The children have been learning about switch partners and building teen numbers! We created sums of 5 and the children noticed that sometimes, the numbers are the same but in a different order. When this happens, the sum stays the same. We call these numbers switch partners. Every day, we add a red counter to our 10-frame (see picture below) and practice writing the addition equation with switch partners (red + blue and blue + red).
The children have also been working hard on building teen numbers. As we created teen numbers with a 10-frame, the children noticed that all of the numbers have 1 full 10-frame, or a group of 10. They also noticed the number in the other frame corresponds to the number in the ones place! We've been using 2 ten-frames to show teen numbers as a group of 10 and some more, writing addition equations to match, and singing songs about teen numbers!
The children have been working on writing personal narratives, or in other words, stories from their own lives. They learned that writers:
- tell and show WHO is in their story.
- tell and show WHERE their story is happening.
- write their story in the order it happened.
- add more by telling their thinking and feelings.
- add more by including what people said.
Highlights from Reading:
The students have been learning about ALL THREE key components to reading: decoding (reading the words accurately), fluency (reading with appropriate phrasing and speed), and comprehension (understanding what you read).
Decoding: Good readers:
- Ask themselves if what they're reading LOOKS RIGHT, SOUNDS RIGHT, and MAKES SENSE.
- Go back and reread to get a "running start," then make the first sound and see what "pops" into their mind. (aka "Try a popper.")
Fluency: Good readers:
- Look at punctuation marks (. ? !) and change their voice accordingly.
- Recognize when they see a pattern in a text and read those words in phrases, not word by word.
- Listen to themselves as they read and make sure they are not reading too quickly or too slowly.
Comprehension: Good readers THINK about what they read!
- Stop and think about what the WHOLE BOOK is about (main idea).
- Retell the book across your hand by touching each finger (retelling and sequencing events).
- Make a meaningful text to self connection (Does this remind me of something that happened to me?).... AND/OR
- Make a meaningful text to text connection. (What other book does this remind me of?)