Reeder's Reading Room

Updates

2011-04-17T14:05:00.001-07:00

The spelling words last week and this week have been especially challenging because they make the same sounds and the children just have to remember which word goes with which spelling for that sound. They really need some extra help with these. I talk to them about how there are 2 ways to make the "ow" sound. (Last week it was 3 for the "er" sound). Then we make up a sentence putting the words together that use the same spelling for that sound. This week we will use the sentences "How did the cow get to town." And "Get the mouse out of your mouth!"
I also want to remind you that our field trip is on Tues. the 26th. We will go to the Tree House Museum and to the Nature Center. If you want to go with us, we'd love to have you but we can't take siblings (school district policy).
As always - thank you for your support. I really appreciate all you do for "our" children.
Mrs. Reeder

Please keep on reading!

2011-04-06T14:02:00.000-07:00

Just a note in case anyone checks the blog. We do need the planners turned in on Tuesday with 100 minutes read before Friday April 8th. Please remember to read and return.
Also, we have a field trip coming up on April 26th. We will go to the Treehouse and the Nature Center. We'd love to have chaperons if you are able but we can't take any siblings. Thanks so much for all your support with "our" children. I am really excited about how they are growing in reading especially. We'll keep working with printing and math.
Mrs. Reeder

2011-03-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

Check out how well your child did with the phonics this time. On one side of the test, the choices were between the short vowel sound or the long vowel sound. Most of the children did a good job of hearing which sound the vowel made and then choosing which spelling would make that sound. Way to go first graders! You are learning so much!

2011-02-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

Just wanted you to know a change on the phonics test. I did an extra side that just had the vowels on it. I wanted to see how the children would do on that. They did pretty good. It will not count on the report card. That was just for me to know. The test that counts is the 10 point one on the other side.

My Bad

2011-02-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

I apologize that I forgot to put the new spelling and vocab words on the blog last week! I would like to thank all those who are remembering to read 20 minutes a day with your child. Please remember that spelling and vocabulary words can be included in the 20 minutes. I hope that you have seen much growth in your child as they have worked with their 3rd grade tutor. The tutor program will end on February 25th. Please try to have the books returned by then. We hope that we will be able to start the program up again in May. Thanks for all you do!

Love,
Mrs. Reeder

It's a NEW YEAR

2010-12-28T13:19:00.000-08:00

I hope that you have had a wonderful vacation! I hope that we are now ready to get back to work and do our best to learn all we can. Let's make a resolution to read at least 20 minutes every single day! We would all become even better readers if we did! If we practice, we will get better! Looking forward to seeing you.
Love,
Mrs. Reeder

Thanksgiving week

2010-11-20T21:58:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to remind you how much I appreciate the time you spend with our student. Your time one on one with him/her is probably the most valuable work they do. Thanks so much. This week, with only two school days, we will not have spelling words or vocabulary words. So I am sending home the words for the week of November 29th through December 3rd.
I hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving vacation and that you and your children enjoy being together.

2010-11-12T17:47:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much for coming and meeting with me. I enjoy your children. They are precious. Thank you for sharing them with me. And thank you for all your help.
Mrs. Reeder

What's coming?

2010-11-03T17:08:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed the field trip. A big thanks to all those who went with us. We've written a book about it. I hope to have it put together for each of you at parent/teacher conferences. Your child should have brought home a note with a time for your appointment. Please send it back to let me know if I should schedule another time for you. Thanks again for your help. Please keep reading - 20 minutes every day. If you are reading on Sat. and Sun., please put it in the planner so that I can give your child an extra drawing slip. They get one for 5 days and 2 for 7 days. Thanks so much.
Mrs. Reeder

Zoo Field Trip

2010-10-14T16:41:00.000-07:00

Last Monday - the 4th of Oct., we sent home a note about our zoo field trip coming up on the 26th of Oct. I've received several back - thank you. If you didn't see the note, please check last weeks information and look for the orange note. If you cannot come with us, it is especially important to have a phone number where I can reach you if there is an emergency. If you already have an account with our lunchroom, you do not need to send extra money for lunch. If your child doesn't normally eat school lunch, we would request that they do so for the field trip. It is $1.75. They usually make peanut butter and jam sandwiches and have chips and carrot/celery sticks with juice and a cookie. We request this particular lunch so that we don't have to haul the cooler into the zoo and meet in a certain area for lunch. The chaperons can carry the lunches in a back pack and eat with their group when and where it is convenient for them. We are excited for this trip and hope the weather will hold out. visits this week and have another pet coming on Monday. Thank In the fall, the zoo isn't too crowded.
We enjoyed the kitten's and the dogs'visits this week. Thank you, parents, for sharing with us.
Thanks again for your help in letting your child read to you 20 minutes each day. It really makes a difference if they get that practice.
Hope to see you at the zoo and/or parent/teacher conferences in November.
Mrs. Reeder

2010-10-01T14:39:00.000-07:00

Our zoo trip is Tues, October 26th. We would love to have parents go with us. But parents may have to furnish their own transportation (you can car pool) and we can't have siblings on the trip. I'm sorry. We will send more information home soon. Please check the weather for that day and have the children dress accordingly.

