Kacsko's Kiddos: Testing Testing 123

Happy Yellow Day! This week was all about E, F, and TESTS! We had a school lockdown drill, a tornado drill, and two days of MAP testing. MAP testing is new to Scott County and is being used to measure academic progress of K-5th graders in math and reading. The students used the computers in the upstairs computer lab to take their tests. The students will test again in the winter and then again in the spring.

But we managed to learn alot in the classroom too. We focused on E and F. The Letter Mailbox is one of the first things we check (nearly) everday to find new objects that begin with the new sounds of the week. This week we found an elephant and frog, eggs and french fries, and an envelope and folder. We always discuss what makes the items alike and different. When you are practicing with your child at home on his letters, remember to place the emphasis on the letter sounds. And be sure to have them listen to their letter chant cd. The link below shows how we start everyday - at the SmartBoard reviewing the letter chants.

Letter Chants Video

We also review the letters (sounds only-no chants) in our reading groups during center time Monday through Thursday. Repetition is HUGE when learning new things. So I make sure we hear the sounds, say the sounds, and see the letters as often as possible.

Speaking of centers, we got to practice writing the letters A through E on the same letter app, LetterSchool, that we used last week. The students really enjoyed the game in the Math Center. We read a book called Mouse Paint last week and a book called Mouse Count this week by the same author and we compared the two books.

The students got to practice their counting skills with the game Mouse Count. In the number work center, they threaded beads to match amounts on numbered flags attached to pipe cleaners.

As I mentioned earlier, we have been comparing books we've read in class this week. We also read Chicka Chicka 123 and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We made a Venn diagram on the board together and the students talked with each other about what was alike and different in the books.

We finished the week with a simple art project that let us test out our cutting skills. We pulled the tables together and followed instructions as a whole group. The students just love their Fun Fridays!

A few reminders for when we come back from our wonderful 3-day weekend: have your child wear something orange on Tuesday. Also, there will be no Weekly Learning Goals test next Friday since it is only a 4 day week. And if your child is just dying to get back to school, you can play the following links for them to get them through until Tuesday.

Numbers Help Me Count

Letter E Song

Letter F Song

And now some cute pictures from recess this week.