Below is a list of skills that will be introduced each month. We will work on these skills and continue to practice skills previously introduced as the school year goes on.

SEPTEMBER:

Reading

- upper/lowercase letters

- letter sounds

- rhyming

- know the parts of a book: front/back of a book, print vs. pictures, reading from left to right

(parents should model good reading skills and habits at home)

- fiction (a made up story)

- non-fiction (a real life story)

- take a "picture walk" and predict and preview a story

Writing

- write first name (one uppercase and the rest lowercase)

- writing from right to left

- practice letter formation of each letter we are learning

Math

- calendar

- discuss the days of the week (discuss it on the way to the bus)

- discuss months of the year - what month is it?

- counting 1 -30

- graphing

- sorting

Science

- discuss seasons (Fall/Autumn)

Social Studies

- school rules

- community

- bus safety

OCTOBER:

Reading

- Rhyming (words that sound the same at the end)

Step 1 = Tell your child 2 words - ask them if they rhyme

Examples: coat - goat (yes)

bee - tree (yes)

ball - house (no)

cup - red (no)

Step 2 = Say a word - ask your child to tell you a word that rhymes with it.

- Beginning sounds (words that have the same sound in the beginning)

Step 1 = Tell your child 2 words - ask them if they begin with the same sound

Examples: cup - coat (yes)

dog - dish (yes)

rake - sun (no)

Step 2= Say a word - ask your child what letter AND sound it starts with

Examples: rake (r)

sun (s)

Writing

- Your child should be writing their first name correctly (using the D'Nealian Handwriting style) with proper pencil grip. Remember the first letter is always an uppercase and the rest are lowercase.

- Inventive spelling - when a child writes the sounds he/she hears in a word

Examples: school = sl

apple = apl

pumpkin = pkn

*IT'S OK for your child to not hear all the sounds in each word. Typically, beginning sounds are developed first - middle and ending sounds come later. Please encourage this type of writing at home as this is what is used in the classroom.

Math

- sorting

- patterns

Social Studies

- Fire Safety

- Columbus Day

NOVEMBER:

Reading

-sight words

-answering simple questions in response to text

-making predictions

-counting syllables in words

Writing

-forming letters correctly

-writing letters to represent sounds in words

Math

-patterns

-drawing basic shapes

Science

-5 senses

Social Studies

-Thanksgiving

-Veteran's Day

-Election Day

DECEMBER:

Reading

-retelling stories

-sequencing events in stories

-isolating letter sounds

-listening for syllables in words - clapping out words

Writing

-continue to work on inventive spelling

-start to acknowledge spaces between words

Math

-number recognition

-counting objects

Science

-5 senses

Social Studies

-holiday traditions

-needs and wants

JANUARY:

Reading

-reading groups begin

-sight words/color words

-making predictions

Writing

-last name

-tell a story in sequence using pictures or words

Math

-months of the year

-number writing

Social Studies

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Science

-Seasons (Winter)

FEBRUARY:

Reading

- listening for ending sounds in words

- sight words

- color words

- number words

-making predictions

Writing

-last name

-tell a story in sequence using pictures

Math

-months of the year

-number writing 0-10

Social Studies

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Science

-seasons (winter)

MARCH:

Reading

-making connections with characters, setting and events

-using pictures to solve unknown text

-using meaning to solve unknown text

-engage in independent reading

-blending sounds to make words

-sounding out words

Writing

-writing multiple words or word parts to express a thought

-introduction of spaces between words

-introduction of punctuation at the end of each sentence.

Math

-using and understanding ordinal numbers

-building number sets

Social Studies

-St. Patrick's Day

Science

-Seasons (spring)

APRIL:

Reading

-emerging as a reader

Writing

-using punctuation and capitalization

Math

-beginning number operations (addition)

Science

-planting

-living and non-living

Social Studies

-Earth Day/Recycling

MAY/JUNE:

Reading

-emerging as a reader

Writing

-listening for middle sounds in words

-emerging as a writer

-begin writing more than one sentence

Math

-continue number operations

-begin subtraction

Science

-mixtures

-respecting living things

-seasons (summer)

Social Studies

-Mother's Day

-Father's Day

-Memorial Day

-Flag Day