Foundation for Entering First Grade: Activities for Review and Reinforcement of Language Arts Skills
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June 2020 Dear 2019-2020 Kindergarten Families, We would like to thank you for your support throughout this unique school year. We have all learned a lot about who we are as people, the remote learning experience, and most certainly patience. While some of us moved seamlessly from the classroom into the realm online learning, others of us may prefer for the word Zoom to be left out of conversation for the foreseeable future! Either way, we made it and we got to the end with loads more skills, having used incredible teamwork, and communicating with, and "seeing" more of, each other than we otherwise would. We made some amazing lemonade out of some rotten lemons! With the summer months upon us, we want to encourage students to complete activities that support the skills introduced this year. Attached you will find expectations and suggestions for helping ensure your child is ready for an engaging and challenging first grade experience. We are confident that by following these expectations and suggestions in a consistent manner, your child will successfully begin the 2020-2021 school year. We will continue to move your child forward, in partnership with you, when the new school year begins. Foundation for Entering First Grade: Activities for Review and Reinforcement of Language Arts Skills: Reading • Read, read, read to and with your child... allow your child to choose his/her own books that are on reading level. • Rally Read - take turns reading each page or have your child echo read after you say each word or sentence. This will help build confidence and show how fluent readers read with expression. • Ask comprehension questions about the story, such as: 1. Who are the characters in the story? 2. Where does the story take place? 3. What happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story? 4. What do you think will happen next? 5. What character do you think you are most like and why? 6. Compare and contrast 2 different characters or stories. Writing/Word Fun • Practice reading/spelling/writing the Pre-Primer and Primer words on the attached Dolch word list. Once those are mastered, feel free to move on to subsequent lists. • Keep a notebook or summer journal of events, ideas and/or stories. Check to make sure your child is writing in complete sentences using neat handwriting, proper spacing and location on the lines, capitalization and punctuation. • Practice proper letter formation using neat handwriting and lined paper positioning. • Review this year's spelling words. Utilize activities from the attached Spelling Activity List. Foundation for Entering First Grade: Activities for Review and Reinforcement of Math Skills: • Recognize and write numbers 1-100 • Identify 2D/3D shapes by name • Master addition and subtraction facts to 10. Try mad minutes (you can find printables online) to practice fact fluency and how many facts you can answer in one minute. Try and reach a higher amount each time. • Review place value of ones, tens, hundreds • Continue to practice math skills on IXL and Reflex Math • Empty out change purse or pocket. Sort and name the coins. Thank you again for your support, friendship, and your wonderful children. We are excited to watch our students enter the next chapter of their Corbett Prep journey. We look forward to seeing everyone back in August! Have a wonderful summer, Your Kindergarten Teachers Name: ------------------ Please keep this list in your child's homework folder. Choose one activity to complete with your child each night. 1. Write small/medium/large words. (Write each word using the smallest letters you can possibly write. Then write with normal-sized letters, and finally jumbo sized.) 2. Put words in ABC order. 3. Draw a picture to go with each word. 4. Write a story using as many of the words as you can. 5. Make a word search using all of the words. 6. Type and say each word three times. 7. Make a mini-book using all of the words. 8. Make a flash card for each word. 9. Use your fingers to write the words on a tray covered with salt or a bag filled with pudding or shaving cream. Say each word. 10. Take a practice test. 11. Write each word on two index cards and play Concentration. 12. Rainbow write words (Write and say the word with one color. Then trace and say the word with another color. Repeat with a third color.) · 13. Use Scrabble tiles to spell the words. 14. Use items at home (yarn, string, pipe cleaner, play dough, magnetic letters) to spell each word. 15. Write each word and circle the vowels (a, e, i, o, u) 16. Write each word and circle the consonants. 17. Create a Cheerleader Chant for each word. (Give me an S, give me a P, give me an E, give me an L, give me a L - what's that spell? SPELL!) 18. Use each word in a sentence. Underline the word in the sentence. 19. Draw a picture and "hide" the words in the picture for your child to find. 20. Find the words in a magazine or newspaper. Cut them out and glue them onto another piece of paper to make a collage. 21. Say and spell the words into a recorder. Then, listen to yourself saying and spelling the words aloud. 22. Write a letter to someone using as many of the words as possible. 23. Sky-write the words (Write words in the air with index finger and arm stretched out straight.) 24. Visit http://www.spellingcity.com. Enter your child's word list, and let them select a free game to play, which is customized to match their spelling words. Be creative/ Think of other ways to practice with your child other than with pencil and paper. Name: Month: _ Dolch Sight Words Pre-primer Primer Grade One Grade Two a look all out after let always pull and make am please again live around read away me are pretty an may because right big my at ran any of been sing blue not ate ride ask old before sit can one be saw as once best sleep come play black say by open both tell down red brown she could over buy their find run but so every put call these for said came soon fly round cold those funny see did that from some does upon go the do there give stop don't us help three eat they going take fast use here to four this had thank first very I two get too has them five wash in up good under her then found which is we have want him think gave why it where he was his walk goes wish jump yellow into well how were green work little you like went just when its would must what know made write new white many your no who off now will or on with our yes Upper Primary Summer Reading Suggestions I. Purpose: Summertime is the perfect opportunity for your child to reinforce and strengthen reading skills and fluency that will support his/her love of reading. With that in mind, here is a list of possible authors for you to refer to that will help support these goals. Our favorite authors: To name just a few! Ted Arnold Kevin Henkes Barbara Park Jan Brett Martin Jenkins Dav Pilkey Joseph Bruchac Suzy Kline Patricia Polacco Eric Carle Leo Lionni Ron Roy Joanna Cole Arnold Lobel Cynthia Rylant Marjorie Cuyler Lois Lowry John Sciezka Roald Dahl Laura Numeroff Dr. Seuss Tomie DePaola Mary Pope Osborne Janet Stevens Gail Gibbons Peggy Parish Chris VanAllsburg II. Award Winning Literacy When choosing books for your child, a suggestion is to look for winners of the Caldecott Medal or Newbery Medal. The John Newbery Medal goes to the author of the most distinguished American novel for children. The Randolph Caldecott Medal goes to the illustrator of the most distinguished American picture book for children. III. Unit Connections: Any books related to the following concepts would be beneficial in supporting our units for the upcoming 2020- 2021 school year. Family • Central Idea: The need for change may cause people to immigrate. o For Example: Grandfather’s Journey by Allen Say and My Two Blankets by Irene Kobald Fairy tales and Folktales • Central Idea: A culture can express its beliefs and values through folklore. o For Example: Strega Nona by Tomie dePalao Economics • Central Idea: Businesses contribute to the global economy by providing work and profit. o For Example: Caps for Sale by E. Slobadkina American Symbols (flags, monuments, national parks, etc) • Central Idea: A country’s symbols represent the values and principles of its people and government. o For Example: The Statue of Liberty by Mary Firestone Environment/Ecology • Central Idea: Humans change natural environments. o For Example: The Lorax by Dr. Seuss Corbett Preparatory School of IDS Upper Primary Summer Reading Suggestions Summer 2020 .