More than, fewer than

In the morning we learn about math and sentences for days of the week. Last week we practiced different combinations of 10s, this week we are learning "more than" and "fewer than." You can practice 3 is more than 2 or 7 is more than 5. Use different combinations number with counters to do it at home.

We practiced days of the week and sentences such as
Monday is the first day of school.
Tuesday comes after Monday.
Wednesday is the middle of the week.
Thursday is after Wednesday.
Friday is before Saturday or Friday, we can bring toys to school.
Saturday, we don't go to school.
Sunday, we spent time together with family.

For the afternoon, phonics, we learned the beginning sound of g, l, n, and d. They were quick to pick up. Words like goat, gold, goose: You can practice at home like G G G, g g g (hard g sound) Goose.

For social studies we learned about school and family. Inside the classroom, we have words like student, teacher, desk, pencil, and eraser. For family, we learn about the relationship between each other.

We also played teacher says in the class to practice listening and commands. All the students love that game.

Aston paid a little bit more attention this week. He needs to spend more time doing some counting at home. He is quick at picking up what people says and repeats but he needs more exercise in pattern recognition.

Albert was early on Wednesday. When he came early, slept really well during nap time. I spent my recess with him to catch up because he was late the other days. Hopefully, he can be here earlier because he loves to be number 1. He loves to participate

Claire is amazing. She is late half of the time but when she is here on time, she is focused and really good at math and phonics. She reads well and she likes the older kids. She just need to raise her hand more often.

Bonnie is on time and she loves learning. She is always on time and she does her work well. She gets along with the bigs kids. Bonnie likes to be motivated and encouraged. When she sees Serena get stars, she pushes herself and pays more attention.

Serena can look like is she is not paying attention and sometimes she wiggles around in her chair but she is on top of everything. She participates very often in class.

Kyle tries very hard in class. When he can't read a word, he will try to sound it out. His math improved and he understand more and fewer. He also actively participates in class.

Devon is trying in class but sometimes he can be lost. I tried to keep him on task by giving him more help.

Tricia is doing really well. She understands everything and I think she can be moved up. We might try it next week.

Irene is participating more in class each week. She understands more and you can see her smile when she gets the answers right.

Benson is good on the 2nd half of the class. When he wakes up after nap time, he is a bit cranky.
I am trying to help him with his confidence by encouragement but also asking him to speak up he reads.

Phil can be a little lazy sometimes if he is not engaged, so I make I call him to answer the questions he knows. Once he is motivated, he is more tuned in and participates more.

Next week, Teacher Scott is back and I am sure kids would love to see him again!
Teacher Paul

Teacher Paul is HERE!

Teacher Scott is out for 2 weeks and I am teaching them. It's refreshing teaching the little ones again because they are so cute and the last time I've taught kindies was about 4 years ago.

We did a lot of math this week. We did different combinations of 10. We have 2 baskets and 5 bears in each. We practiced addition/subtraction concept through the games we played. Please practice at home, it will help them recognize pattern and logic.

For social studies, we read about families and relationship and what friends and family do together. Kids understand father, mother, grandfather, and grandmother however, it was challenging for them to understand son and daughter. We also practice the days of the week and talked about which days are school days and which days we don't go to school.

For phonics, we went over the beginning sound of k, s, and m. I also corrected their pronunciation for some of the words like milk. Some of them pronounce it "meulk."

For reading we read "What does Pig Do." It reinforced the phonics and helped them with the sight words.

Individual Comments

Aston made some improvement in math but he still needs more practice. I've spent recess time with him and Devon and we practiced many times during this week. When he is reading, I need to guide his finger to keep him focused.

Kyle was understanding the patterns but he also needed some extra help. 2 and 8 was easy for him but 6 and 4 was difficult. For reading, he reads fine, but sometimes he is not paying attention.

Claire did very well in math and she was very fast. She picked up the pattern really quickly. Her reading is also good, she just have to read louder. Claire behaves well and listens to instruction.

Serena also did math well. She picked the pattern too. For phonics, she was on par with the class and she reads only with some assistance. Her handwriting is decent and we will work more on that. Sometimes in class she will be silly but most of the time, she is good.

Devon still spaces out sometimes and needs to pay more attention. He took more time to understand the math but he got it. In reading, he needs more help.

Albert's reading is excellent. He can read complete sentences with ease. It's good we have the older kids to challenge him and Tricia helps in stay on task. In math, his pattern recognition is good and he understands well.

Bonnie is always happy to learn and she brings her dimpled smile to class everyday. Her phonics is good and she also understands the material I teach.

Irene is improving in class, she is understanding more. She is gaining more vocabulary and her listening is definitely improved. She actively participates in class and she speaks when she knows the answer. Irene will take extra class after 4.30.

Benson is opening up more, he is still shy but he participates in class. His phonics is a little shaky but we are working on it together to help him read. Benson will take extra class to reinforce his phonics and build his vocabulary.

