Hi Families,
Please see the additional blog notes regarding Family Literacy Day and Valentine's Day.
This week we added some new learning to our Literacy routines: using Elkonin Boxes to track how many sounds are in words when we stretch them out, and the Montessori Pink Boxes for connecting sounds to letters in consonant-vowel-consonant patterned words.
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| Elkonin boxes are a teaching tool that helps readers learn to break down words into their component sounds. There are many themed variations available, but this version allows the student to move a dot into each box as they hear a sound. If you'd like to try at home, we've been using this virtual model: https://toytheater.com/elkonin-boxes/ |
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| Each Pink Box contains either objects or images representing a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) word. |
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| Students stretch out the word to identify all three sounds, and search for the letter within the Moveable Alphabet, which is organized alphabetically, so students practice personal strategies to locate the letter pieces. |
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| Paired with the Moveable Alphabet, students are exposed to early identification of vowels and consonants, ensuring that each word has a vowel in the middle. |
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| Students practice directionality of print as they create a label for the object or image. |
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| The Moveable Alphabet supports risk-taking, as any errors can easily be flipped, turned or replaced. |
In Math this week, we continued creating number lines, as well as exploring a thinking routine that develops our mathematical reasoning called "Which One Doesn't Belong?"
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| Students worked in small groups to create a number line out of cards. One student removed a card and mixed up the remaining ones. The other student had to determine which card was missing, by applying their sense of number order. |
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| Comparing groups of items looking at similarities and differences supports vocabulary and reasoning. |
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| The great thing about this routine is that there are no wrong answers, as long as the student's reasoning is true. |
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| The focus is not on the answer, but on the student being able to communicate their reasoning/justification of their choice. |
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| Each routine allows opportunities to teach, practice and transfer different vocabulary. Try some of the ones above with your child, they've been introduced in class this week.
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We were very excited to practice presenting our All About Me posters to our class during Sharing Circle. What a risk-taking opportunity for the kiddos! Each student willingly stood to present their poster, speaking to each of the images, and adding detail to enrich their presentation. During our first practice, they were supported by guided questions from the teacher, but by the second practice, they had already built their confidence to navigate their full presentation independently. We can't wait to record next week!
Finally, we ended our week with another Guided Drawing. Students were challenged not only with a more complex drawing in terms of spatial awareness, line types and size, but also by adding double labels! Our "Rat in a Hat" allowed us to start applying graphemes (letters) to our phonemes (sounds), as we noticed which letters made the rhyming part of the words, making spelling the second word easier.
Beautiful, specific compliments were shared as students are becoming keen observers about what makes each drawing unique, from the size of the rat's snout, the curve of the mouth or the placement of the eye.
Reminders:
- Monday, January 31st: Non Instructional Day. No school for students.
- Tuesday, February 1st: Report cards available through PowerSchool. No paper copies sent home.
- Friday, February 4th: PM Kindergarten.
- Friday, February 11th: AM Kindergarten.
- Thursday, February 17th: Teacher's Convention. No school for students.
- Friday, February 18th: Teacher's Convention. No school for students.
- Monday, February 21st: Family Day Holiday. School closed.
- Friday, February 25th: PM Kindergarten
Have a wonderful weekend everyone! See everyone on TUESDAY!
Ms. Thomas
