Show and Tell

Show & Tell is something that I had gotten away from a few years back because I wanted to keep our time purely academic, or at least what I considered academic. However, more and more research has come out in support of the responsive classroom and the value of teaching "no-tech" communication skills. The more I have researched, the more I believe show and tell time is valuable and academic. Of course show and tell builds community, and the kids have fun, but it also gives the kids the opportunity to communicate and share by building the following skills: speaking and listening, how to be an audience and introduce themselves, how to ask inquiry based questions, make connections between student responses and experiences, anticipate and observe, practice critical reasoning skills, practice storytelling, use and listen to vocabulary, use descriptive language and increase confidence. It's also a great opportunity for those kids who struggle with speech to practice speaking in front of a group in a safe space.

Show and tell for our class is every Friday. The show and tell topics for October/November are the following:

• 10/18- book

• 10/25- toy

• 11/8- book

• 11/15- toy

• 11/22- kid's choice 

October in the Know

Dates at a glance:

• 10/10- library trip (books are due)
• 10/30- end of 1st trimester/ "pumpkin day" 
• 10/31- students may wear costumes/ class party at HP library/ 11:00 dismissal 
• 11/1- teacher workday

This month we will learn about autumn and the changing seasons. We will have our "pumpkin day" on 10/30. During this day, we will use pumpkins to explore concepts in STEM. Our class party will be off campus this year due to our only being in school until 11:00. The High Point Public Library does a wonderful job with Halloween activities, and they have offered to open early that day so that our class can take part in the festivities! We strongly encourage kids to wear costumes, but no super scary costumes or masks, please. 

New reading logs went home last week, and new Fundations packets will be coming home soon. We will start working on this year's class book tomorrow! Our theme is "The ABCs of Christmas." Be sure to look for fliers in your child's folder soon. It is completely optional to purchase a book; however, most of the kids usually want one. This is a fun opportunity for our class, and an excellent opportunity for them to go through the writing/publishing process. Please note this in not a fundraiser, and the school does not receive any profit from the sale of the books. 

We have partnered with JYA this year for reading buddies! On Wednesdays the high school students come to our classroom and they get the opportunity to read to, and be read to by our class! I'm excited about this partnership, and I know the kids are too. 

The following are a few snapshots from our apple farm trip! Thank you so much to the parents who helped chaperone. 

Book Club Opportunity

I wanted to add this to the blog- This is a wonderful opportunity for our 2nd graders. If you had to choose one after school activity, I would highly recommend this one; Mrs. Davis does an amazing job with this book club!

 Book Club: Chocolate Fever- Sign up by 9/26! Mrs. Davis will be offering a fall book club for 2nd-6th graders. Book Club is on Tuesdays and will be 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/5, 11/12, and 11/19. Book club is $50 and includes a copy of the book for all members. Any participants who need transportation to Covenant after school program after Book Club must let Mrs. Davis know upon registration. To register, contact the front office.

Apple Farm Field Trip!

In a couple of weeks our class will take a field trip to Millstone Creek Apple Orchard! We have been learning a lot about apples this month, and I know the kids are excited about visiting the farm. Tomorrow you will find a form about the trip, please complete the form and return it to school as soon as you can.

Homework

Recently, there have been several studies done on the effectiveness of reading logs. I believe firmly in accountability; however, accountability for reading at home does not necessarily mean keeping up with a daily reading log. Some recent studies show that reading logs actually hinder young readers because it turns reading into "work" and not something that is done for pleasure.  Some studies suggest that this is a factor in why struggling early readers are reluctant life-long readers. With this in mind I've decided to tweak our homework routine. Instead of keeping up with a reading log (thank you to those who have been doing this!) I will send home a monthly sheet like the one below:

Have your child color one leaf for each (5-10 for kindergarten, 10-15 for 1st, and 15-20 for 2nd) minute block of reading. I will collect the sheets at the end of the month.

Hopefully this will help make the homework process more streamlined and painless as possible.  I hope you know that I am not a "worksheet teacher," and I certainly do NOT believe in the "drill and kill" method. I also believe that homework practice needs to be independent- Students practicing a skill incorrectly is simply reinforcing negative habits. The following is a quote from Dr. Jean Feldman's blog, "Dr. Jean & Friends."

