Here are some ways to help your child at home!
Literacy Letters:
We learn the capital and lowercase form of each letter. First we learn to identify the letter, next we learn how to write each letter, then we learn the sound for each letter, then we listen for words that start with each letter, and finally we use our letter sound knowledge to draw and label pictures that begin with each sound.
Learning Letters at Home: If your child already knows all the letter sounds, you can teach them that the vowels a, e, i, o, u have a short and a long sound, c can sound like s (ex: circle), g can sound like j (ex: general).
If your child is learning their letters, you can help your child study his or her learning ring, watch Have Fun Teaching Alphabet videos with your child, make a poster with a letter and pictures of things that start with that letter to hang on their bedroom wall, ask your child to name 5 things that start or end with a letter that we have learned, have your child practice writing the letters, have your child find and circle a given letter in a free magazine or newspaper, and/or ask your child what letters they see on signs, license plate, food labels, etc.
Sight Words:
First we learn to identify the word, next we learn how to write the word, then we practice building the word using letter cards or cut out letters, then we practice using the word in oral and written sentences, and finally we use our sight word knowledge to read leveled books.
Learning Sight Words at Home: You can help your child study his or her learning ring, watch Have Fun Teaching Sight Word videos with your child (Many but not all sight words are on this website.); post sight words on their bedroom wall and have your child try to quickly identify the word by touching it, throwing a soft item at it, or saying the word when you shine a flashlight on a word in the dark (You can reverse these roles and have the child quiz you!); have your child identify/read sight words during your nightly reading of take-home books from school, have your child find and circle sight words in a free magazine or newspaper; and/or ask your child what sight words they see on signs, food labels, etc.
Writing: We are continuing to label our pictures, but are now focusing on writing pattern books with simple sentences using our sight words. Pattern books are books that have the same words repeating on every page. Ex: "We see a cat"(pg1). "We see a dog"(pg2). "We see a bird"(pg3). The pattern across these three pages is "We see a..."
Learning Writing at Home: If your child cannot write their name, please practice nightly at home. It is a very special word that they will use for the rest of their life.
You can help your child with writing by providing them with a notebook/journal in which they can draw pictures to tell a story. You can help your child write a pattern book in their notebook by giving them a sight word sentence stem such as, "I go to the...", which they can complete with many different places.
Rhyming Words: Rhyming words are words in which the word part at the end of both words sound the same. Though the word part at the end sounds the same, it may not always be spelled the same. For example, the words "cat" and "hat" rhyme because they both end with the word part "at" which sounds the same in both words. "Bite and light" rhyme because the end part "ite" and "ight" sound the same though they are spelled differently.
In class we listen for and learn rhyming words by reading books/poems and by singing songs, We also teach rhyming words in isolation with word sorts and puzzles.
Learning Rhyming at Home: Have your child identify rhyming words after reading or reciting nursery rhymes with your child. Try these video links 10 Little Firemen, Elle the Elephant, Look, Look See the Clown and Free Printable Nursery Rhymes. Dr.Seuss books are also famous for their rhyming words. You can play a game where you say 3 words that rhyme and one that doesn't. Have your child identify which word doesn't rhyme with the others. (try this link! Rhyming Words Game) You can make letter cards and build sets of 3 or 4 rhyming words with letters they know (Example: using the letters we learned this month we can build "mad, had, dad" or "hat, mat, cat" or "dot, hot, cot"). You can make up your own silly rhymes or raps at home (Example: We're getting in the car, not going very far. Just down the street to get something to eat!)
Math Colors: Children are expected to know basic colors: black, white, brown, red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, pink, gray
If your are unsure if your child knows their colors, please ask the teacher or give a quick quiz at home using clothing or items around the house.
Learning Colors at Home: Printable color review sheet. If your child doesn't know a color, focus on it for a week by asking them every day to find something that is that color or think of something that is that color. When getting dressed, ask your child the color of their socks, underwear, shoes, pants, shirt, etc. When reading each night, ask them to describe the illustrations using their color words. Feel free to extend beyond these basic colors and teach specific shades of colors or mixed colors. Examples: light blue, dark blue, red/orange, teal, burgundy, etc.
Shapes: We learn the five 2 dimensional or flat shapes: square, circle, triangle, rectangle, hexagon. If you are unsure if your child knows their shapes, please ask the teacher or give a quick quiz at home.
