FIRST THINGS FIRST

Writing is a key skill for all children to develop and master. For the soon-to-be first graders, they have learned a complete mastery of their alphabet. They have also learned how to write many new words.

In Kindergarten, your child learned to write her first and last name if she was not already doing so. She likely also learned how to label pictures, write short words, and begin writing sentences. Keep up this momentum at home as you prepare for First Grade. 

NOW, IT IS TIME for them to refine the skills of forming sentences. A fun and engaging way for them to do this is through writing. Encourage them to express their thoughts via the written word. Keep in mind – all the words she writes do not need to be spelled correctly right now. Invented spelling, or spelling words phonetically, is absolutely fine at this age. As she learns more phonetic rules in First and Second Grades, correct spelling will follow. At this time, writing by sounding out words is developmentally appropriate and encouraged.

Here is an idea to get started. Gather some fun writing supplies: different types of paper, markers, crayons, pencils. Have your child think of an answer to the prompt: If you worked in a zoo, what animal would you want to take care of? …. . If they just give you a one word answer ask them again and say this time I’d like you to tell me with a sentence. Then show them the fun supplies you gathered and let them choose how they would like to WRITE out the sentence they just told you. You may want to write it out on another paper for them to copy, maybe they will want to try to write the words on their own by sounding them out or maybe if they feel overwhelmed by this task you can write it with a yellow marker and they can trace over what you wrote. No matter how they do it …. THEY WILL BE WRITING!! Encourage them also to illustrate their writing as well.

**I would love to hear what animal my new First Grade Friends would choose. If they would like to share it with me, snap a picture of their paper and send it to me at jwallace@questac.org

Please fill out this permission form for a fun activity we will be doing on the 1st day of school. I am unable to allow kids to have food outside of the lunchroom without your permission!

While some children leave Kindergarten already reading proficiently, others don’t become true readers until First Grade. If your child is not already a confident reader, he should have these pre-reading skills in order to become a successful reader in First Grade:

• Recognizes all uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as the sounds they make. 
• Can tell whether a pair of words have the same beginning or ending sound
• Can identify rhyming words
• Knows at least 25 Sight Words and can read them automatically.
• Can sound out short three-letter words such as “cat” or “man” by blending the sounds together

The best way to help your child become a reader is to read to him and with him! Make reading together an important part of your routine, whether it is at bedtime, in the morning, or throughout the day. Reread familiar books and incorporate new ones.

 As you read, talk about the characters and what they are doing. Ask your child questions, such as “What do you think will happen next?” or “Why do you think they did that?” Making reading interesting and fun will help build excitement around reading.

I’d love to post some pictures of the kids READING THIS SUMMER!! Email me a photo or two: jwallace@questac.org!!

Here are some FUN things you can be doing while you wait to be in 1st Grade!!

After our last READ-A-LOUD, Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild where Amelia Bedelia and her friends build a zoo in the backyard (complete with stuffed animals and attractions) and offer safari adventures to the entire neighborhood.  We decided to create our own ZOO’s and then went on our own little Field Trip to visit all 27 zoo’s right in our classroom;)

Hello, Quest Families!

The State has an amazing program called Kids Read Now! This program allows our students, Kindergarten through 3^rd Grade, to select FOUR FREE BOOKS to read during the summer (they’ll be shipped to your house). The intent is to encourage reading during the summer months and to help students maintain their reading skills. If you would like to opt out of this program and not receive four free books, please email Susan Goldsberry (sgoldsberry@questac.org) and let her know you’re opting out. Orders will only be fulfilled once we have indicated who is participating and who has opted out, so we need everyone to either select books or reach out to Susan. Please click here for an instructional video on selecting and receiving these books. Please select your books by Friday, May 19^th. Thanks for all you do. Happy summer and happy READING!

Quest Administration