Dear Families,
Happy Labor Day! I hope you are enjoying this 3 day weekend! Because it's a short week, our spelling packet will not be due until Monday, a week from today. If it is taking your child more than 15 minutes to complete written work, I suggest you set a timer and a goal. For example, if your First Grader completes his or her work in a set amount of time, they put a sticker on a chart. After a certain number of stickers, a celebration can occur (baking cookies, going to a park, playing a board game, etc.). Our students are super smart and very capable of completing quality work in a timely manner.
Since the beginning of the school year, we have been working on conservation of number, a concept that can be quite challenging. Our math test last Friday showed me that some students are still having trouble with this. In a nutshell, it means "putting a number in your head" and counting on. If I see 3 flowers and the total is 6, I need to be able to determine the missing part of the equation. If your child is having trouble, can you please practice at home? If you have pennies or other small items, you can put some of them in a cup and some out of the cup. Your child can put the amount that they see "in their head" and count on to determine the amount in the cup. You can start with 5 and add more as mastery is reached. We will continue these games at school as well.
As always, please contact me with any questions, suggestions, or comments.
Hope you all have a very nice week!
For the Children,
Gretchen Farris