Learning Shapes at Home: These Shape Song Videos will help you teach your child the shapes. Please help your child look for these shapes out in the world as you are walking and driving around town.
They also need to be able to explain how many sides and corners/angles each flat shape has, as well as compare two different flat shapes.
Circle: one continuous side, no corners/angles
Square: 4 sides of equal length, 4 corners/angles (Turn the square. Nope, it's not a diamond! It's still a square.)
Triangle: 3 sides, 3 corners (Vary a lot so, show different kinds of triangles)
Rectangle: 4 sides, 2 short and 2 long sides, 4 corners/angles
Hexagon: 6 sides, 6 angles
You can ask them, "How are a square and triangle alike?" Answer: A square and triangle both have sides and corners. They are both 2 dimensional or flat shapes. "How are a square and triangle different?" Answer: A square has 4 sides/corners/angles. A triangle only has 3 sides/corners/angles.
Counting: We are learning to orally count 1-100 and to count groups of objects up to 20. When we count groups of objects, we move and line up objects to count more effectively. We are learning to touch each object while counting and say only one number each time we touch.
Learning Counting at Home: If your child already knows how to count to 100, you can challenge them to count by groups of 2 and 5 and/or backwards from 20-0. Please practice oral counting each night if they cannot count to 20. Teen numbers are usually the most difficult, especially 13. Please listen carefully to your child's counting and pronunciation. I prefer the following slower counting song if your child is really struggling, Count and Move from Super Simple Songs. (A faster song is Count to 20!!!)
Number Identification: We are learning to write and identify the numbers 1-20
Teaching Number Identification at Home: Good old paper and pencil will do the trick or you can have them write with crayons, markers, finger paint, pudding,etc. Model writing the number that is difficult for them (usually 2, 5, or 8). Have your child trace on top of your model and then try to write it on their own. You can give them dots to trace on or use a highlighter and have them trace on top of that. Your child can also build numbers with play-doh or cheerios as well.
While out in the world, ask your child what numbers he or she sees on license plates, mailboxes, signs, etc.
Don't forget to look for free apps on your Smart Phone regarding letters, sight words, numbers, counting, etc
We learn the capital and lowercase form of each letter. First we learn to identify the letter, next we learn how to write each letter, then we learn the sound for each letter, then we listen for words that start with each letter, and finally we use our letter sound knowledge to draw and label pictures that begin with each sound.
Learning Letters at Home: If your child already knows all the letter sounds, you can teach them that the vowels a, e, i, o, u have a short and a long sound, c can sound like s (ex: circle), g can sound like j (ex: general).
If your child is learning their letters, you can help your child study his or her learning ring, watch Have Fun Teaching Alphabet videos with your child, make a poster with a letter and pictures of things that start with that letter to hang on their bedroom wall, ask your child to name 5 things that start or end with a letter that we have learned, have your child practice writing the letters, have your child find and circle a given letter in a free magazine or newspaper, and/or ask your child what letters they see on signs, license plate, food labels, etc.
Sight Words:
First we learn to identify the word, next we learn how to write the word, then we practice building the word using letter cards or cut out letters, then we practice using the word in oral and written sentences, and finally we use our sight word knowledge to read leveled books.
Learning Sight Words at Home: You can help your child study his or her learning ring, watch Have Fun Teaching Sight Word videos with your child (Many but not all sight words are on this website.); post sight words on their bedroom wall and have your child try to quickly identify the word by touching it, throwing a soft item at it, or saying the word when you shine a flashlight on a word in the dark (You can reverse these roles and have the child quiz you!); have your child identify/read sight words during your nightly reading of take-home books from school, have your child find and circle sight words in a free magazine or newspaper; and/or ask your child what sight words they see on signs, food labels, etc.
Writing: We are continuing to label our pictures, but are now focusing on writing pattern books with simple sentences using our sight words. Pattern books are books that have the same words repeating on every page. Ex: "We see a cat"(pg1). "We see a dog"(pg2). "We see a bird"(pg3). The pattern across these three pages is "We see a..."
Learning Writing at Home: If your child cannot write their name, please practice nightly at home. It is a very special word that they will use for the rest of their life.
