Dear Parents, Welcome to a new week of learning in J3T! It feels as if it has been ages since we saw a Monday! The last few weeks were so full of celebrations and special events, that the children almost didn't believe me when I said there wouldn't be a dress-up or celebration today. Luckily, Leo turned 8 so we had the chance to celebrate something special. In this week's post I would like to touch on fluency and accuracy, both in reading and Math. The goal with fluency in both reading and math is for the children to have fast, accurate, and elegant recall so that they can read expressively and solve problems easily using their schema, or prior knowledge. As we work to develop new skills, this basic foundation is crucial so we can take in more challenging skills, strategies, and concepts. Here is how you can support your child at home. MATH You will notice the children coming home with their "math scales" cards today. We took on this name because the children decided that knowing and practicing certain math facts is like a musician practicing the scales. It warms up the muscles, calls on prior-knowledge, and helps the "artist" play more complex pieces. To this end, the children have addition fact cards that they have been working with. These are facts that they should be able to do with mental math skills. Each card has equations on one side and the sum on another. They also have "clues," to help solve the problem. The children should know each fact "like they know their name." We have been working on this in class, and have talked about various ways they can practice these, including a math challenge game and speed sorts. They can also string different equations together to make more complex problems. I have asked that they do the math scales for 5 minutes each evening before they take on any other assignment. This habit will serve them well when we approach multiplication problems, as this is the kind of thing I will want them to do when they are learning their times tables. Of course, I love to hear about the children taking on real life problem solving scenarios in their day whether that be at the store, with telling time, when baking, adding their Halloween loot (a new one added to the list today,) or when accepting a great challenge from the people who love them! The "math scales" are mentioned on the homework menu. I have asked that the children also do these for 5 minutes every day this week, in addition to the self selected items on the menu. READING: In reading, “Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.” (Reading Links, 2002, p. 9). Fluency doesn’t ensure comprehension, but comprehension is difficult without fluency. If a reader is constantly stopping to decode and figure out unknown words, most likely meaning will be disrupted and the process of reading becomes long and laborious. When students make gains in reading fluency, they are able to put their energies into comprehension and are better able to analyze, interpret, draw conclusions, and infer meaning from texts. I have asked the children to practice reading aloud as much as possible so that they can improve their fluency and expression as readers. Their task is to pay attention to punctuationThey can do this by reading to themselves, a stuffed animal, real life pet, family member, friend, recording themselves reading (one of my favourites for effectiveness) or even acting out what they are reading. They can read in front of a mirror to track their facial expressions, or Edem's favorites is to make a movie on photo booth. Not only does this motivate the children, but then you also have a cherished video of their reading to share with family members. (Here is one from Edem when he was 5. He rehearsed, and rehearsed and rehearsed until the alien voice was just right.) The attached Parent Pipeline should be helpful to support this strategy at home. HOMEWORK A new homework menu is coming home today. I have asked the children to be diligent about recording their work in their "Thought Journals," so that I can check in on their choices and give feedback to their work. This sheet is due in on Monday November 9 for a check-in, and then the final due date is November 17. Please let me know if you are experiencing difficulties with the reading or menu. We agreed to have none of the home study nightmares, so let's communicate if there are struggles. HAPPINESS HABIT: Express Gratitude This month we will focus heavily on the habit of expressing gratitude. The students started their gratitude journals today. Be sure to ask them about this habit! Here is an interesting article on Happify about the attitude of gratitude. UPCOMING DATES: Thursday, Nov.12: Parent Teacher Conferences evening session Friday Nov. 13 : Parent Teacher Conferences day session NO SCHOOL Monday, Nov.16: Parent Teacher Conferences day session NO SCHOOL November 15: City Harvest Collection November 25-27: Thanksgiving Holiday: NO SCHOOL As always, thank you for your support! Sincerely, Erin M. Threlfall
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SnapshotsA peek at life inside of J3T , curated by Ms. Erin M. Threlfall Archives
June 2016
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