This show demonstrates many of the literacy things we do in kindergarten.

1. Welcome to Kindergarten!

2. There is so much ahead of us!We will be experiencing “Read to Self” time with our notebooks and minibooks:

3. We all have our favorite things to read!

4. We will “Read to Someone” Children enjoy sitting Elbow-to- Elbow-Knee-to-Knee (EEKK!!!!)

5. We will do lots of reading and writing this year in class All the letter names All the letter sounds How to rhyme words How to break words apart into sounds, and put sounds together to read words At least 10 sight words How to read a simple book How to write a sentence using the beginning sounds of words, and use at least 5 sight words with correct spelling! By the end of the year, we should all know:

6. How do we get there?By working together! At Home you can help me these ways: I Can Read notebooks will come home every Friday. Read with me in it for at least 15 minutes every weekend. (These are poems and songs that we have read in class.) We’ll add a couple of new pages nearly every week.

7. There will be pages with a “chant” for each letter. We can have fun with the chant! Help me use the words that come up over and over to practice sight words, or find a certain letter as many times as I can!

8. The chart that we learn these from is BIG!

9. Some pages will have some words circled or underlined, as we worked on them at school.

10. Some pages will focus on math topics, or special days in our kindergarten year….

11. Other pages that have a poem or song on one side… with home teaching ideas (call them “games”) on the back side.

12. Let’s choose an idea or two to do together. We can try the easiest ones first, then when the notebook comes home other weeks, try other ideas. We’ll want to try these “games” with other poems and songs, too!

13. When we have finished reading together in the notebook for at least 15 minutes, please sign the sticker chart in the back back

14. When it comes to school on Wednesday, I’ll get a nice big sticker if it’s all “signed off.”

15. If it comes back after Wednesday, or is NOT “signed off”, then I get a small sticker. Teacher wants to help me be accountable for doing homework, and this is how I get feedback about my success. We need the notebooks in class for reading during the week, so please help me bring it back promptly!

16. Mini books will come home regularly in my notebook, too. Please have me “read” the book aloud several times, then return it to the envelope promptly, so it can come back to school in the notebook, too. Help me touch the words as I read (even if I’m “reading” from memory.)

17. We will be reading other beginning books in class, too. You may get to see some of these come home. Read them with me, then please be sure to promptly return them safely in their special envelopes!

18. We will write at school every day. You can help me at home. Set up a “Writing Corner” where I have an alphabet to copy from, paper (use the backs of papers before you recycle them, or even the back of envelopes from junk mail!) and crayons, markers and pencils. I might like to use a white board if I don’t care for writing on paper.

19. Handwriting To help us break letter strokes down into parts I can copy easily, teacher color codes the strokes with purple, greenandorangecolors, like for my name writing card at school.

20. It’s really lots of fun, and rewarding. You get to meet my friends, and see what my school day is like. You can help our class by volunteering!

21. Work one on one with children learning letters. Help with messy art projects like finger painting (we write about these projects a day or two later.) Help children during writing time. Listen to children read. Tasks for volunteers at school

22. Every other Friday, you will get a copy of our class newsletter…look for it! Announcements Ask Me About This gives you questions to prompt information from me. Consider them “hints” to get me to tell you what we did in school! What’s Next? What will we be studying the next two weeks? Milestones Who has a birthday coming up, and who’s new in our class?

23. If you access your e-mail regularly, Mrs. Foster can send the newsletters to your e-mail instead of sending home a “hard copy.” That saves the school the cost of printing, and gets the information directly to your computer, where it will never get lost! Just make sure she has your e-mail address!

24. Contact Mrs. Foster:Call by phone, during school hours: 503-399-3132Call and leave a message after school hours: 503-399-3132 ext 229e-mail me: foster_lucy@salkeiz.k12.or.usIf you want to meet for a face-to-face conference, we can set up a conference time together.

25. Check out the Room 3 Superstars blog: http://room3superstars.blogspot.com And also follow classroom happenings on Twitter: MrsLucyFoster