J1 SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TERM 2

• Ensure your child is reading on a daily basis. There are three ways they can do this, all equally important.

• Listening to Reading - listening to an adult, peer or audio book

• Read with Someone - shared reading

• Read to Self - independent reading

Listening to Reading

Having children listen to stories is important in enhancing their vocabulary, developing their ability to make connections within and across texts, and more deeply understand characters, their traits and decisions. This could mean you reading to them, or a digital book. When reading to them pause, discuss and question. When they are listening to digital books there are often follow up tasks, have them complete these. They can also write and draw about what they heard.

Read with Someone

Reading in partnership with an adult, sibling or friend is also important. Not only do kids love the social element of this activity (which is a benefit in and of itself - bonding over literature!) but sharing in the experience of reading allows for much text discussion. When they are listening to others they can tune in to what the reader is doing, pick up skills and clues, and tune in to vocabulary to deepen comprehension. When they read aloud to others it is their opportunity to practice. Reading aloud helps to develop their fluency, intonation and expression.

Read to Self

Reading independently is important for us all. It has benefits in developing their overall reading proficiency but is also an amazing mindfulness activity. When children are interested in a book it allows them to delve deep into themes and characters and learn new things. Generally, it is best they are reading “good fit” texts to ensure they can decode and comprehend. With this said, if they are interested and eager in a text... let them read! Just check in with them along the way.

• Have your child keep a log of all the books they read and note the time. How long are you reading??

• Make Predictions what do you think your book will be about. Use the title and the picture on the front cover to help make your predictions.

• Check for comprehension Stop half-way through the book. Turn and Talk with your adult. Who is this book about? What is happening in this story? Where is the story taking place?

• Draw or write about your favorite part. A sentence starter could be:- My favorite part of this book was when ………….

• Do a short vowel word hunt in your books. Identify short a, e, i, o , u words

• DO SOMETHING! Maybe you will: (retell the story, re-read your favorite page, copy your favorite words or sentences, talk about the book, then write down what you discussed, draw a picture)

A rule of thumb for figuring out good fit books is the 100 word check in. Have your child read 100 words in the text and check for these few things…

• ACCURACY: 5 finger rule - how many incorrect words?

(1-too simple, 2-good, 3-great, 4-challenge, 5-too hard)

• COMPREHENSION: Can they name the main events/key facts, recall the characters names, answer 3 or more questions about the text?

• FLUENCY: Reading like a robot = too hard, reading in word groups = ok, Reading with flow = great!

If your child is interested in a book and you are wondering if it appropriate you can always simply Google it! Type “(title of text) reading level” and it will let you know the grade level. If you are wondering what the level range is type “(title of text) guided reading level” and the letter level will come up, giving you a narrower range.

• Razkids: See your child’s homeroom teacher for their login

• Non-Fiction: Pebble Go: You can login through the JS Library portal or use the website address. Username: unis Password: read

• Non-Fiction: Britannica Elementary: You can login through the JS Library portal or use the website address. Username: unschool Password: unschool

To support J1 students in their reading of nonfiction, try choosing some nonfiction picture books to read aloud and enjoy together! Some examples of great recent releases:

• • The Firefigher’s Handbook, by Meghan McCarthy

  • How to Read a Book, by Kwame Alexander

  • Magic Ramen, by Andrea Wang and Kana Urbanowicz

  • Our World Is Relative, By Julia Sooy and Molly Walsh

  • The Truth About Crocodiles, by Maxwell Eaton III

To support J1 readers in reading their take-home books fluently, you might try:

• Inviting your child to read aloud their favorite part of a book they’re reading as part of a family reading session

• Setting up opportunities for your reader to read aloud books they know well to a sibling, or even to a pet or a stuffed animal!

• Printing out large-print lyrics to favorite children’s songs and encouraging following along to the song.

To support comprehension development in J1 readers, you might try:

• Asking your reader to talk about the characters in the books they are reading. You might ask: what problems are they having? How are they solving these problems?

• Reading chapter books or watching movies or TV shows together and pausing to talk about the characters, the problems, and the lessons characters learn

A good website also to check is Bookwizard

Writing Unit: Nonfiction Writing (Feb-April)

Writing Unit: Opinion Writing (April - June)

Have your child engage in writing for authentic purposes. What does authentic purposes mean?

