Title Time

Hi Families,

You may have noticed your child occasionally flipping their letters, like writing a b instead of a d. This is a completely normal part of learning to read and write! In our world, most things (like a spoon) stay the same regardless of which way they face, so it takes a little time for young brains to learn that direction matters for letters.

We use our hands to make the shape of a bed to remember which way "b" and "d" go.

Notice how our lips make a straight line for /b/ (like the line in the letter) but stay open for /d/!

Check out the posters below. The letter b starts like a bat, then a ball. The letter d starts with a “c” to make a “d”. Students form the letter c first.

This game from the Mind Research Institute encourages students to add two groups of numbers to help the penguin. You can encourage your children to count and add at home during snack time. Here are some questions to ask:

• How many fruit snacks are in the package? Can you count them?
• How many of them are red?
• How many are green?
• Could you add the green and red together? How many do you have altogether?

First Grade has been building on their understanding of ten. They are adding numbers within 100. The main focus is adding multiples of ten. Here are some example problems.

• 12 + 10
• 10 + 32
• 20 + 15

You can make this a fun game of I have, I need.

Tell your children that you want to make 100 but you only have 80. How many do I need?

The game continues with multiples of ten.

I have 70, I need ____

I have 60, I need ____

I have 50, I need ____.

Ask your child to lead the game and see if they can "stump" you.

Here are some more challenging questions when you are ready. I want to make 100.

I have 99, I need ____

I have 89, I need ____

I have 79, I need ____

Try and create patterns to make the "math" easy in your head. Talk about the pattern with your child. Did they notice what was changing? Can they lead the game with a pattern?

Chutes and Ladders is a great way to practice counting to 100 without doing the math in your head. Play this game with a little more focus on math skills just by asking before, during and after questions.

Before: If you student is on number one and the next ladder is at six. Ask, "What number do you want to spin in order to climb the ladder?"

During: Your student spun the number six. They began on space ten. Ask them the equation that landed them on space 16. Practice saying, "I know that I landed on the correct spot because 10 +6 = 16.

After: Prepare for the next play. Who is currently in the lead? How many more spaces do you need to reach the 100 spot?

Second grade is working with measuring length and using units like inches and centimeters. You can expand this learning at home by focusing on all things around the home that need to be measured. Begin talking about units without numbers. Is a mile larger than an inch? The relative size of the units is important. This attention to detail and use of the math vocabulary from the classroom is essential.

Watching March Madness is a great way to talk about math in the real world! Talk about the size of the court or the height of the players. Watching any basketball game is full of opportunities to explore math. How many more points does the winning team have? Does the opposing team need to score some three-point shots to keep up? What is the difference?

Thank you for checking out our reading and math activities for home! Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Title Reading - Mandy Applegate - mapplegate@warrensburgr6.org

Title Math - Kate Brown - kbrown@warrensburgr6.org