|
January, 2004
Dear
Parents,
We
are pleased to give you this summary of the topics we have been working on
in kindergarten as well as the topics we will move into between now and
Spring Conference time. Please use this information as an aid
to continuing to help your child at home.
Literacy Development
Throughout the year, we have been exposing the children to the enjoyment
and importance of reading and writing. We have provided activities which
encourage the children to become involved with the written word. The goal
is to develop in each child a disposition to read, a curiosity about how
print works, and enjoyment of the rhythms and rhymes of literature, and an
understanding of what it means to be a writer. This will put them well on
their way to being conventional readers.
While we will continue these efforts, we will now be concentrating more
heavily on applying the letters and sounds in reading and writing.
The children have been working on all the letters of the alphabet and the
consonant sounds since the beginning of school, so we would hope that your
child can recognize all upper and lower case letters/sounds at this point
in the year.
Please continue to use the D�Nealian set of flashcards we gave you at the
November conference, emphasizing any letters and sounds with which your
child may still have difficulty. You can also help your child recognize
rhyming words in the stories, songs and poems you read together. The
Poetry Binder is a wonderful resource for developing these skills.
Many
simple activities can be accomplished with the �little books� and the
Wiggleworks books which come home weekly. Word games can be played with
the simple text, such as �Can you find the word �pig� on this page? Can
you find a word that starts with T? How many words are on this page? How
many letters are in this word? What do you think this word might be?
Find books your child is comfortable trying to read. The goal is for them
to become involved with the written word.
Writing
You
have probably noticed that the children are writing simple sentences on
the reverse side of their printing sheets. They are also writing more
frequently in their journals. Putting their thoughts on paper is quite a
challenging task. The early days of writing in kindergarten involve
recalling their thoughts, stretching and chopping words, spacing between
words and using the word wall (a new addition in our classrooms that
displays commonly used sight words). Please assist your child daily with
the writing of simple words and/or sentences. If your child is
comfortable with one sentence, encourage him/her to tell you more by
adding an additional sentence or two.
Mathematics
In
math we are finishing up our pattern strand and would expect that the
children can identify, create and extend simple patterns AB, ABB, ABC
using various materials. We are moving into the number strand and are
teaching the children to recognize the numerals 0 through 20 as well as
count to 100. If your child cannot count to 100 yet, please practice
counting to 100 often. This skill is essential background for future work
with numbers. It takes some children a long time to master this skill, so
your help in this area will be most beneficial.
Handwriting
The
children have been working on printing their first name, using proper
D�Nealian formation and a proper grip. Now the children need to work on
printing both first and last names. We are noticing that some children
are producing a neat �end product�, but are not forming the letters
properly. Be sure to supervise your child as he/she works on
handwriting. Please emphasize the proper pencil grip and correct
formation of the letters in both names.
The kindergarten day is a very busy one. The hours move by quickly.
Your support at home will benefit your child greatly.
Sincerely,
Mrs.
Doman and Mrs. Hatfield |
