieces.  We have a machine at the school that will cut the pieces for you, but it is time consuming.  If someone has the time to donate about an hour or so to cut out the shapes, I would really appreciate it.
• I also need a volunteer to come in once a week to quiz the kids on their safety information.  I would like to start safety city after Thanksgiving break.  I believe this would only take about an hour once a week.
• A volunteer is needed Monday mornings for about a half hour to help get the students homework folders ready (put in homework, newsletter and any other important papers.)  I could also use some help Friday mornings to put in each child's work for the week and staple the weekly report for each child's folder.  I am guessing this would also only take about a half hour.
• Any other time you have that you would like to donate in the classroom is more than welcome.  I will have a box ready for volunteers that drop in.  There will be things that need to be cut and stapled together (books), copies to be made, etc.  I also have some phonics games that you could play with the students. 
  

Youngers this week will be studying the letter I.  Please remember that they will be studying the short vowel sound.  Long vowel sounds won’t be taught until May.  Along with the letter name and sound, they will also be working on ‘twin consonants.’  Whenever you see two like consonants next to each other in a word, you pronounce only one of them.  (hill, inn, mitt)  They will also be getting their second fluency reader.  The fluency readers help them blend sounds together to read words and read for meaning (comprehension).  A new sight word will be introduced this week, ‘to.’ 

This week they will be getting their third reading practice page.  Please review these words with your child daily.  These words help your child blend sounds together fluently and become a stronger reader.  I will do my best to get through all of the kids reading practice on Monday so they can go home that evening.  

Olders will be working on the letters x and y, along with digraphs sh and oo.  They will also be working on counting the number of syllables in words.  New sight words this week:  bought, brought, fought, thought, could, should, would, school.  They will be working on decoding words and reading sight words with two new decodable readers, “Fox, Not Ox!” and “A Get Well Wish”. 

This week we will be continuing our unit on shapes through a variety of activities.

We will find as many different ways as we can to compose the rhombus, trapezoid and hexagon, using pattern-block shapes.  We will discuss the largest and smallest number of blocks we can use to make the hexagon.  We will fill an outline with pattern blocks in three different ways—once again talking about the smallest and largest number of pattern-blocks used.

We will also be creating a shape mural.  This will be a class creation using only shapes to create a scene.  I am hoping to have this hanging up for Visitor’s Lunch.