We are talking about pets next week. If you have a pet that you would like your child to show and tell, please send me a note letting me know when you can bring it. We would need a parent to bring it and to take it home after we've talked about it. The best times would be right after school starts - 8:30 or before lunch - about 11:00 or before school is out - about 3:00. I would like to schedule it somewhat. Even if it took us two weeks to do it. So if you could send a note with your best day and your best time, I would send it back to you. Also, help your child know how you care for their pet and think of things they like to do with the pet. We like our sharing times to be more "Show and Teach" instead of just show and tell.
Thanks,
Mrs. Reeder

Book Orders, thanks and pictures

2010-09-24T20:23:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to remind you that if you are interested in the books from the book order, I need them returned by Monday, October 4th. Please make checks payable to Scholastic and put it and the order form in an envelope with your child's name on the outside. Thank you again for all that you do to read with your child. Reading is a skill that takes a lot of practice to be able to do well. Your 20 minutes a night is a very important part of that. Thank you so much for all you do. Next week, if you want, we will share pictures of your child as a toddler. (Our reading theme is growing up.) We will return the pictures the next week.

2010-09-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry I am so late this week. I hope that this helps you. Next week, we will be talking about growing. If you would like, you could send a picture of your child as a toddler. If you put it in an envelope with your child's name on the outside, we will return it after we have tried to guess who each one is. Thank you for listening to your child read. We have had more students return their planner having read 100 minutes or more than any other first grade class since school began this year. Together, we can help your child learn.

2010-09-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

Yeah! We're beginning our spelling and vocabulary work this next week. So when you come to our blog now, you can find our spelling and vocabulary words there. Please listen for the sounds so that you can learn more about reading and writing. I am so thankful for the time and care that you give "our" children. I love working with them. Thanks, Mrs. Reeder

We're wild about learning!!

2010-08-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I hope you had a great summer. It's a fine time to be out and about. To see new things and do fun things. How can we take the good things from summer and include them in school? We do a lot of reading and writing in first grade. Can you talk with your parents about things you did in the summer that you might want to write about and put in a journal to read with your friends?

I am looking forward to seeing you all. I hope we work hard together and learn a lot.

Summer Is Almost Here

2010-05-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

The weather hasn't shown it well, but we are close to the end of our 1st grade year We've all done a lot of growing! As far as I can see, it has been a positive experience for all of us. This next week is the last week we will do spelling, vocabulary, etc. work. The final week we will clean up, go to the Roy Aquatic Center, present plays to each other, and other fun things.

I just wanted to pass on a tip that might help your child understand when to use the "oy" or "oi" spelling, which we are studying this week. In our list this week the "oy" is always used at the end of the word, and the "oi" is followed by a consonant. Parents, thanks for all your work. Thanks for what you do for us.

And thanks for all your support throughout the year. With last weeks tests I sent home a page from the superintendent about the summer reading program. Please note that this year the Barnes and Noble in Layton will donate a free book--from the list on the back of the page--to any child who reads 10 grade level books or 1000 pages over the summer. You may want to keep that chart handy, so you'll remember t0 write book names and page numbers during the summer.

Hope you have a great summer! Stop by and say "Hi" in the fall.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Reeder

Last Call for Reading Lists

2010-04-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! We are in the final stretch. We know so many of the reading tricks. Now we need to practice, practice, and practice. Then we will become great readers. Thanks Mom and Dad, for taking the time to listen to us practice. We know that it isn't always easy to find the time but it helps us become much better at this new skill we are acquiring.

Remember we have a goal of knowing all the words on the 6 word lists by the end of April. Most of us are already there. But there are 8 of us working on that last list and a few who have a couple other lists to do too. Let's make a big push for finishing that goal before the 29th of April. Our reward--an extra recess with Mrs. Anderson--will be on the 30th of April. It should be great fun. I know we can do it if we try!

Thanks for all you do.
Mrs. Reeder

An update

2010-03-26T22:26:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,
I just wanted to thank you for your donations so we could have our spring party. I also wanted to help you know that even though we are sending home the vocabulary words and spelling words on Monday, because of the short week we will not be testing on them until the following Friday. We just wanted you to have a head start on them.
Thanks again for your help and support. Reading is a skill that takes practice to learn to do well. I appreciate the practice and the positive experiences you have with your child as they learn to read. It can be a bond for you through your lives.
Thanks,
Mrs. Reeder

Thank You!

