Welcome to Mrs. Murray's Web Page!
SCIENCE RELATED ARTS
This year in Science:
We will be exploring science through hands-on explorations, open discussions, and observations.
Your child will have the opportunity to think critically, ask questions, make predictions, form hypotheses, and reflect on their learning.
We will be learning about many topics this year. Some of which include;
Matter: Solids, Liquids, and Gases
Weather and Air
Magnetism
Light and Color
Sound
Force and Motion
Living Things
Rocks and Soil
The Solar System
We will also be using Science Tools such as thermometers, microscopes, magnifying glasses, scales, and compasses.
What's going on in Science Related Arts?...
As the end of the school year approaches we will be learning and exploring many interesting concepts. The children will be learning about bridges and will design and create their own structure after learning about a few simple kinds of bridges. Also, we will be exploring bubble science and experimenting with various items to create different shaped bubbles. There will be many more exciting activities in an effort to leave the children with a love and appreciation for Science.
We recently completed a study on pollution and helping to save our Earth in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd. Science and Art combined their classes and created "works of art" using used items. We explored compost and the concept of recycling and reusing items in an effort to help create a lifelong appreciation for protecting our environment.
Please click on the link below for information on recycling items.
Cell Phone, Laptop, Gold & Silver Jewelry Recycling Fundraiser
BASIC SKILLS
In Basic Skills I will be working with small groups of children focusing on specific skills and strategies to better support your child in reading.
Some tips to support your child in Reading:
Read to your child every day and allow your child to read to someone at home.
Visit the local library.
Let your child pick out his or her own reading material (with parent supervision). They will be more likely to read if it is something of interest to them.
Your support and encouragement will make a huge impact on your child's success with learning and reading. Create a positive learning environment at home and always show encouragement, and your child will have a positive attitude towards reading and school.
Make predictions before reading.
Have your child retell the story after reading to check for comprehension.
Encourage them to self-question during reading.
Help with decoding unknown words by looking at picture clues, blending or stretching sounds, looking at the structure of the word (does it look like a word I already know? Do I see any chunks?), and thinking about what word would make sense in the story.
A great reading website for your child at home is www.starfall.com
What's going on in Basic Skills?....
In first grade we are currently focusing on using our reading strategies independently without prompting. For example, what to do when we come to an unknown word. This is a huge step in becoming an independent reader.
We are also working on long vowels and their patterns, R- controlled words, and contractions.
Please have your child practice the stories that he or she has in their reading bag. These are stories they are familiar with and that will help to reinforce and strengthen the skills we work on in school. While reading these stories at home your child should also be implementing strategies learned for reading unknown words such as looking at picture clues, getting our mouth ready for the first sound, skipping the word and coming back to it, looking for chunks in words, thinking about the meaning of the story and what word would make sense, and stretching or blending words.
In Kindergarten we are focusing on reviewing letter sounds and sight words to help strengthen the foundation for learning to read.
Please be sure your child is reading every night and practicing their "trick" words from their word wallet. Remember, we can't "sound out" these words!
As the end of the year approaches I would like to say that it has been a pleasure working with the children at New Egypt Primary. I have enjoyed getting to know each child and being able to work so closely with some. If you need anything please don't hesitate to contact me. Thank you for all your support throughout the school year. Have a wonderful and relaxing summer!
Feel free to contact me at anytime with questions, comments, or concerns. You are your child's lifeline and I appreciate your support in keeping communication open. My email is MurrayL@newegypt.us and my number at school is 758-6800 ext. 5018.