This week our focus letters were U and Y and our new sight words were "me" and "of".

Here is a list of all the sight words we have been working with so far this year: and, to, it, in, is, me, you, the, to, a, of.

The students enjoyed doing a "Write the Room" activity in Literacy this week. They had to find 20 picture cards of 3-letter items and had to do their best to write down the beginning, middle, and end sounds. We have been reviewing the short vowel sounds daily and will continue to do a lot of work with these sounds. For some students, identifying the short vowel sounds is still very challenging, for others it is simple. For those who are just beginning to work with these sounds, I asked that they write the word's initial sound and then try to figure out the middle and end sounds. Here is the vowel poster we reference in our room when practicing the vowel sounds:

We also read a poem about being a good friend and put the poem in our Poems and Songs duotang. We add a new poem or song each week and spend time reading it together and looking for specific words. Here is today's poem should you wish to read it with your child:

In Math, we focused on representing numbers 1- 12 using tally marks. Students worked with popsicle sticks to build tally arrangements and completed a worksheet. We have been practicing counting by 5s to 20 using tally marks daily. Some students continue to work on remembering that the 5th tally lies across to make a group of five. We will continue to work with tallies, ten frames, and dice to represent numbers 1-15 during the next few weeks.

We also did an activity called Which One Doesn't Belong today. It is the third one we've done this year. This is an activity based on keen observations and reasoning abilities. The students must be able to justify their answers. You might be interested to find out which picture your child thinks does not belong. Please remember to ask them to explain their answer to you.

We started working on our Fall booklet this week and focused on signs of Fall as well as the clothing we wear during this season. On Tuesday, we did a short community walk to look for signs of Fall. We noted many fallen leaves, leaves changing colours and drying, Halloween and Fall decorations on homes, and cooler temperatures. We will do another walk around our school field next Monday or Tuesday afternoon to look at the changing larches at the north end of our field and to sketch a Fall tree.

Today, we went outside with our Buddies and learned how to play the ball game Four Square. The Grade 4s taught and coached the Grade 1s on how to play. The students had a great time playing with their older friends and enjoyed the chance to be outside!

Please find two sheets that came home with your child today. One is a partner Math game we played in class last week and the other is an optional Literacy activity.

Picture Day! - Individual student photos will be taken next Wednesday, October 9th.

I hope you all enjoy a great weekend! :)