• Make Lists: Lists can be great first writing experiences for beginning writers because they do not require full sentences. Think...

• Grocery lists

• Wish lists for birthdays or holidays

• Reading lists for books read or books a child would like to read

• Goals for school, extracurricular activities, etc

• Invitation lists for gatherings

• Places to visit

• Things observed at an event or place like the zoo or a park

Write About Experiences: Writing about an experience is another meaningful way to engage kids in writing. Writers can keep these creations for personal use or share with an audience like a friend, teacher, or family.

• Keep a nature discovery log.

• Keep a journal.

• Create a scrapbook or story about a vacation or special event.

• Write a family play about a recent event attended.

• Create a recipe book of foods your family likes to make together.

Write for Informational Purposes:

• Research and write about family history.

• Write a persuasive paper to a local politician about something you would like changed in your community.

• Write to an author about a favorite book.

• Write to a musician about a favorite song.

• Write a thank you letter to a community helper.

• Draw and write comics.

Write to Keep in Touch:

• Write letters to friends. These can be friends in their current class or old buddies from preschool or former towns you’ve lived in.

• Write a letter to family.

• Write a letter to a character from a favorite show or movie.

• Write a postcard about your holiday!

• Write an email to your teacher

• Write a blog about your summer, interests, what you are up to

• Free Choice Writing: You could write to…

persuade (such as an opinion),

tell a story (such as a small moment),

to inform (such as a biography).

Keyboarding Practice: Visit this website and spend some time practicing your typing skills on the keyboard.

https://www.typingclub.com/

Get Publishing!: Use Google Drive (docs or slides) to publish your writing! You will need to login through google drive or use your parents account. Make sure to ask first of course!

Book Creator: Try the new website or download the app to create ebooks.

https://bookcreator.com/

Use the QR code you were given by Miss P to login.

If you lose your code you can print here.

Comic Creator: Try the new website to create your own comics.

http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/

It is a free website for you to enjoy.

Story Narrator: These two new websites to write the words to the stories. They are also both free websites for you to enjoy.

www.storybird.com/

www.storyjumper.com

Tapping In - discovering students prior knowledge, sparking thinking, connecting to prior experiences

Finding Questions - uncovering wonderings and directing future learning

Exploring Evidence - researching, defining vocab, exploring ideas, gathering information from a range of sources

Constructing Theories - sifting through information, sorting information, building ideas, planning next steps

Testing Theories - critiquing information, ideas, sources and opinions, challenging prior knowledge

Demonstrating Understanding - sharing ideas, knowledge and skills developed through inquiry, answering questions, summarising

Reflection and Action - considering growth, considering next steps in learning, making improvements to one's life or others lives, making a difference

Where We Are On the Map (Feb-April)

Enduring Understanding: “We shape the local environment and the local environment shapes who we are how we live .”

Families (April - June)

Enduring Understanding: “Family values, histories and traditions help shape who we are.”

Be a UNIS Learner:

Have your child think about what they do each day.

What part of the learner profile were you?

What about the people in your family?

Keep track and celebrate all the great things you do!

In regards to the children’s mathematical learning... games, games, games! Just keep playing number based games with them as often as possible. This will help to ensure they keep up their computational fluency. Adding and subtracting everything and anything. Just think cards, dice, board games, the LOT!

Just like writing the more authentic the maths can be in their day today life the better! Games are one way of course but here is a list of a few more authentic ideas…

• Be a Cookie Monster | Measurements & Fractions: Everyone loves cookies! Use a cookbook or back of a mix box to reference amounts, then double or triple the recipe to incorporate fractions for a yummy learning experience.

• Hit the Stores | Currency: Setting a budget for gifts, groceries, clothing or using a gift card for needed items is good money practice. If items are on sale, kids can figure out how much an item is and if it within their budget. Have them think about the different coins and notes they could use for purchases.

• Visit Ted | Multiple Topics: The TED-Ed Math in Real Life series has original, animated lessons that feature words and ideas of educators. There are quizzes, ways to dig deeper, and teaching ideas to help create and customize lessons.

