Classroom Environment and Vocabulary
     Your child will be bringing home some new words that we use in our classroom on a daily basis.  To help you know what these words mean to your child, I have listed their definitions as follows:

Centers:  These are a variety of projects that revolve around the concepts we are studying.  The projects involve phonetic activities, listening, writing, reading, etc...   Students are required to complete several projects each week during our working time.  There are a variety of projects each week and they can choose which ones they would like to work on during the days.

Discovery Time:  Upon completion of their centers the children are free to choose a “discovery area”.  These areas around the room provide a variety of hands on learning activities to build social skills and reinforce concepts we are studying.                       

Journals:  Each morning upon entering the classroom we have our  writing time.  During this time the children have 25 minutes to write in their journals or use writing skills in various other forms such as cards, posters, etc...  Sometimes the writing is directed to reflect a story we have read or some days we have free writing when the children can write and draw whatever they would like.  The first quarter many children will use their journals to draw pictures or copy words from around the room.  By the second quarter they are copying and approaching independent writing with more complete sentences and are beginning to understand that words give meaning to their pictures.  The third quarter will find some students are doing their own “inventive spelling”, where they start to write words and sentences on their own by sounding them out.  The words may not be spelled correctly but they are using the skills we are working toward.  By the fourth quarter the children are often writing sentences and stories incorporating sight words and writing concepts we have learned. The journals will reflect your child’s writing progress throughout the school year and are a wonderful keepsake and review of what they have learned.

Portfolios:  Your child’s portfolio is a collection of work samples either your child or I am proud of.  Just as an adult may have samples of their best work to show to an employer, so to does your child showcase their best work.  Each sample is dated before it is added to the collection so that growth may be documented.  The samples are also used as evaluation tools as much as possible.  This cuts down on added testing and gives us a truer picture of your child’s capabilities in an everyday situation.  You are welcome to view your child’s portfolio and journal any time during the year.  Both of these will be available for viewing at our conference times.  These collections will go home with your child at the end of the school year. 

Friday Folders:   Each Friday during the school year I will be sending home a yellow folder with information and projects your child has completed and goals they are working toward.  On the left side of the folder is a parent/ teacher comment sheet.  I will be writing notes or comments to you about how your child’s week went.  If you have comments or questions, would you please sign the response side and write back to me.  This is a great way to keep in touch with each other and I appreciate the feedback. There may also be homework assignments in these folders for you to do together as a family.  Please take the time to look through the Friday Folder each weekend. These folders are due back each Monday of school.

Guided Reading Folders:  In our Literacy program, I use a technique called Guided Reading.  During our weekly sessions, I work with small groups of children on books that are designed for their level of reading.  We introduce and use a variety of “tricky word tricks” or strategies to decode the text.  After each lesson your child will be allowed to take home their book and read it to their family.  I will send these books home in a guided reading folder each Friday (along with the Friday Folder).  Please have your child read the book to you and others and help them along with the tricky word tricks on the back of the folder. Then take the time to record, on the reading log, which book they read and note the strategies they used. The more they read the better readers they become!!  Each Monday these folders and books will need to be returned so that another reader can use them.  At first the books will be of the wordless variety and the children will tell you the story using the pictures as guides. As each child is ready, more difficult books will come home with them.

Bag Books:  Because I feel it is important for children to be read to each day, I offer a collection of my own books for students to take home each evening.  These “bag books” are selected by the children and are not books most children can read independently.  Each day your child will be allowed to check out one bag book.  Upon its return they may select another.  By recording the books you have read on the "Dive into Learning" book log sheets, you can help your child meet their reading goal of 5 books per week.

Shoebox Library:  Often times parents ask where they can obtain books written for their child's reading level that they can read independently.  In our classroom work we use many such books and I often make copies for the students to keep to read at home.  To help keep these books handy for your child’s reading I am sending home a Shoebox Library for you to keep at home next to your child’s bed.  Each time they bring home a shoe box library book they can add it to their collection.  These books incorporate many of the Kindergarten sight words in context.  The more often they pull out these books at home and read them to you the better readers they will become.  These books do not need to be returned.  They are for your child to keep and practice.