Philip is the same as Irene when she first got in. He is building his vocabulary and he is understanding more. In class, I encourage him as much as possible. I will always call on him when he raises his hands. He will also have extra class after 4.30.

Tricia is excellent in class. She is learning the material very fast and this is just the right level for her. She also helps with the little ones and they like her too. She actively participates in class and does her work very nicely.

Filed Trip Photos

September 11th

Hi Parents!
It's been another busy week...We've had a tremendous workload this semester, but I'm really impressed with how well the kids are doing!
I'm not sure if you know, but I'll be going back to the United States tomorrow ( Friday the 12th ) for a two week vacation.
Anyway, we've been making a lot of progress recently in our studies. In math class this week the kids have been learning about the different ways to make number combinations ( ie: 3 and 3 make 6 OR 2 and 4 make 6, etc..).
In phonics class we have been doing b and k phonic sounds, both beginning, middle and end. In reading we started reading the new story "Quack", and finally in Tops and ESL we've been talking about school and items found in and around the school and classroom.

Aston has been doing well in class this week, but he's been really slow eating his lunch again. He was doing great for a while...I really hope he can try harder.
Devon really enjoyed the new reading book "Quack" that we started reading in reading class.
Albert has done an exceptional job in reading! I'm very impressed with how quickly he learns the new stories we read.
Bonnie is making steady improvements with phonics, but I think she has really excelled in math class. She is able to pick up new concepts very quickly and is always eager to assist the other kids if they need help.
Kyle is doing great in both phonics and reading. He knows phonics very well and I'm happy to see him apply what he's learned in phonics to reading class, he's been trying to sound out words he doesn't know; overall he's been doing wonderful!
Claire has been doing really well in class but she's been very slow at lunch time. It's been taking her more than 40 minutes to finish her food. I hope she can try to eat faster...
Serena had a very good week. She continues to do well in all her school subjects and is also very well behaved.
Irene is talking more during class. I think she has more confidence now and is finally more comfortable speaking English...keep up the good work!
Phil is also starting to speak more as well. Last week he was very quiet and shy. This week he's been asking more questions in English and making a greater attempt to be a part of the class.
Benson is very shy and quiet, but he's done very well on his book work. He usually doesn't need assistance and is often one of the first people to finish his work.
Tricia is doing great! She's very helpful in class and always eager to speak English!

A New Semester

Dear Parents,
I hope everyone is having a good week. Well, we've finally started studying the new material for this year; because the new work is more difficult than last year, I hope all the kids can come to school on time so they don't fall behind in their studies.
This week we started our new math, reading and phonics books. So far all the kids have been off to a good start....
In math class we've been doing review of writing numbers, counting and patterns. So far the work has been pretty easy for the kids, but I'm sure it will increase in difficulty once we start the new material. I'll be sure to keep everyone updated about how all the students are doing.
In phonics class we also started the new text book. Like math, phonics has so far been review. We'll been reviewing beginning, middle and ending phonic sounds.
In reading class we read the new stories "Day by Day", "Nap, Cat", and finally " Max the Cat". "Max the Cat" is a great short story about a girl named Pam who has a bad cat named Max that likes to sit on her cap and mat....I think the kids really enjoyed reading the story.

Aston has been making progress. He's done very well counting, as well as with his addition and subtraction. One area I hope he can improve on however, is his concentration. This years course work is very difficult, and I worry that if he doesn't pay attention during class, he might fall behind.
Devon has made great progress with his reading. He's been very eager recently to read in class and I think it's great that he's showing a greater interest in reading! However, like Aston, I worry that his lack of concentration might start hindering his learning. Hopefully as the semester goes on he will be able to pay attention a little more....
It's great to have both
Kyle and Serena are back in class. We missed the two of you last month. Welcome back!!!
Claire has done well this week. She's picked up right where she left off last semester and continues to make progress in her studies. Her math and reading are coming along nicely and she should make tremendous progress in the coming months.
Albert has fallen a little behind this week. I've tried to find extra time to allow him to make up the work he's missed, but I worry that the work load might get too heavy for him. So far the classwork has been review of material we covered last year, however in the coming weeks we will begin studying new material that will be more challenging for the kids.
Bonnie is doing really well. She really excels in math. She knows her numbers, as well as addition and subtraction. Keep up the good work Bonnie!
Irene should do well this year. She isn't as quiet as she used to be, she's been talking much more in class and I think she should make a lot of progress real soon!
Tricia has done well this week. She's only been in class a short while but she seems to be doing well.
Benson also seems to be doing well. He was a little shy and sad yesterday (Wednesday) but he warmed up and started to enjoy himself. He should do well....it might just take a while for him to feel comfortable. I'm sure he is going through a very stressful time now with a new elementary school and a new bu xi ban.
And last but not least...Phil...Phil is still very quiet. I don't think he knows a lot of English yet, but I'm sure in the next few weeks, as he's exposed to more and more, we will begin to see him improve.