2010-02-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

A big thanks for taking the time to come in and meet with me. I love sharing your child with you. And I really appreciate your input as to how we can best help them grow and learn in first grade. There are so many wonderful doors to open in their world. And reading is one of the most important ones. Please continue to listen to your child read for 20 minutes each day. This will do amazing things for their reading ability.
Thanks so much.
Mrs. Reeder

It's Next Year!

2010-01-10T20:12:00.001-08:00

It is 2010 - next year - but we're still here together. We have 5 more months to learn much more! We have some amazing readers in our room! I'm very proud of you. Many of you take 20 minutes everyday - even Saturday and Sunday - to read. Remember the more we read, the better we get. So let's all read our 20 minutes every day.
Love,
Mrs. Reeder

Reeder's Wonderful Readers

2009-11-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

We have some students who are very diligent about reading 100 words every week and returning the planner (signed) each Friday or Monday. We have some students who have read more than 100 minutes every week. Because of these wonderful readers, we have read more than any other class in Kindergarten, first or second grade. But we need every student to read 100 minutes and return their planners every week. We would love to have the ramster in our room again. We can't do it without everyone's help. Please join us and read every day for at least 20 minutes - even Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Then if something comes up, you'll still have your 100 minutes.
Thanks,
Mrs. Reeder

Something's Coming!

2009-10-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all the wonderful parents and grandparents who went to the zoo with us. We really enjoyed it. We have written about a favorite animal. (I can't believe how many children loved the penguins.) I am putting it in a little booklet that the children can keep. It will be like a mini-coloring book. I hope that the children enjoy reading and using it.

This next week we will be learning about pets. If you have a pet and are able to bring it to school (and take it home after we share) please send me a note. It would be best for us at 8:30 or at 12:00 (except on Tuesday because we have gym) or at 2:50 (except on Wed. which is early out.) If you could send me a note, I'll try to schedule the visits.

If we need to go into the next week, that will be okay. I just have a few minutes each day to do it and I'd rather only have one animal at a time. Please help your child think about how they care for the animal or what they like about the animal or a story about the animal to share. Thank you, again for all you do to help us.
Mrs. Reeder

ZOO

2009-09-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our zoo trip is Tues, October 6th (in case your child didn't get the note home to you.) We would love to have parents go with us. But parents will have to furnish their own transportation (you can car pool) and we can't have siblings on the trip. I'm sorry. We can only take one bus and we can't fit everyone on it.
We are excited because the baby tiger triplets and the baby elephant will be out where we can see them. Please check the weather for that day and have the children dress accordingly.
Thanks,
Mrs. Reeder

2009-09-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Show and Teach
In first grade, I have changed Show and Tell to Show and Teach. This helps us do more than "this is my favorite toy. I like to drive it." or "This is my stuffed animal. I sleep with it. I like to throw it up in the air like this." Since we are having a story on growing, it seems the perfect time to have a Show and Teach session. If you would like, please send a picture of your child when they were a baby or a toddler. It would be wonderful if you would tell them a story they could share with us about when they were young and learning new things. We will share the stories and put the pictures up on the wall for the children to look at and return them to you during the week after the 9th of October. It would help if you could send the picture(s) in an envelope so that they would be protected. Thank you.
Please send in the reading log on Monday. Since you would read Wed. evening and Thursday, I would like those minutes to go with that week. As usual, any minutes you read on Fri/Sat and Sun would go on the next week. We would like to keep that reading habit going, if possible. I am so pleased with much of the growth that I'm seeing already. Please keep it up.
Thanks again, Mrs. Reeder

Thanks!!

2009-09-11T16:16:00.000-07:00

I want to give you a big thanks for helping your child get their 100 minutes of reading practice in during the first few weeks. It is so important that we practice this new skill. We are now ready to start our spelling words and the weekly vocabulary words. You will notice that most of the vocabulary words are on the lists of the most frequently used words. Check out the lists we have. Thanks for all you do.

2009-09-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

We are finished reviewing and off to a running start in math. I will be sending home the math review with the planner next Monday. I want to look over it with them to help them. I often make notes on the pages - I know that not all of the children can read the notes yet. Will you please help them understand what is missing as you look over their work? Hearts around a number or a letter means that I love this. You wrote it so carefully.
This is our last week for reviewing in reading. I hope that we all remembered our planners with our reading minutes signed in it. I realize that I had so much information to give you at the conference that sometimes things get overlooked or mis-communicated. In first grade, we ask for the planner to be returned on Friday (or Thursday if there is no school on Friday) and then we will send them back to you on Monday. If you forget on Friday, you can return them on Monday. (We are just learning about being responsible in first grade.) Minutes read on Fri., Sat., and Sun. can be added in the planner when you get it on Monday.
We will start our spelling next week. The first test will be on the 18th with short "a" words. I'll post the list on Friday the 11th.
Thanks so much for your support.
Mrs. Reeder

Off to a great start!

