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                  We have completed our review of sounds and are now beginning our 1st grade reading book.  Homework for each night will be to write each spelling word once and to read the assigned reading that will be sent home.  I encourage you to have your child read several times each night.  As you will see, our stories at the beginning of the year are quite short.  We want the children to become fluent readers, so practicing the reading material several times a night will help to improve your child's fluency.  Also, ask your child questions about the story for comprehension and understanding of what is going on in the story.

     ****Family Times****  Each Monday, the students will be taking home a paper from their reading workbook titled, "Family Times".  There are many activities listed on the front side that you may do with your child throughout the week.  On the back is a game to play.  Please use this as a fun tool to help your child practice the week's skill in a fun way.  If you would sign the paper to show me that you have practiced with your child and send it back to school sometime throughout the week (by Friday), your child will get an extra sticker on his/her chart.

         October 1st we will be starting our "Book It" Reading program.  Your child is to read (or you may read to him/her) 15 books each month.  I will be sending home a sheet each month that you will use to record the books that you read together.  When your child has completed the required books, he/she will return the sheet to me with your signature.  Your child will then come home with coupons as rewards.  This is a great opportunity to get your child reading to you at home or listening to you read.  Shared reading is a great way to practice.

          A good, fun way to study spelling words with your child is to use the chat on a DS.  I use mine when I study spelling words with my daughter, Lily.  I will say the word she is to spell.  She writes it on her DS and sends it to me.  I send her smiley faces, check marks, words of encouragement, etc. when she spells them correctly.  If she misses a word, I write the word correctly and send it to her.  She then has to write the word correctly and send it back to me.  It is a different and fun way to study.  

     All the students in our class are going to be writing and illustrating a book for publication later in the year.  Your child will contribute an original story, poem, or drawing.  This classbook is a lifetime keepsake for your family and will make a great gift. 

     The process of creating, writing, and illustrating a book is both rewarding and fun.  We hope that you all enjoy the results of our work once our book is completed.