Week 14 in K2

Reading Programme

On Wednesday evening Celena Larkey, a lead staff developer from Teachers College, Columbia University, gave a presentation to parents about reading. During her talk, Celena focused on 6 essentials that teachers strive for every day in their classrooms. She suggests parents do the same at home to support their child’s reading in the best possible way. The 6 essentials are listed below:

1. Children need to choose their own books and spend quality time with their eyes on 'just right' books.
2. They should read ‘just right’ books with 98% accuracy. Research shows that acceleration takes place when reading is 98% accurate.
3. Children need to read something that they understand. This means a lot of re-reading of text that they find engaging.
4. Children need to write about things that are personally meaningful so choosing their own subject matter is vital.
5. Every child needs to talk with his/her peers about reading and writing. Research has shown that conversations with peers (and parents at home) improves comprehension and engagement with text.
6. Children need to listen to a fluent adult reader read aloud. This increases their own fluency, comprehension skills, expands vocabulary, background knowledge, awareness of genre and text structure.

Celena also had some suggestions on how you can encourage more reading at home:

• Become an expert at your local library and book store.  
• Keep books organised and have your child help you to organise his/her books.
• Encourage different kinds of reading.

As teachers we have learned so much this week from Celena about teaching young children to read and in the coming months we will be implementing many of her ideas in our classrooms. We are very excited about our Reading Workshops and look forward to witnessing the growth and development of the children’s skills.

More information about Reading and Writing Workshop can be accessed via this link to the Teachers College site:

http://readingandwritingproject.com/

Magic Materials

Our Unit of Study, ‘Magic Materials’ is well under way and we have all been thinking about and discussing ‘Where does all the rubbish go?’  

Each classroom will be setting up its own Recycling Centre, in order that we can focus on 'Reduce, Reuse, Recycle'. Please send in your clean rubbish. Anything that you would normally throw away, or recycle somewhere else, we will be able to put to good use! Please make sure all items are washed and clean as we do not wish to attract ants!

The children can decide what they want to do with their rubbish. Items could be put in the junk modelling box for reusing and reducing waste or put into the various recycling containers. We will be making visits to the UWCSEA Recycling Centre, located by the Bus Bay, when our bins get full!

PLASTIC BAGS WANTED!

We will be doing some art projects using plastic bags. Please could you continue to send in any plastic bags you have – the brighter, the better! Thank you.

PE and Swimming

K2SMH and K2HWe have now finished their swimming programme and will be doing PE on both Tuesdays and Thursdays.

UN Day in the Infants:

Friday 21 November

UN Day is nearly upon us! 

The morning will begin in your child’s classroom. Each K2 class is going to focus on two countries (see below). There will be hands-on, practical activities set up in each room, and you will be able to go around the different K2 classrooms, doing a variety of arts and crafts, whilst learning a little about those countries along the way.

The following countries will be represented in the classrooms:

K2HWe

Japan & The World

K2SMH

Great Britain & The Netherlands

K2JiS 

Mexico & Indonesia

K2ZBr

India & Vietnam

The timings of the morning will run as follows:

8:50am  Arrive at UWCSEA

9:00am-10:00am  Activities in classrooms  

10:30am  Infant Parade and songs in the Main Hall

11:00am  Finish