2009-08-30T01:13:00.000-07:00

Wow! What super readers! Even though we didn't have a full week with our planners, we still had half of our class read and return them. I will add their time to next week's total. Some of you will get two slips in the drawing! Remember - believe in yourself, there's power in you. We can unlock that power by practicing! I'm so proud of you.
Love,
Mrs. Reeder

Slower Paced Conference

2009-08-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Our Parent/teacher conferences felt rushed this time. 10 minutes barely allowed me to relay necessary information to you and didn't give us much time to discuss our individual expectations for the year. With most of you, I missed hearing about your child's and your needs and would love to hear more.

In case you felt as rushed as I did, here is what I'm expecting of you and your child this year:

Routine:
Procedures for birthdays, checking kids in and out of school, what to send with your child, ect. will be explained in a letter from the first grade teachers (printed on yellow paper), in your child's folder.

Reading:
Our minimum goal is to have each child read 100 minutes a week. Although, if you read together for 20 minutes each day, you will more than amply meet this goal. Practice is what develops this important skill. I wish I could read with every student 1 on 1 each day, but beyond some small group interaction, I don't get enough opportunities.

For a little variety, if your child has read 20 minutes and wants to do more, I would be happy to count time spent reading on Starfall.com. It is excellent for beginning readers and doesn't link to other sites. However, this site shouldn't be the only reading practice they get.

Please document all reading minutes in the planner, send it with your child on FRIDAY, and I'll return it to you on Monday. Anything read on Friday through Monday can be written in under the comments section.

Please note there are two copies of the list of high frequency words. Please give one to Grandma, Dad, Babysitter, or to anyone that your child spends much time with that would be willing to practice with them. (or if you're like me, you may want save the extra list in case you lose the first one) If your child passes off all six lists before the middle of April, they will get to play outside with Mrs. Anderson at a special extra recess.

Please work on these lists. It will make a huge difference in your child's reading ability. I realize some of your children already know most of the words, so we can quickly pass their lists off and let them make a necklace as soon as possible.

Math drills:
Please practice putting numbers in order from 1 to 20 and descending from 20 to 1, which will help prepare them for adding and subtracting. Choose 2 numbers and talk about bigger, smaller; greater than, less than; more and fewer. Please discuss and use all of these terms so your child will become familiar with them. When they are good with 2 numbers, choose 4 and have them put the numbers in order from the least to the greatest.
I hope this helps. I feel like I was running a race as we talked. I wish I could have heard more from you. Please use the planner to write me notes about your child or e-mail using the address I showed you on the book order form.

I am looking forward to collaborating with your child and you this year. If we work together, we will successfully advance your child's education and have a positive experience in the process.
Thank you.
Mrs. Reeder

2009-08-18T19:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! That summer went by quickly and now it is time to meet a whole new group of friends. I'm getting excited and working to get your desks and crayons and pencils ready for you. We are sending out appointments for you to come and talk with me so that we can let you know the things we will be doing this year. First grade is the greatest grade to be in because we learn to read! I know many of you read well but this year, we will all learn to read! YEA!!!
This is where you can check to see our spelling words and vocabulary words when we start that. You can also check for reminders about field trips and other important things we are doing. There are also some sites you can click on. My favorite is Starfall.com.
I hope you enjoy the last few days of vacation. See you on Monday.
Love,
Mrs. Reeder

Don't Forget the Editor's Remarks

2008-09-02T22:26:00.000-07:00

Parents, I am thrilled to be partnering with you in the education of our children. Together we can make a difference to these precious people. With that in mind, I feel it is important to note that I look over your child's work with a careful eye. I believe that feedback is crucial to learning. Please look for notes on examined papers and share them with your child. Hopefully my comments will prove useful to your child and you.

Welcome, Treasures

2008-08-25T18:33:00.000-07:00

I am happy to welcome you to first grade this year. We will learn many things. We will learn about "Believing in Yourself" and about filling buckets and about math and reading.

Please remember to practice your reading for 20 minutes every day. Please remember to have your mommy or daddy sign your Planner when you read. Then bring it to me each Friday. I'll put your name in the drawing and we will hope you win a prize. If you read and bring it to me every week for the whole quarter, Mrs. Anderson will have a special prize for you. If you do it every week, all year long, she will have a "blow out bash!"