Room 7 News
Joseph Azevada Elementary School
February 2007
What's
New This Month . . .
This month we will begin to really focus on
writing a paragraph. Wow, I did say a paragraph! By the end
of first grade children are expected to write a simple paragraph describing
an object or a personal event. It may sound like a lot to expect,
but you will be surprised at how well the children learn this new skill.
We have also begun to monitor how many words your child can read aloud
in one minute. This is referred to as fluency, which basically is
reading aloud in a natural manner that sounds like normal speech.
By the end of this report card period your child should be reading about
45 words per minute. (Correction: The half sheet note that was sent
home with the progress reports stated that the children should read 35
words by the end of this report period. It should have read 45 words
per minute.)
Valentine's Day Party
We will be having a Valentine's Day Party on
Wednesday, February 14. This is also a short day as we will be released
at 1:15. If you are able to bring/donate an item for our party please
call me, send a note, or email me. Your child is welcome to bring
valentine cards to pass out to the class. There are 18 students in
our class. Please have your child fill in their names only , do
not address each valentine.
Homework
We have begun weekly spelling tests.
Your child will receive the list in their homework on Monday and the final
test will be on Friday. Your child will bring home their spelling
book for you to review after it has been corrected. Please sign
and return the book as soon as possible.
Homework is intended for you to do with your child nightly. Please
continue to practice the flash cards and read the mini books with your
child nightly. If mini book logs are not signed then I assume that
your child has not done the week's reading. Therefore your child's
homework is incomplete and they will not receive a sticker on the homework
chart. These packets are reviewed by me and they are only returned
to you if they are incomplete or incorrect. Please remind your child
that it is their responsibility to turn in their homework every Friday
morning.
AR Questions
We have begun a new Accelerated Reader session.
All the students were sent their new goals last week. If you have
any questions please do not hesitate to contact me. Children are
allowed to bring their library books home to read at this time in the year.
They must be responsible to bring their books back the next day, as we
read them in class daily. Our library has also extended hours on
Thursday until 3:30, if you would like to bring your child in to read or
take an AR quiz.
Parent
Involvement
A big thank you to Mrs. Smith who tore
out and stapled many mini books for our class.
Homework Tips
-
Mini books should be read nightly. In
addition to the assigned mini book it is a good idea to reread old mini
books. If the mini books seem to be too difficult for your child,
help them read it and then practice another mini book that they are more
comfortable with. It is best to read with your child at least 20
minutes a night. That 20 minutes can be a combination of them reading
to you and you reading to them.
-
Your child has memorized a flash card when they
can say the word or answer in 3 seconds or less.
How is my child doing?
If you every have any questions about your
child's progress please do not hesitate to call or email me.
But, here are a few ways to do a quick check
at home.
1. Look through their S.T.A.R. binders for
completed work or unfinished work.
2. Are they able to read the current mini
book at the good or super level?
3. Can they count by 5's and 2's?
4. They are able to read their flash cards
without hesitation.
Check out our class web site!
http://everyschool.org/u/azevada/dnite/home.html
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