exercising...mind and body...

The routines of our first grade classroom are becoming more routine, and with two units of math and reading study under our belt, many of you are beginning to ask what you can be working on at home with your first grader. Of course I am going to say RAZzle Dazzle! Give RAZ a try! Daily reading is also of most importance. Make it fun and interesting. You read a page, your child read a page. Start a chapter book and read a chapter a night with your child. Read a non-fiction book. Have your child read to his/her pet. Remember that even if your child has memorized the book, they are still gaining practice with sight words, letter sounds, and fluency by reading it again with finger pointing.

That said, I have pulled together a list of some of the skills/concepts we are focusing on in the classroom during the months of September/October. This list is by no means extensive, just a taste. You can use the list as a buffet, pick and choose what you would like to help reinforce at home.

• shoe tying!!!
• writes first and last name (capital and lowercase letters where appropriate)
  
• can recognize and identify the letters a-z, capitals and lowercase
• writes letters a-z, capital and lowercase
• can count 1-50
• count by 2's to 50
• count by 5's to 50
• count by 10's to 50
• knows the days of the week
  
• knows the months of the year
• knows address and phone number(s)
• writes numbers 1-10
• can recognize various parts of a map
• compares pairs of numbers less than 16
• counts 20 or more objects
• writes and counts tallies
• can identify rhyming words
• can identify when to use capitals letters (proper nouns and beginning of sentences)
• can identify the number of syllables in a word
• practices the Mustang Motto of respect, responsibility, and compassion

The warm summer months are drawing to a close, and the chilly fall weather is around the corner. Time to put on a hooded sweatshirt, your favorite White Sox or Bears cap, and get out and play. I encourage the children to exercise their bodies, in addition to their minds. Fresh crisp air and time to play is of great importance. Organized sports are a wonderful way for your child to learn so many life skills. Additionally, just getting out with the neighborhood kids and inventing their own game for an hour in the afternoon is a delightful right of childhood passage.