November

3W November Newsletter

Dear Parents & Guardians,

There are only about 55 days until Christmas.... Who’s excited? It’s always such a thrill to see how quickly “time flies when you’re having fun!” Time sure is flying! The “Wiebe Weasels” have accomplished so much already and we still have so much further to go!

Thank you for the numerous things you’ve been doing to assist in our learning: reading goals, sending pumpkins and other random items, initialing planners, signing and returning their work, providing treats for Halloween and other activities and so on. All of these extra efforts do not go unnoticed, and really pay off in more ways than you know. J

Important Dates in November

Nov. 1-3 – Bring in 2-4 mini boxes of Smarties (for Math) from Halloween (if you can)

Nov. 5 – Progress Reports home (Please return the envelopes as they are used each term.)

Nov. 11 – Remembrance Day

Nov. 18 – Book Fair Shopping for our class (browsing happens on Nov. 16)

Nov. 30 - Home Reading due (recorded on page 29 in planner with your signature)

*Please remember to initial your child’s planner daily. Thank you!*

Weasel Website: https://sites.google.com/gotvdsb.ca/wiebeweaselwebsite

*Be sure to peruse the numerous links on our website for additional skill-building activities in all subjects. Don’t forget to check out photos of your child as well!*

With our Progress Report Cards well on their way, some parents may feel somewhat

unclear about what to expect. Although you won’t see levels/grades on this report,

you will get a snapshot of how your child is doing based on our first 2 months of school.

Home Connection

Each month, I try to provide something useful to assist you and your child academically. I am including a list of Dolch sight words. Many students can easily identify these words and are well on their way to reading, but some struggle to recognize them with ease. See how many your child can identify quickly. Comprehension of texts can only come once students can read the text, so sometimes we need to step back and ensure that we have built on the skills needed before we can accomplish the next step.

“From 50-75% of all words used in school books, library books, newspapers, and magazines are in the Dolch Basic Sight Vocabulary of 220 words (preschool thru Grade 3). The Dolch word list is made up of "service words" (pronouns, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions, and verbs) which cannot be learned through the use of pictures. Because they are used to hold thoughts together, these words must be recognized at a glance before a child can read with confidence.

You may want to use this list to offer practice for your child. Suggestions include: have your child use each word in a sentence, make flash cards and put words together to form sentences, use selected words to write stories and illustrate, make a double set of some words to use in a memory game..... etc. (Try to avoid endless hours of drill). Ten to fifteen minutes three times a week is fabulous. Most importantly, have fun with your child and continually let him/her know how proud you are that they are trying! This should be a positive experience for both child and parent.”

Grade 2 Dolch List: always, around, because, been, before, best, both, buy, call, cold, does, don't, fast, first, five, found, gave, goes, green, it's, made, many, off, or, pull, read, right, sing, sit, sleep, tell, their, these, those, upon, us, use, very, wash, which, why, work, would, write, your

Grade 3 Dolch List: about, better, bring, carry, clean, cut, done, draw, drink, eight, fall, far, full, got, grow, hold, hot, hurt, if, keep, kind, laugh, light, long, much, myself, never, only, own, pick, seven, shall, show, six, start, ten, today, together, try, warm

The following excerpt uses all Dolch words and should be easy to read at/by a grade 3 level. Ask your child to read the passage aloud to you. Once completed, encourage your child to answer questions to ensure that they have understood it well. Comprehension in reading is as important as being able to read!

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The Best Thing In The World

Once upon a time, there were four brothers who lived in a far away land. Their father was an old king. One day he said, "I will not live long now. Today you must start out into the world. In a year, bring back the best thing you have found. The one who can pick the best thing shall be the new king." The first brother said, "I will look in every city or town. I will buy the best thing I can for my father." The next two brothers said, "We will both go on fast ships over the sea. We will find something better." The last brother said, "I am going to ask the people here in our own land to tell me the best thing." The other three brothers began to laugh. "Then you will never be king!" they said. The last brother started off. When he had gone about six miles, he met a man. "What do you carry in those big bags?" he asked. "The best thing in the world," said the man. "These are full of the good nuts which fall from my five nut trees." "I don't think that would work," said the brother to himself, "I must try again." The brother went on another seven miles. He found a small brown bird. It had been hurt, so he put it in his coat where it could keep warm. As he went on, he saw a little girl crying. He ran to meet her. "Why are you crying?" he asked. "I want to get some water from the well," she said. "We use so much. We drink cold water. We wash the clothes clean with hot water. But I do not know how to pull it up. Please show me." The brother said, "Hold this bird and I will help you. It does not fly around anymore because it got its wing hurt!"

The rest of the story in the newsletter is below...

"Thank you. What a pretty bird!" she said. "I wish you would give it to me. If you will let me keep it, I will always be very kind to it. I will take care of it myself. I will make it grow well again." "Yes, you may have it," said the brother. So he gave her the bird and went on.

At night, he went to sleep under a round yellow haystack. When it was light again he walked on. Every day he would walk eight or ten miles. He asked the people about the best thing in the world. Some said it was best to sing. Some said it was best to run and jump and play. Some said the green grass was best. Some liked the red and blue and white flowers best. One man said the best thing was to ride a black horse. He always stopped to help people who needed it. Soon he made many friends. All the people began to like him. They would say, "See there goes the king's son. He would be just the right kind of king for us." Every door was open to him. The people would call to him to stop. They would ask him to come and eat with them. After he ate, he would sit down and read to the children. After he read, he showed them how to draw and write. Months went by. He still had no beautiful thing to take to his father. Just before the year was done, he went home again.

The time came when the king called his sons together. "What did you bring?" He asked them all. The other brothers had many beautiful things. "And what did you bring?" said the king to the last brother. "This is too funny!" said the other brothers. "He has nothing!" But the king was kind to the last brother. "What did you bring me?" the king asked again. "I bring only the friendship of your people," said the last brother. "That is the best thing!" cried his father. "You shall be the new king."

The End