You can help your child with writing by providing them with a notebook/journal in which they can draw pictures to tell a story. You can help your child write a pattern book in their notebook by giving them a sight word sentence stem such as, "I go to the...", which they can complete with many different places.
Rhyming Words: Rhyming words are words in which the word part at the end of both words sound the same. Though the word part at the end sounds the same, it may not always be spelled the same. For example, the words "cat" and "hat" rhyme because they both end with the word part "at" which sounds the same in both words. "Bite and light" rhyme because the end part "ite" and "ight" sound the same though they are spelled differently.
In class we listen for and learn rhyming words by reading books/poems and by singing songs, We also teach rhyming words in isolation with word sorts and puzzles.
Learning Rhyming at Home: Have your child identify rhyming words after reading or reciting nursery rhymes with your child. Try these video links 10 Little Firemen, Elle the Elephant, Look, Look See the Clown and Free Printable Nursery Rhymes. Dr.Seuss books are also famous for their rhyming words. You can play a game where you say 3 words that rhyme and one that doesn't. Have your child identify which word doesn't rhyme with the others. (try this link! Rhyming Words Game) You can make letter cards and build sets of 3 or 4 rhyming words with letters they know (Example: using the letters we learned this month we can build "mad, had, dad" or "hat, mat, cat" or "dot, hot, cot"). You can make up your own silly rhymes or raps at home (Example: We're getting in the car, not going very far. Just down the street to get something to eat!)
Math Colors: Children are expected to know basic colors: black, white, brown, red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, pink, gray
If your are unsure if your child knows their colors, please ask the teacher or give a quick quiz at home using clothing or items around the house.
Learning Colors at Home: Printable color review sheet. If your child doesn't know a color, focus on it for a week by asking them every day to find something that is that color or think of something that is that color. When getting dressed, ask your child the color of their socks, underwear, shoes, pants, shirt, etc. When reading each night, ask them to describe the illustrations using their color words. Feel free to extend beyond these basic colors and teach specific shades of colors or mixed colors. Examples: light blue, dark blue, red/orange, teal, burgundy, etc.
Shapes: We learn the five 2 dimensional or flat shapes: square, circle, triangle, rectangle, hexagon. If you are unsure if your child knows their shapes, please ask the teacher or give a quick quiz at home.
Learning Shapes at Home: These Shape Song Videos will help you teach your child the shapes. Please help your child look for these shapes out in the world as you are walking and driving around town.
They also need to be able to explain how many sides and corners/angles each flat shape has, as well as compare two different flat shapes.
Circle: one continuous side, no corners/angles
Square: 4 sides of equal length, 4 corners/angles (Turn the square. Nope, it's not a diamond! It's still a square.)
Triangle: 3 sides, 3 corners (Vary a lot so, show different kinds of triangles)
Rectangle: 4 sides, 2 short and 2 long sides, 4 corners/angles
Hexagon: 6 sides, 6 angles
You can ask them, "How are a square and triangle alike?" Answer: A square and triangle both have sides and corners. They are both 2 dimensional or flat shapes. "How are a square and triangle different?" Answer: A square has 4 sides/corners/angles. A triangle only has 3 sides/corners/angles.
Counting: We are learning to orally count 1-100 and to count groups of objects up to 20. When we count groups of objects, we move and line up objects to count more effectively. We are learning to touch each object while counting and say only one number each time we touch.
Learning Counting at Home: If your child already knows how to count to 100, you can challenge them to count by groups of 2 and 5 and/or backwards from 20-0. Please practice oral counting each night if they cannot count to 20. Teen numbers are usually the most difficult, especially 13. Please listen carefully to your child's counting and pronunciation. I prefer the following slower counting song if your child is really struggling, Count and Move from Super Simple Songs. (A faster song is Count to 20!!!)
Number Identification: We are learning to write and identify the numbers 1-20
Teaching Number Identification at Home: Good old paper and pencil will do the trick or you can have them write with crayons, markers, finger paint, pudding,etc. Model writing the number that is difficult for them (usually 2, 5, or 8). Have your child trace on top of your model and then try to write it on their own. You can give them dots to trace on or use a highlighter and have them trace on top of that. Your child can also build numbers with play-doh or cheerios as well.
While out in the world, ask your child what numbers he or she sees on license plates, mailboxes, signs, etc.
Don't forget to look for free apps on your Smart Phone regarding letters, sight words, numbers, counting, etc