Week 29: 03/23- 03/27 (Remote Learning)

Wow, what a whirlwind the last couple of weeks have been. I know these circumstances are not ideal but I am glad we are all in this together, doing our part! 

We are good here in the Howard household, doing our best to stay busy, healthy and positive. Here's some fun we had during Spring Break. 

Feeding the burros in Oatman. 

Eating WAY too much ice-cream. 

We officially entered the stage where "I can do it by myself" applies to everything, even picking out clothes :) 

And Harper had her first limo ride to celebrate her Papa's birthday!

The classroom may look more like your dining room table this week and for that we appreciate your ability to be flexible. You should have received an email on Friday with instructions on how to get your child's remote learning packet. If you did not, please reach out to me so I can make sure you have what you need to complete the work for this week.

Here's a look at what you will be doing this week:

Spalding: We will continue to review all phonograms . Our spelling words this week will all be review starting at the beginning of our spelling list. Each day students will practice 5 phonograms and 2 spelling words. We are keeping it light for the time being to get back into the swing of things. 

Sight Words:  We have now learned all the sight word lists we will teach in kindergarten! Each day students will practice a list 1-5 before they complete their daily reading.

Literature: This week our story will be Mouse Soup. You each should have a copy at home with your classics to keep. If not there is an uploaded version on the remote learning packet website. We will discuss the problem and solution of the story and observe how the mouse outsmarts the tricky weasel. Our poem will be the Muffin Man.  

Math:  This week we will finish our unit on counting back and review some topics from the third quarter.  We will work on subtracting with a number line, number bonds, and addition/ counting on.  We will also begin a math program called Rocket Math.  Students will be timed and asked to answer addition or subtract sentences in that time frame.  We recommend that you review these when they are sent home and work with your child on any math facts that they are struggling with.

History and Geography: We will begin a unit on the continent of Asia this week! Students will learn that it is the largest of the seven continents. We will explore the country of China as well as what a Chinese character is. We will talk about many Asian animals and will focus specifically on Asian elephants this week. *Note completing history is optional for half-day students, full-day students will be expected to complete these assignments. 

And here's some cuteness I saved from before we left for Spring Break.

Congratulations to our February Virtue Award winner, Emma! Way to exemplify the virtue of Friendship.

Practicing our spelling words and reading Mike Mulligan!

Volunteer Breakfast (THANK YOU!)

Please join us on Friday, March 27th from 7:50-9:50 am in the MPR for a catered breakfast and coffee bar as the Arete staff and teachers say thank you for your contributions to our community. RSVP Here, can't wait to see you there! 

Week 28: 03/02- 03/06

Can you believe just one short week separates us from Spring Break?
Harper and I are ready for a week of R&R.

 Here is what we have going on this week.

Spalding: We will learn our last three phonograms ti (cue: tall), si, ci (cue:short). We now know 70 phonograms!  Please be sure that you are also going back to the alphabet and reviewing the first 26 phonograms, especially all of the vowel sounds. Our words this week will be: your, out, time, may, into, him, today, look, did, like.

Sight Words: We will introduce our last and final list, 10, the words are:  long, down, day, did, get, come made, many, part, over. We have now taught 100 sight words! Look for the list to be added to your child’s sight word ring by the end of the week. 

Literature: This week’s story will be Mike Mulligan.  Students may bring in their copy of Mike Mulligan on Monday. Please hold off on reading the story ahead of time, we would like to enjoy the story for the first time as a class family. We will explore the importance of hard work and discuss the virtues Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne display. Our poem will be I’m a Little Teapot. 

Math:This week we will continue our unit on subtraction. We will focus on teaching your scholar how subtraction is a whole minus a part. This will be demonstrated through number bonds, and various tangible examples. In the afternoon we will continue working on subtraction through fun games such as “Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar”!

Science: This week we will be learning all about frogs! We will begin the week by focusing on the lifecycle of a frog and how it grows from egg to tadpole, and tadpole to frog. We will talk about the parts of a frog as well as what an amphibian is. Students will create a mini booklet to share about the lifecycle and they will make their very own frog mask with a fun tongue!

We had a lot of fun last week making bread! We worked together and it turned out awesome :) 

Week 27: 02/24-02/28

Hello Families, 

This week was quick! A Scholastic book order will be sent home tomorrow in your child's green folder. Feel free to order from the flyer or submit your order online at https://clubs.scholastic.com, using our class code, NBNHM. 

Chargers Spring Fest is next Saturday, hope to see you all there! 

Here's what we are doing next week:

Spalding: We are so close to learning all of our phonograms, this week we will learn ei and eigh. To ensure readiness for 1st grade we are increasing our weekly spelling words to 10. Our words will be: ago, old, bad, red, of, be, but, this, all, you. As we increase in difficulty it is imperative that you are assisting your child with their homework and checking for accuracy. Thank you for your support!

Sight Words: This week will we will introduce list 9; find, now, oil, who, call, been, water, first, than, my.  Look for it to be added to your child’s sight word lists next week. 

Literature: Our story for this week will be The Little Red Hen. We will discuss the importance of hard work and working together. In the afternoon we will channel our inner Red Hen and make bread!  We will spend some time working on rhyming words and beginning, middle, and end sounds. Our poem will be At the Seaside.

Math: We will begin learning subtraction this week. Students will explore subtraction problems through a variety of manipulatives, pictorial representations, and word problems. They will learn new math vocabulary as well as learn that the “-“ symbol means to “take away”. They will also be able to read subtraction problems in vertical and horizontal format.

History: We are continuing our unit on the Presidents of the United States this week. We will learn a cute song to learn the names of the presidents. Students will be introduced to Thomas Jefferson and they will discover that he helped write the Declaration of Independence. We will learn that Abraham Lincoln was the 16^th president and that he helped free the slaves in America and that Teddy Roosevelt won a Nobel Peace Prize. We will end the week by learning about our current President, Donald Trump.  