"My daughter brought up the point that many parents WANT homework and are impressed with lengthy assignments because they think it will make their children smarter. In the book Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators,Teachers, and Parents, Harris Cooper put together a variety of research studies on homework. He found that in elementary school, homework has almost no impact on academic achievement. In middle school, the results are mixed. In high school, moderate levels of homework can help the learning process." -Dr. Jean Feldman

Homework should be meaningful and helpful. In the primary grades math facts practice, sight word practice and reading practice are really the only things that I recommend be practiced at home. To help with this I recommend the following for nightly homework:

• Xtramath for math fact practice (< 5 minutes)
• read aloud on-level text OR listen to good literature (5-20 minutes)
• Literacy skill practice - Reading Eggs (< 20 minutes) 

September In The Know

Our themes for September are "school days" & "apples." We will use these themes to introduce both narrative and expository writing, explore the difference between fiction and nonfiction literary genres,  learn about pollination and improve our counting skills. We are excited about our trip to Millstone Creek Apple Orchard this month! This is a great family-run farm that is very student friendly. The class will have the opportunity to learn about and taste different apple varieties, learn about tree grafting first-hand, make apple cider and of course we will go on a hayride through the farm just for fun! Johnny Appleseed Day is on the 23rd. During this day we will read and write about John Chapman as well use our math skills to make some apple goodies at school!

This month we will review correct letter formation and letter sounds. A common error many students make is not forming letters from the top to the bottom. Please encourage correct letter formation at home using the Fundations homework packet as a reference. Also, many students want to add the schwa sound to the end of many letter sounds, for example /b/-buh. When you hear those sounds just tell your child to "clip" the sound, and they will know what you are talking about. I am telling the students to "clip" these sounds in class as well. I know this may sound picky, but it truly makes a difference for emergent readers. The video below explains this in better detail:

The following are our show-and-tell themes for Friday:

• 8/30-toy
• 9/6-book
• 9/13-toy
• 9/20-book

-Show-and-tell items must be small enough to fit in a backpack, and they may not be alive. I encourage students to take pictures of any living items they want to share.

Math this month is all about place value up to 100 and building number sense. I would really love for the kids to have a solid foundation in the basics before moving to more abstract concepts.  

We will have our parent-teacher (IIP) conferences the first week of October. During this time we will look at beginning of the year data and set goals for the year. Please be sure to look for a Sign-up Genius in your email inbox soon for dates and times to sign-up. Of course, I'm always available to meet if you have questions before October. 

Upcoming Dates: 

• 8/30- 11:00 dismissal
• 9/2- no school 
• 9/6-book show-and-tell
• 9/13-toy show-and-tell
• 9/19- library trip- Please send in booster/ car seats
• 9/20- book show-and-tell
• 9/23- Johnny Appleseed Day
• 9/25 (tentative date-permission forms will come home soon)- apple farm field trip Please send in booster/ car seats
• 9/26- 11:00 dismissal 
• 9/27- no school
• 9/30-10/11- parent/teacher conferences

Welcome!

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! 

It has been so great getting to know the kids this week; this is definitely a special group! We have been working on assessments and leveling this week; next week we will start our regular schedule. I have had to adjust the schedule slightly from the one that was sent home in your packet during orientation. During our 9:30-10:00 rotation I will split the class in half to allow for more individualized time in enrichment and computer lab. Each group will receive two days of enrichment and 2 days of computer lab. On Mondays the class will have guidance with Mrs. Linn and Technology with Mr. Davis.

Homework will start on Monday. You will find a Fundations packet and a reading log in your child's folder on Monday. Your child has also been set up with an Xtramath.com account. I recommend you complete the Xtramath sessions nightly to help your child remember their math facts. Please see the video clip below for Xtramath directions (fliers will be sent home on Monday). I will check the folders periodically and provide an incentive for the students who are consecutively keeping up with their log. Perhaps the most important thing that you can do with your child is read with them for at least 20 minutes daily.

Important dates:

• August 30- 11:00 dismissal
• September 2- Labor day- no school 
• September 19- library field trip 

On my commute to school I like to listen to Podcasts; A podcast that I have recently come across is titled "The Early Childhood Research Podcast." I have copied links below to a show about Dyslexia and struggling readers. They did a great job explaining what Dyslexia is and how to help kids in the primary grades. I thought it was well done and wanted to share that with you. 

I'm so excited for this school year; I know it is going to be terrific! 

-Mr. Wallace

Click here for the Podcast- https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-early-childhood-research-podcast/id1039178520?i=1000401431947

Click here for the transcript/website- https://www.lizs-early-learning-spot.com/dyslexia-and-early-intervention-23/