Spotlight on History as a Subject

The unfolding of human events did not happen in static moments of dates, times, places, and people. They happened in stories, in long wars, in quiet peace, in droughts and in plenty. At Archway Trivium East, we do not encounter history with an idea that it should only be memorized as a timeline, or experienced only through one side of the story. Even in Kindergarten, we strive to allow the students to enter into that time period. We teach them to get to know individuals as personally as they can, through observation of great pictures, items from the past, and first hand writings. The students re-enact key moments in history so they can understand not just one side, but both if possible. Though in Kindergarten we do not highlight the darker side of some past events, we do try to understand history as we encounter it. Discovery, understanding and stories are, above all, key in teaching history so they can actually see truth from the past, not just facts and dates.

Coming up next week…

Literature

In literature we will be learning about narrative order by reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Singapore Math

This week, we are learning about patterns!

Weekly Phonograms

Mastery: o, c, a, d, g, f, s, qu, b, e, h, i, u, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, u, v, w, z, y, z, sh, ee, th, ow, ou, oo, ch, ar, ay, ai, oy, oi, er, ir, ur, wor, ear, ng, ea, aw, au, or, ck, wh, ed, ew, ui

Monday: oa

Tuesday: gu

Wednesday-Friday:Review

Conversation Starters!

What happened first, next, and last in the story you read this week?

What are some jobs that the silent, final e does?

Are there any patterns in your house?

Important Updates:

Reading Books: Please help your child keep track of their reading books. They must bring them home each night and back that morning so they can read them in class.

Poem for December:

Happy Thought

By Robert Louis Stevenson

The world is so full of a number of things, 

I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings. 

Poem for November:

Singing

By Robert Louis Stevenson

Of speckled eggs the birdie sings

And nests among the trees;

The sailor sings of ropes and things

In ships upon the seas.

The children sing in far Japan,

The children sing in Spain;

The organ with the organ man

Is singing in the rain.

Spotlight on Classroom Teachers

One idea that must have attracted you to the Archway model of Great Hearts is the two teacher model. We recently had an open house in which we received many questions from future kindergarten parents about the two teacher model. Our ratio is one teacher per fifteen students at Archway Trivium East, and we proudly serve you with two highly qualified teachers per classroom. This is not just to support the teacher in copying and sorting, but to actually serve the students on an individual basis. Our teachers are always up and about assisting the students, not just the teacher. Both teachers get to develop relationships with the students to provide moral coaching as well as individualized instruction after the whole class instruction. We push each of our students to their academic limits; spending extra time making sure each student is individually challenged.

Coming up next week…

Literature

In literature we will be learning about narrative order by reading: The Wolf and the Seven Kids.

Singapore Math

This week, we are learning about shapes!

Weekly Phonograms

Mastery: o, c, a, d, g, f, s, qu, b, e, h, i, u, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, u, v, w, z, y, z, sh, ee, th, ow, ou, oo, ch, ar, ay, ai, oy, oi, er, ir, ur, wor, ear, ng, ea, aw, au

Monday: or

Tuesday: ck

Wednesday: wh

Thursday: ed

Conversation Starters!

What is the poem “Singing” about? What is the rhyme scheme?

What sounds to ed make? What else is special about ed? What would happen to the word “walk” if you added ed?

Important Updates:

Spelling Words: Please make sure you are dictating each word, and that they are sounding the word out as they write it. Following the directions on the homework will help them immensely with their reading skills.

Reading Homework: Please send your reading books to school each day. We need to use them in class!

Contacts:

KA: cbrown@archwaytrivium.org

KB: cjohnson@archwaytrivium.org

KC: slacey@archwaytriviumeast.org

Coming up 8/17-8/21

 

Phonics

As we work through our Spalding phonics program we will spend this week studying beginning and ending sounds, correct pencil grip, proper handwriting elements, rhyming words, a new phonogram every day! (o, c, a, d, f, g, s) and so much more!

 

Literature

In literature we will discuss directionality, parts of a book, author and illustrator roles, characters, setting, and author’s purpose while studying the beloved story: The Kissing Hand.

 

Singapore Math

This week we will continue our unit on matching and sorting based upon color, pattern, and type.  We will discuss identical vs. similar, identify objects that belong to a particular group and why, sort and classify by attribute.

 

 

Important Updates:

Supplies: Thank you for bringing us so many wonderful supplies to help aid in your child’s learning this year! Remember, our focus is on learning so please avoid pop culture references on water bottles, backpacks, and lunch boxes. Thanks!

Snacks: It will help greatly if you can pack your child's snack in a Ziploc bag or other container that is separate from the lunch box. Storing it in an easily accessible part of the backpack will help our transitions go much more quickly and smoothly.

 

Uniforms: Uniform checks begin on Monday! Please be dressed in the appropriate uniform. Everything looked good this week so keep it up! Help your child learn to independently tuck-in their shirts and tie their own shoes! If you have questions, refer to the Family Handbook.

 

Phonogram Cards: We highly recommend purchasing Spalding Phonogram cards as this will aide in your child’s success in reading and writing and will be used Kinder through 3^rd grade. You can order at the following link.  Thanks!

http://store.spalding.org/p-111-phonogram-cards-individual-size-set-of-87.aspx