Homework?

It seems like every school year the homework debate is brought up. Some believe that more homework makes smarter children, while others believe that time at home should be spent with family and work should be kept at school. Personally, I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. Research is split with evidence supporting both sides. CAMP is set up in blocks; between each block we have some kind of activity or movement. This is by no means an earth-shattering idea, but I thought I would bring it up because it can so easily be applied to homework. For example, spelling 10 minutes, jumping jacks 3 minutes, and math 10 minutes; that is how a typical 2nd grader's homework should go, anything more than that is usually not appropriate. Of course 3rd graders would work a little longer, and 1st graders would work a little less. 

Recess time and being outdoors is an important part of CAMP. Children (and adults) need a break from seat work and being indoors for too long.  On especially hot days we will have calisthenics and movement activities indoors. 

I'm curious, how many parents would like homework over the summer? I hadn't planned on it, but I can certainly add that component if families want to work at home. Post thoughts below.  

Primary CAMP!

Hi, Everyone!

I'm so glad we are back for the summer and Primary CAMP is in full swing! I will be using our class blog as a way to communicate, and hopefully we can use this as a forum to bounce ideas off each other. Also, when you ask "What did you do at camp today?" you will already know! 

A typical day starts in the book nook, and we have a quick morning meeting. During this time we share and encourage one another. This is also a great time to bring in any "show and tell" items. We have already been graced by the presence of a hermit crab, rubber spiders, and a karate belt! 

After sharing time we have calendar time. During this time we review days of the week, months of the year, patterns, money, odd and even numbers, graphing, money, etc. This is our prime time to sing and do some simple calisthenics. 

Each day also starts with a read aloud and reading comprehension skills. This is such a great way to start the day, and it's a fun way to "sneak" in some reading skills! 

The campers are divided into two groups for reading and math instruction. The groups are the "Thunderbolts" and the "Tigers," and yes they came up with those names on their own. The focus of math this week has been coins and money. All of the campers really enjoyed making their own coins! In reading, both groups have started at book 1 in the Wilson Reading System (WRS). Basically, that means CVC words,

digraphs, and the "am," "an," & "all" word families.  We have also discussed bonus letters. Bonus letters are added to the end of single syllable words that end in "f" "l" or "s." For example "hil" is spelled "hill" because there is only one vowel in the word and it ends in an "l," so we add a bonus "l" to the end of the word. 

However, we do not tap bonus letters, so we put a star over them to remind us not to tap out those letters. 

Next week the Thunderbolts will get more in depth with book one in the WRS, and the Tigers will move on to book 2. Math next week will be all about place value, number sense and time. 

Be sure to check the blog regularly over the summer for details about what we are doing, and also for tips on how to help your students at home. I'm looking forward to a great summer in CAMP! 

Last Days of School!

We have grown so much this year! 

Word Cards and Marking Syllables

We have been spending quite a bit of time on multiple syllabic-closed and vowel-consonant-e syllables. 

This shows an example of how syllable types are segmented and marked. Knowing how to segment words is very empowering because it allows students to decode some very sophisticated and long words.

We have spent quite a bit of time this year on closed syllables. When tapping closed syllables the vowel always makes the short sound.

We also learned that when a multisyllabic word ends in the /k/ sound is is spelled with "ic." Recall that single syllable words ending in /k/ immediately after the vowel sound are spelled with the digraph "ck."









We have also started learning about v-c-e syllables, or "silent e words." An activity we have been working on during the word card step of our lesson is creating our own cards. the vowels are written in red making is easy to see how to segment words with scissors. Once words are segmented into syllables, the syllables can be combined with syllables from other words.

Segmenting syllables and creating new words with syllables allows students to use higher order thinking skills and gives them power over words; a very empowering deed for students who are used to having written words have power over them. 

Explaining how to recognize long vowels in vce words

We have guest bloggers today! Our class explains how to recognize, read, and spell words with long vowels.
   

Our class at Spring Arbor Retirement Home for a shared reading day. 

WRS 4.1-4.2

Happy May! We are coming down to the home stretch here at school, but we still have a lot of learning and fun planned for the month of May!

We started Wilson 4.1 last week, and we will continue with 4.2 this week. The big difference with step 4 of Wilson is the introduction of long vowels. As this point, our class has learned v-e syllables such as hope, note, etc. 

The following are a few sentences for WRS 4.1 and 4.2

• I like the tune that Kate will sing.
• I left the bone on my plate. 
• I will trade this packet of gum. 
• The wise king sat on his throne.
• I had the best grade in the math class. I think there is a snake in that hole. 
• Dave was late for the dentist. 
• I hope I have a packet of gum. 
• Dad told a joke that made us smile. 
• Get the tickets for the basketball game. 
• Did the pup choke on that bone? 
• The bride had a fine time. 
• Go to the cave next to the lake. 
• We will slide and then skate. 
• Dave will get the trombone in June. 
• The red rug is in the basement. 
• It is unsafe to cross the path. 
• I like springtime the best! 

Understanding Schwa

What is schwa? When a vowel in the second syllable of a word makes an unexpected sound, it is usually a schwa. The schwa is closely related to the short /u/ sound as in wagon. some other schwa words are tendon, model, atlas, seldom, custom, pivot, canvas, sandal, novel, chapel, anthem, etc.