• Check the Temps | Calculations & Conversions: Practice reading a thermometer and keep a log of each day’s temperatures. Calculate the difference in temperatures between days and make educated predictions about the next day’s temperature. Advanced students can practice converting temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius.

• Walk About | Geometry: Math is all around us – 2D and 3D shapes are everywhere! Take a walk. If kids have a phone, they can snap pictures and share them once school is back in session, or create their own notebook to track shapes they’ve spotted.

• Plan a Party | Calculations: A hypothetical (or real!) holiday party to host means there’s a need to calculate food needed based on the number of guests, cost of different materials like decorations and party favors, how much time is needed for preparation, and more.

• NYC Street Math | Addition and Subtraction: Notice the New York City Streets and calculate how far you travel as you walk, ride, take the subway or drive. Ask your child “If we start at 33rd and end at 57th… How far did we travel? What math will you use to calculate?”

• Tick Tock on the Clock | Time: Summer time can mean losing track of time (which isn’t a bad thing). Have your child work out time on the clock both digital and analogue. Ask them to keep track of how much time things take. Ask them to remind you in 10, 20, 30 minutes, 1, 2 3, hours about ____. Ask them to tell you what the time will be in 1 hour etc.

The following selection of games and activities will help your child to practice some of these skills at home.

• Counting Fish The player counts small numbers of animated fish. Talk to your child about different ways to count the fish, perhaps by finding groups of 2 or 3 fish. Players scoring 70% or better will move to the next level. Audio directions.

• Counting Games Choose from an assortment of games: Teddy Numbers, Underwater Counting, Gingerbread Man Games, Ladybird Spots.

• Number Frames Use frames to count, represent, compare, and compute. This free manipulative is available both as an app on online.

• Number Rack Count and compare movable, colored beads. This free manipulative is available both as an app and online.

• Ten Frame Select from several games that challenge students to count objects, build numbers, or answer basic addition problems using a ten frame. A Five Frame is also available.

• • Numerical Order Players order numbers from 1-10 (Level 1) and 11-20 (Level 2). Advanced levels include numbers from 21-30, 31-40, etc. Audio directions.

• Marble Math Players see and hear an addition problem and are asked to choose a solution by clicking on one of three options. Players can drag marbles at the bottom of the screen into the provided boxes to help solve problems. Play includes five levels of addition, starting with simple one-digit problems.

• MathTappers: Find Sums This simple, free game uses ten-frames and is designed to help learners make sense of addition. It's an excellent game to explore with your child while you're on the go, as it is available for your IOS devices.

• Math Lines In this game, players make quick decisions to pair numbers that add up to a target sum. Before you begin the game, review the pairs of numbers that add up to the target sum.

• Fuzz Bugs Number Bond Select a target sum and challenge your child to click and drop the missing number into the number bond at the bottom of the screen. Consider using 10 as a target sum or choose from another number from 5–20.

• First to Five Practice addition facts by adding the sum of two dice and clicking on the correct sum on the chalkboard. Be the first to five of a kind to win the game.

• Balloon Pop Subtraction View a subtraction problem and pop balloons to figure out the solution. Three levels of difficulty are available, as well as audio directions.

• Minus Mission Practice subtraction within 10 by shooting at the expression that equals a given difference in this timed game.

• Measure that Foot Measure a monster foot using household objects such as blocks for crayons. Then, find a shoe that fits the monster.

• Crystals Rule Measure the length of rocks using non-standard units. (Flash)

• Time Travel: Learn to Tell Time Set a clock to the correct time by dragging the hand of the analog clock or clicking the up and down buttons of the digital clock.

• Match Analog and Digital Clocks Match the analog clock to the digital clock.

• Learn to Tell Time Select a type of clock, then drag hands or click the time button to record the correct time.

The links below contain some of the best games for elementary math students to play at home. Look through the sites to find other activities for your child.

• ABCya! The math games on this site, modeled from primary grade lessons, were approved of or created by teachers.

• Johnnie's Math Page Use this online index to find hundreds of interactive math games on the web, organized by concept.

• National Library of Virtual Manipulatives Organized by grade band and math concept, this Utah State University site contains a wide selection of virtual manipulatives.