A beautiful scene from our field trip at MassMoCA!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! There are many busy weeks ahead here at Emma Miller Elementary! Mrs. Tierney will keep everyone updated on any events and happenings school wide, so please remember to read her weekly Family Focus. Even though it's a fun and busy time of year, we will still be learning many new skills in first and second grade!

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at kwells@savoyelementary.com

First Grade skills:

Students will be focusing on different strategies for adding and subtracting numbers within 20, such as using a number line, using manipulatives like base ten blocks, and drawing pictures.

Second Grade skills:

Students will begin adding and subtracting within 100, including regrouping, using different strategies such as an open number line, base ten blocks, using place value, and the standard algorithm ("borrowing/carrying). Students will also begin to learn about rounding to the nearest ten and hundred.

Both grades:

Students will also continue to work on solving tricky word problems using critical thinking. We foster this type of thinking using what we call "Pepper Tasks", which fosters our goal of Building Thinking Classrooms. There are many ways you can help build your child's problem solving skills by talking about math at home. Making up simple word problems using everyday situations is easier than it sounds!

Below are a couple of great sites loaded with simple ideas and ways you can incorporate math at home to boost your child's math skills. Bonus- kids tend to enjoy math challenges if presented in a fun (and sometimes competitive) way. It often can lead to further inquiry and great discussions!

Reading groups in our classroom are fluid and often students will work on skills/topics with one group, and work on different skills with another group. All students are currently working on decoding skills at their level. I have started sending home decodable passages for students to practice at home. Students can earn a "Bear Buck" if they read it out loud to someone 5 times and color in a star after each reading. The kids are always game for earning Bear Bucks, and students gain confidence and feel proud to be able to read something on their own to someone.

Decodable simply means that students have learned the letter patterns and sounds of most of the words in the passage, and can "sound it out" or decode the text. If students struggle with a word we encourage them to "tap out" the sounds on their fingers because this tactile approach helps them hear the sounds clearly. All students in the class know how to tap out the sounds, as we do this method everyday when learning new letter patterns.

We are also learning about nouns, plural nouns, and possessive nouns. They have been doing great with these tricky skills! We will be learning about verbs next.

As always, I encourage you to read with your child for pleasure at home as well!

Below are some good websites with lots of ideas for helping your child read at home.

In our classroom, I strongly encourage students to be independent learners. That is not to say we won't help a student who is truly struggling with a skill or concept, but if it is a skill or activity I feel they can do themselves, with some perseverance, I will often try to let them work it out. Most of the time they prevail, and the confidence and pride that comes with that success cannot be duplicated by relying on someone else's help to complete it. It's very powerful! I have attached some ways we can encourage students to build independence skills, and why they are so important! Interesting reads for sure!

Plus another shoe tying video... 😉