Links & Resources

for Families

Classroom Birthday Celebrations!

Click HERE for classroom policy

Reading Tips for Home!

Reading Fiction Tips:

  • Read the blurb on the back or inside cover to get your brain ready for the story

  • Characters- talk about the traits you learn about your character (inside and out)

  • Does the character change from the beginning of the story to the end?

  • How is the character feeling at different parts of the story?

  • Make predictions along the way. Check your predictions. Were you correct?

  • What is the setting- spring? midnight? a park? Does the setting change?

  • Stop along the way and retell what your know so far.

  • What is the problem? How is it solved?

  • What was your favorite part? Character? Why?

  • Practice reading fluency (re-read to smooth out your reading)

Reading nonfiction tips:

  • Study the cover- what can you learn from the title and picture?

  • Study each page before, during , and after reading

  • Don't ignore captions, chapter titles, bold words!

  • Before turning the page ask: "what did you learn?"

  • Re-read the page or two if you can't share what you learned

  • Ask questions before, during , and after reading

  • Use post-it notes to write down facts you learned

  • Practice reading for fluency

Decoding Tips:

  • Find words with vowel teams as he/she reads and practice saying the long vowel sound (MOST of the time the first vowel says its name and the second vowel is silent. (-oa; -ai; ea).

  • ***Try both vowels sounds (short/long) until the word makes sense

  • Look for small chunks/parts (-it; ap; -ang) or small words (cANDy; foot/ball) in big words

  • Say the first and last sound in a tricky word and then re-read the sentence

  • MOST IMPORTANTLY- ask: DOES IT LOOK LIKE THAT WORD? DOES THAT WORD MAKE SENSE IN STORY?

  • STOP TELLING YOUR CHILD THE WORD! When they are stuck on a tricky, ask your child- "Do you want coaching or time?". Coaching = you give reminders of the different strategies to try. Time = your child wants to think about it on their own.

  • You can tell them the word after your child has tried more than one strategy or it's a word your child would never get. When your child mumbles through a word or makes a "bad" guess, stop them and ask, "Did that make sense?".

  • READ, READ, READ!!!! The time put in now will pay off for the rest of your child's reading life.

  • Model what good readers do as you read aloud to your child. What is your brain thinking? Predictions, connections, correct your predictions. Share it aloud to your child.


  • Have your child use Raz-Kids or Epic to listen to good books and practice reading "just right" books once a week.

  • Have your child use Raz-Kids at home to work on decoding and comprehension.

Fundations Tips for Home

  • Be a Word Detective! Find/write words with:

  • Vowel teams (-ay; -ai; -oa; -ou; -oo; -ow; -ee; -ea- -ey; -ew;)

  • Vowel-consonant-e words (take; tune; bone; like)

  • Closed syllable words: short vowel then consonant(s) ex. act; fast; shop

  • Beginning/ending blends (-st; -nd; -gr; -sl..)

  • Bossy-r/r-controlled vowels -ar; -ir, -er, -ir, -ur

  • The suffix -s; -ing; -ed (bells; jumping; called)

  • Glued sounds -ank; ink; -onk; unk; -ang; -ing; -ong; -ung; -all; -am; -an. (bank; fang; ball)

  • Digraphs -th, -sh, -ch, -wh, -ch (that; ship)

  • Bonus letters -ss, -ff,-ll, and wannabe/sometimes -zz. (floss; full)

  • Find trick words in books and poems.

  • Practice reading and spelling all 93 first grade trick words. 2nd trimester goal is 60 words instantly.

  • Practice reading and writing "Word of the Day" words. These words contain various spelling features.

Writing Tips for Home

  • WRITING AT HOME IDEAS!!!!!!!

  • Writing Complete Sentences include a subject and a verb and PUNCTUATION & CAPITALIZATION. Make this a focus!

  • Buy a journal for your child to write anything/anytime.

  • Write about something from the weekend, a birthday party, your breakfast, a playdate...

  • Dictate short sentences to your child. He/she should tap and write any words they do not know in snap.

  • Remind your child that all sentences start with a capital and end with punctuation.

  • Remind your child that ALL letters and number START at the TOP and fall down to the ground.

  • All words have a finger space between them.

  • All letters in a word have a little white space between them

Math Tips for Home

  • Practicing addition and subtraction strategies (doubles; double +/- 1; counting up or back; using a fact you already know)

  • Adding 1 digit + 2 digit; adding/subtracting 10 to any number


  • Counting/writing by 10s starting at different numbers (7, 17, 27...)

  • Practice counting/writing numbers up to 120

  • Give your child story problems (+/-) to solve (There were 12 birds in a tree. SOME flew away. There are 7 left. How many flew away?)

  • Have your child make up story problems for you to solve

  • MATH FACTS! Skill and Drill addition and subtraction. You can use flash cards or there are so many free games on line.

Student Absences

As a reminder, if a student is taking one or more days off for a family event/time, a vacation, etc. other than an appointment or being sick, you must fill out a Planned Absence form. If your child takes a day off and you don't tell me until that day, you will still need to fill out the form and send it in with your child the next day they are back in school. Also, every family gets five (5) Planned Absent days within one school year, after that, the absence will be considered unexcused.

PREFERRED METHOD: Use our online attendance system located on the Gurney web page under our ONLINE ABSENCE REPORTING FORMS section on the right side of the page or CLICK HERE for the Gurney Home Page.

ATTENDANCE LINE: Call our attendance line at 440-893-4033

PLANNING AN ABSENCE such as a family trip (one or more days)? Please fill out our PLANNED ABSENCE FORM on the Gurney web page by clicking on "Planned Absence Form" under the Attendance section or CLICK HERE .

Take Home Baggie Books Reminders!

**It is optional to take the book home for the weekend. Let me know if you'd like your child to bring it home.

-Please listen to your child read each week day and sign the reading log and add helpful comments.

-Help remind your child to use all of the strategies to decode tricky words.

-FICTION STORIES: have your child retell the story including characters, setting(s), main events with details, favorite parts...

-NON FICTION BOOK (true/teaching book)- the goal is for your child to be able to share new learned information with you. Knowing all the words DOES NOT make it too easy. Ask your child- "what did you learn?" If he/she is not able to do this- the CONTENT is probably too hard.

Homework Expectations

-All written work should be completed in pencil--not in crayon, marker, highlighters, pens.

-Encourage your child to always complete assignments with "best work" including EFFORT and NEATNESS. Please check all of your child's work-did he/she do best work? Take his/her time? Would he/she be proud to hang it up for all to see? In school-our saying is "NEAT OR REPEAT". *Set the same expectations for home.

-Please make sure your child writes his/her NAME on every paper before returned to school