Summer Time Reading and Writing

This summer it's so important to keep up the great writing and reading that we've been doing in SK.  If you start off fitting it into your summer routine, it won't be hard and your child will be ready for next school year. 

I thought I'd give you a few ideas to get your started.

 Writing:

• Writing in the summer journal is a must.  We expect your child to write at least 10 journal entries throughout the summer.  Currently, we are writing 3 sentences and are focusing on beginning a sentence with an upper case letter and using lower case letters correctly.  If you need a new journal this summer, please let me know and I'll make sure you get one.
• Send post cards from vacation!  This is a perfect way to say Hi and practice writing.
• Have your child write the grocery list for you.  This will also keep them entertained while shopping.
• Make a summer scrap book.  Print out pictures from your summer adventures and let your child write about them.  You could also add pictures to the summer journal too!

Reading:
I talked to the kids about being read to and reading to others.  Chose a favorite book from your childhood to read this summer.  Make sure they are also reading to you.

• The public library is a good place to get early readers.  Usually they have a great summer reading program that encourages reading and gives fun prizes.
• Use the new highligter that they brought home to find high frequency words, blends, and digraphs in old magazines and newspapers.
• For those that are really jumping into reading, help your child read menus and signs.  Words are everywhere!

Some favorite books for beginning readers:  As I tell the kids, reading should be fun and easy.  If they are struggling or frustrated, try something different or have your child just read the HFW and you can read the rest of the story.

• Dr. Seuss (the easy to read ones) 
• Bob Books are a good place to start and you can check them out of the library
• Eric Carle has many repetitive books that are great
• Mo Willems Elephant and Piggie books 
• Mercy Watson - this is a little more advanced, but great stories

On-Line resources

• Starfall is a great website with reading, word family, and silent E games.
• Reading Rockets is a great parent website that has good ideas, app lists, and information for supporting young readers.

At the Chair Wash!

We splished and splashed while scrubbing the chairs clean!

Going for the Gold!

 Team Brilliant Bugs!

 The opening ceremonies.  Sam was chosen as our representative.

 Yes, Mr. Surber is wearing a toga!

 Pre-Olympic dance party.  Look at Mrs. Beaumont getting down!!

 Millie helps get the games started with the SK race across the gym.  On your mark, get set, go!!

 The Hula Hoop Loop.  You pass the hula hoop from person to person without dropping hands.

 Passing the ball under, over, under, over...

 The most exciting event....the shoe kick!

Ah, the sweet taste of victory!

Seriously, everyone had so much fun working, playing, and cheering together.   The Bugs are a good team!

Workshop Rundown: 5/13

 We are finishing the year with our last tapestry - this one is bug-themed!  Based on the book Bugs in a Blanket, everyone made a unique bug.  It's turning out so super cute!

 What fun it was to write a bug-themed comic strip.  I've noticed that a lot of kids were checking out graphic novels during library and they were very interested in them.  To get ready to write our own, we read a lot of graphic novels written for kids and books that use speech bubbles to tell stories, like Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  We talked about how both stories and what the characters say tell a story and how to write and draw the speech bubbles.

The gender differences really came out in the stories!  All of the girl's comics are sweet about love, marriage, and friendship.  The boys have some fighting and challenges going on in them. 

 Everyone had fun illustrating the bug opposite book.

A lot of time recently has been spent on consonant blends.  In the Blends Book, the kids chose a few favorite blends and wrote a word and illustration to represent the blend.

We reflected on the year with a Memory Page for our journals.  We learned a lot in SK this year!

Fun in the Lunchroom!

 Yum yum!  Chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, and carrots for lunch! 

 Sitting with our 3rd grade Reading Buddies was cool!

Happy Mother's Day!

BUGZ!

A few fun pictures from our recent performance of BUGZ!