Snowy the snowman

Billy and I worked hard out in the cold to build the new addition to our family. We also worked hard to pick out a name...Snowy. This week in class we will read some books about snow. The Snowy Day and The Abominable Snow Teacher are on the agenda. After reading, we are going to write stories about our own snow adventures. I can't wait to read yours!

Telling Time

We have been learning to tell time. Please practice this skill at home, at church, at Wal-mart, in the car or where ever you are. The key to students learning to tell time is PRACTICE! In class, I emphasize that "little brother" (hour) goes first, and "big brother" has to go last (but, he knows the secret numbers!). Whether you have a digital clock or an analog clock, please practice with your child. It will make a difference. You can even discuss elapsed time. Feel free to contact me about other ways to practice telling time with your child.

Treats for Troops

We don't exchange gifts at school, but I do like for the students to participate in a project each year to make the holidays brighter for someone else. In the past we have made cards for the patients of St. Jude's hospital and collected toiletries for the local shelter. This year our project is called "Treats for Troops". We will be collecting items and placing them under our Christmas tree until we send them to a group of troops. We will collect until December 9. The students will decorate "gift bags" that will eventually contain the treats. You can view a full article of troop requests at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/57538/care_packages_for_soldiers_in_iraq.html?cat=23 Please participate if you can.
(As some of you know, my brother-in-law was recently deployed. These treats will NOT be sent to him. The treats we collect will be sent to different troops in a different location.)

Thanksgiving Thought

"The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving."-- H. U. Westermayer

Phonics Fun!

If you are keeping up with our phonics progress through kidmail, then you know that we have covered many letter patterns. Next week we'll learn our second long e pattern. Before we get into that, I want to make sure you're up to date with what we have covered. Students should be able to sound out words with the following patterns (an example is after each one): a_e cake, al walk, -ck back, e_e Pete, i_e kite, gi giraffe, ge page, o_e code, ce race, ci cite, cy cycle, sh ship, th this or thin, u_e mule, wh whale, s as /z/ boys. The students have learned so much! We have over 40 more to learn!

Bazillions of Books

Maybe a bazillion is NOT a number, but one this IS for sure: There will be lots of great books at the book fair next week. They are even setting up a bargain table! Who doesn't love a bargain? This may even be the time to get some Christmas gifts. A book makes the perfect Christmas gift.
The book fair will be open during selected hours from November 9 until noon on November 13. Our class will be allowed to visit and purchase books during our library time on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Subtraction Skills

Our students have some super subtraction skills! We have been working on subtraction for a week now and the students seem to be really comfortable subtracting. Remember, at school we use the "elevator strategy". We start at the smallest number and count UP to the larger number. As we count, we put up one finger for each number. The number of fingers up when we get to the larger number is the answer! Easy! I tell the students if you can count and if you have fingers, you can subtract! If you have any questions about this strategy do NOT hesitate to ask.