Skip Counting!

One of our first grade skills is "skip counting". Now, that is just what the name suggests that it is. You are actually given permission to SKIP over numbers as you count. We practice many types of skip counting. Some are easier than others. Skip counting by 10's or 5's is pretty easy. But, if I ask the kids to skip count by 3's or 7's it gets a little tougher. Most of the time on tests a skip counting problem will look like this...

What is missing from this pattern?
10, 13, 16, 19, ___

Kinda tricky huh? I tell the kids that you can tell they are not regular counting. That means they are what!?!? SKIP COUNTING? Then, we need to find out what they are skipping. Simply take one of the examples they gave you. Maybe 10 up to 13 and see how many they are skipping. (Say 10....11, 12, 13! Their skipping three!) Then, you can see what would go in the blank by adding threes to each number.

It's a tough skill. But, it's one that will be around from here on out. I'd practice these at home if I were you. Good luck!

OO song from B.T.L.

The Ooooooooooooo Sound

Here's a little rhyme to help you remember the "oo" sound for this week's spelling test.

Oh! Oh!
Did you know
that "o-o" says
oooooooooooooooooo?

(Ask the kiddos to show you the little dance that goes along with it)

Things we do in class

One thing we work on all year is writing a friendly letter. Oftentimes, it is to say thank you to somebody. This is a very natural activity for kids. The words come easily when they begin to write. Consider picking up a box or two of thank you letters and start having the kiddos write thank you notes whenever they think they should. Be sure to include a greeting (Dear ______,) at least three details, a closing (Bye Bye,) and a signature. You can thank people for a gift. You can thank mom for making a special meal. You can thank grandma for picking you up from the basketball game. You'll find that there are plenty of chances to complete this exercise. Plus, you can buy a whole box of actual thank you cards for just a dollar! Below is a perfect example of a "strong" friendly letter.

Hi Class,

I just wanted to thank you for being such a good group of kids. You always work hard and that makes me happy. I think it is fun to come to school and teach you guys everyday!

Bye Bye,

Mr. Smith

WooooooHoooooo!

Our test is done!  I'm am so proud of how the kids worked today.  These tests are not easy!  The class hung in there and did their best.  That is all I could ever ask for.  Hopefully we'll get the results sometime before summer vacation.  I'll keep you guys posted.

New Class Video!

With the "stress of the tests" overhead I wanted to remind everyone that these are just kiddos.  No test is important enough to forget that fact!  So, with that in mind, let's remember to "Let Them Be Little".  

Cool Website!

Hey guys!  You may know about this website already.  I didn't until today.  Head over to www.starfall.com for a ton of cool reading/phonics games.  It's very cool and right on target with the kinds of skills the kids should be mastering.  Check it out!

Songwriters of tomorrow!

Every year there are a few students who really get into writing songs in class.  They love to make up lyrics and find rhyming patterns.  Maybe it's the Hannah Montana and Jonas Brother shows that get em' going.  Who knows?  But, it's a great activity for developing writing skills.  You may even consider picking up a "rhyming" dictionary the next time you visit a book store.  The kids can look up a word and it will give them several options that rhyme with that word.  Need a word that rhymes with "play"?  It'll give you twenty words to choose from.  This will make the songwriting activity a little easier for them.  So, support it if you see them working on a song or poem.  It's a fun and creative way to practice writing, spelling, reading and rhyming.