Playing number bingo with Fruit Loops as our place markers.

This week students learned how to putt in PE. 

 We let our butterfly friends go today, they couldn't wait to get into the wild world. 

Week 26: 02/18-02/21

Happy Monday, 

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend, I know we did and took full advantage of it! 

Here's a look at our week ahead:

Spalding: We are so close to learning all of the phonograms we will learn for kindergarten. This week we will learn one new phonogram, dge (cue: three letter).  Since we had so many words last week that were a bit more demanding we will be reviewing these words again next week.  They are time, have, blue, chance, charge, little, are. 

Sight Words:Thank you for review sight words with your child nightly. This week we will introduce lists 8, the words are; people, could, way, no, number, see, go, write, more, two. 

Literature: Our story this week will be "The Ugly Duckling.” We will use this story and the story “Chrysanthemum” to discuss the importance of accepting others and appreciating our differences. Our poem will be Simple Simon.

Math: This week in math we will practice addition through counting on. An example problem might include the equation 3+2=? and a number line. They would start at the number 3 on the number line, then count two more numbers saying “4, 5”. They would then know that 3+2=5. On Friday, we will have an assessment on addition and counting on.

History: This week in History we will begin our unit on American Presidents. We will start our journey by discussing what a leader is and the characteristics they should exhibit. We will then chat about the duties of the President. with the first president of the United States, George Washington. Students will learn about honesty by listening to the story of George Washington’s life and the tale of the cherry tree.

Looks like your kiddos had a blast on Great Hearts Day celebrating friendship! Thank you class moms for your hard work and everyone who donated goodies! 

Week 25: 02/10-02/14

Good Afternoon, 

What a cold week we've had, I am ready for spring any time now! Friendly reminder, there is NO SCHOOL tomorrow, enjoy your long weekend :) Great Hearts day is next Friday 02/14, the Class Mom's are hard at work to make this day special for our class. See previous blog post for our day of friendship guidelines. 

Congratulations to our Humility Virtue winner, Bennett, way to spread virtue in our classroom!

Here's a look at our next week. 

Spalding: This week there will be no new phonograms so that we can focus on our spelling words which will introduce all the jobs of silent final e. 

time-job 1- the silent “e” jumps over a consonant to tell the vowel to say its name.  (most common)

have- (the “e” is double underlined and has a 2 next to it).  job 2- English words don’t end in v.

blue-(the “e” is double underlined and has a 2 next to it).  job 2- English words don’t end in u. 

chance- (the “e” is double underlined and has a 3 next to it). job 3- Anytime a “c” is followed by an “e” at the end of a word, it will make the second sound. 

charge-(the “e” is double underlined and has a 3 next to it).  job 3- Anytime a “g” is followed by an “e” at the end of a word, it will make the second sound. 

lit  tle (the “e” is double underlined and has a 4 next to it).  job 4- every syllable must have a vowel. Syllables are separated in Spalding.

are- (the “e” is double underlined and has a 5 next to it).  job 5- no job.

Sight Words: This week we will introduce list 7. The words are: look, has, time, into, him, like, make, would, her, some.

Literature: This upcoming week, we will be reading Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We will explore the elements of a fairy tale and read versions of Snow White from around the world. Our Poem will be One, Two Buckle My Shoe.

Math: This week in math we will begin addition! We will explore simple addition problems by using number bond mats and unifix cubes to help us visually understand written problems. We will learn a few math vocabulary terms (plus, equal) as well as what the “+” and “=” symbols represent.

History: This week we are learning all about our own state; Arizona! We will find Arizona on the map and discuss our state’s history. Students will be able to name our state bird and flower as well as identify our flag. We will learn more about the desert climate, especially the Sonoran Desert’s animals and plants.  We will discover interesting facts about the Saguaro cactus and the animals that call one their home.

I slacked on pictures this week, but here are the few I got :)

Week 24: 02/03-02/07

A couple things for next week. Class picture day is Tuesday 02/04. Look for the order forms in your child's green folder. There will be no school Friday 02/07 for a staff professional development day. Thank you for your support in our continued education. 

And here's a look at what will be learning:

Spalding: This week we will learn two new phonograms; ie, wr. We will have three new spelling words and two words as review. Our words will be us, am, good, you, now. 

Sight Words: We will review list 6 this week then continue to add on new lists next week with the goal of knowing 100 sight words by the end of kindergarten. 

Literature: We will round out our unit on Mr. Popper’s Penguins this week. We will be sad to see the penguins go but excited to see how the story ends. Students will write postcards to Mr. Popper’s and the penguins to say good-bye. Our Poem will be Tommy Tucker.

Math: This week we will continue learning about number bonds. Number bonds are a visual way to explain the relationship between a number and the parts that combine to make it. Throughout the week we will use number bond mats and manipulatives, such as unifix cubes, bean bags, dice etc. to explore number bonds for numbers up to 10. On Thursday we will be take an assessment.

Science: It’s butterfly week! Our class will receive our very own live caterpillars! Scholars will observe the little caterpillars daily and keep track of their growth. We will learn all about the lifecycle of a butterfly, the parts of a butterfly and how they eat. At the end of the week, the kids will use different kinds of pasta to depict the lifecycle. As the caterpillars eat and grow they will soon go into their chrysalis and emerge as butterflies!

Wow, Field day was a BLAST, I came home exhausted, hopefully your kiddo did too! We competed in tug-of-war, bean bag shot-put, scooter chariot races, a baton race and a short relay race. Thank to our volunteers and snack donations. Now here's some fun pictures from our day :)