Family Homework

Favorite Letter Dress Up Day

Check your child’s folder for returned work nightly. Your child will receive daily homework. The beginning of the year we will be reviewing letters and sounds. All worksheets that go home are optional and at your discretion if your child completes them.

The following homework is required:

Monthly family projects will be assigned. These are hands on, crafty projects that are meant to be done as a family, but not solely done by an adult.
Read with your child every night for 15 minutes. Around October, your child will receive a book pouch containing a nightly reading assignment. It is your child’s responsibility to read the materials sent home each night and review all snap words. THE READING POUCH MUST BE RETURNED TO SCHOOL THE FOLLOWING DAY.
Your child will learn at least 100 Snap Words – a master copy of these are attached, but this is for your knowledge. I will assign these throughout the year – so no need to panic! Games to play are also listed under them.
After the holiday break, your child will be assigned a Reading Response Journal. More information about this will be discussed at conferences.

100 Snap Words

High frequency words, also known as "Snap Words" in our Kindergarten classroom, are words that we see and use often when reading and writing. Did you know that only 100 words make up half of all the words found in books today? It may sound surprising, but this small set of high-frequency words is the foundation of our language. Good readers should be able to recognize and read them instantly. Knowledge of high-frequency words is necessary for fluent reading. Many of these words do not sound like their spellings, therefore "sounding them out" would be unproductive. Developing a large sight word vocabulary helps a student become a better reader by increasing reading fluency, speed, and accuracy.

Below, you will find the lists of high frequency words we will be working . Students may be sent home a baggie or a ring of snap words to practice at home. Words that have an asterisk next to them are also spelling words. Besides flipping through and practicing the snap words on the binder ring before your child reads to you, you can play games with the cards, too! Start out playing with the words they know and gradually add 1-2 tricky words. The object is to have fun while learning!

Snap Word Games

Quiz Me!: Go through the flashcards, reading each snap word. Mix it up by reading the words in different voices (high, low, whisper, shout, cheer). Have your child make an action for each word. You can even switch and have your child play the teacher and quiz you on the words.

Spelling: The parent reads the word, the child spells the word. You can count the sounds in each word and draw a letter for each sound.

What’s Missing?: Write the word on a white board and erase one letter. The child says the missing letter.

Tick-Tac-Toe: Each player chooses a snap word. Take turns writing the word in the game space (instead of x’s and o’s). Three words in a brown wins the game!

Word Detective: Choose a word and have your child find the word in a book. Make it fun by writing the word on a post-it and stick it in the book where it was found!

Cup Game: Put out 4 cups upside down with a snap word in front of each one. Hide a small object underneath one cup. Mix the cups up and have your child track the hidden object. Have your child guess which cup has the object underneath by saying the sight word that is in front of the cup they want.

Zap: Draw a card and read the word on the card. If you read the word correctly, keep the card. If you do not, put the card back at the bottom of the deck. A zap card means you give all your cards back. A skip card means your turn is skipped. A reverse card means you do not get to play and it goes back to the person who drew before you. Play until one player collects ten cards.

Word Race: Make two lines out of the cards on the table. You'll need two toys and a die. Play one rolls the dice. Move ahead that many with the toy. If you can read the word, you stay, if not, go back. The next player rolls the dice and plays on their list.

Go Fish with snap words

Write the snap words in shaving cream or chalk

Snap word Memory
Snap word Bingo

To* The* I* A* Is* My* Go* Me* Like* On* In* So We* It* And* Up* At See*

He* Do You* An Can* No* Am Went Are This Look For Get* Come Got Play Was Had

They Will Too All Be As Ball By* Day Did Has Her Him Fun Eat If Jump Man

Or Not* Mom Out Now Of Put Ran Sat Read Run She* Sit Then His Say Us

Yes Saw Girl How When Your About From Than Away Them Came Big Been After Who

Back I’m Because Very Could Have Make Any Into There Were Mother Just But*

Letter Expert

Your child will become an expert on a letter and teach their classmate all about it. On their day (please see attached schedule), your child should be able to:

Recognize the letter both uppercase and lowercase.
Print the letter, both uppercase and lowercase.
Tell what sound the letter makes.
Bring something in a plastic sandwich bag that starts with the letter and sound (R: ring, rubber band, rice) and one object that does NOT start with that letter.
Take a picture of him/her doing something that begins with that letter and sound (smiling for “s”). Send the picture to school.

All items will be returned in January. Also, if your child is assigned a letter that has more than one sound (vowels, C, G) please make sure they bring more than one item in and the are aware that the letter makes two sounds.

Please see the schedule.

Star Student

Monday:

On a THIN poster board, please compile 10-15 photos of your family. The important thing is that your child is part of the process since he/she will be the one explaining their pictures to the class.

Tuesday:

Show and Tell! A black mystery box will be sent home the day before. Please have your child put a toy in the box and write three clues about the item. Students will have to guess what is in the box.

Wednesday:

Return the estimation jar that you received with objects such as Legos, pennies, bouncy balls, etc. (no food please) you have counted out. The number should not be greater than 100. Write the number total on a sticky note and stick it inside the lid.

Thursday:

Name Game! Dress up fancy! We will be drawing pictures of the Star Student!

Friday:

We would like parents and/or other family members to visit us! Please read your kindergartner’s favorite book to the class in person or via Zoom/recording. This is a great opportunity to share about your family’s culture and anything else that makes your family special! When your child’s week arrives, just email me to set up a convenient time in the afternoon between 3-4pm.

Please see the schedule on the schedule tab.