MR. T’s LEARNING LAB

Teacher + Parent + Child = Success

READING 20 minutes each day Tracking: Start a habit of reading with your child for 20

minutes each night. As you read to your child, “Track”

the words by underlining the words with your index finger as you read. If your child reads to you, have them

“track” (following with their finger) as they read. Reach For Reading Online: Using the username (with

15 at the end) and password I send home with your child, log onto the Reach for Reading Student Website.

Click on all activities (phonemic awareness, books,

printouts, etc.) for Unit 1 and Unit 2. If your child struggles with Phonemic awareness, this site will help.

Keep this first page as a reference so the concepts and skills may

be reviewed throughout the year. The strategies log (the next page in this homework packet) SHOULD REMAIN ATTACHED to

your child’s homework and returned on the date specified. Your involvement in continuing the educational activities at home is key to the

success of your child this year. The Parent-Teacher Partnership Page will

ensure that the concepts and skills learned Mr. T’s Learning Lab are supplemented in your home.

Thank you for your participation!

LETTER INVESTIGATION

Each week we will review all letter names and sounds, so home review of all letters is important. So far this

year, we have concentrated on M, S, T, P, C, A, H. R, I. This week we are working on F and G.

f: “curved high start down, cross. The sound for f is

‘fff!’” g: “around down, up down and a fishhook under water.

The sound for g is ‘g!’” (a clipped g sound, not a long guh) Skywrite the letter in the air and say the sounds for

these letters. The flashcards you received earlier in the

year has the chant for all lower case letters. Our goal is mastery by the end of December.

PHONEMIC AWARENESS Breaking Down Words: Say three random 3 letter word to your child and have them respond by breaking the words

down into their individual sounds. Example: Dog – duh – aw- guh. This exercise is done orally without showing your

child a printed word.

Breaking down words into their sounds is an important step in learning to decode words.

WRITING When your child completes the author and illustrator page, ask your child to label the items in their picture and also write

some detail words. For example: If the story was about the family cat, after drawing the cat ask your child to write labels

such as head, tail, ears, eyes, mouth. Detail words could be the cat’s name and descriptors such as fluffy, striped, cuddly, warm, happy, etc. These labels near the picture will help your child write the story at the bottom of the page. Remember

that spelling at this stage is approximate and can look many ways!

MATHEMATICS

Counting/Writing: Have your child practice writing and counting their numbers as high as they can.

Ability to read number words: Use the word flashcards included in this packet to practice reading the

number word and match it with the number card.

Recognizing 1 less and 1 greater: Use the number cards included in this packet. Show your child a number

and ask what number is 1 less and what number is 1 greater.

Flashcard Work

Continue work with the LETTER FLASHCARDS in the order specified by week. Try to keep up with mastery of

the letters we have concentrated on thus far, so your child does not fall behind his/her peers.

VOLUME 3

Due: October

26

Parent

Teacher

Partnership

Jeff Thompson © 2015

MR. T’s LEARNING LAB

Teacher + Parent + Child = Success

Name:

October 26

Parent

Teacher

Partnership

Jeff Thompson ©2015

LETTER INVESTIGATION

READING

WRITING

PHONEMIC AWARENESS

MATHEMATICS

I read ___ 20 minute session with my child this week. List the books you have read with your child this week.

VOLUME 3

Please keep this page attached to your child’s homework. Write the strategies you used with your

child this week in the following areas.

Mr. T’s Letter Formation and Sound Practice Page

Name: __________________________________________ Mastering correct letter formation now is important for transitioning into cursive writing in later grades. Please have your child say the “chant and sound” aloud as they trace each letter. Watch your child to make sure they are following the arrows. Many students are starting their letters from the bottom-up rather than the top-down.

Ff “Curved high start down, cross! The sound for f is fffff!”

FFFFFFFFFFFFF fffffffffffffffff F///////////////////////f/////////////////////// Gg “Around down, up down and a fishhook under water! The sound for g is

“g!” (a short clipped version of guh)

GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG gggggggggggggggggggg

Jeff Thompson ©201

Name: __________________________________________

G///////////////////////g////////////////////// Tt “High start down and a monkey tail. T sound for t is “tuh!” (short clipped)

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT ttttttttttttttttttttttttt T///////////////////// t////////////////////// I/am///////////////// I/am///////////////// I/am///////////////// I/am///////////////// Is your child writing their name in deNelian style and from the top-down?

Jeff Thompson ©2015

Mr. T’s Letter Number Formation Practice Page

Name: __________________________________________

1 // 3 4 // 6 // 8 9 // // 12 13 // 15 // 17 18 // 20 21 22 // 24 // 26 27 // 29 // 31 // 33 34 35 36 // 38 // 40 // 42 43 44 45 // 47 48 49 //

Read the following number words. Parents, cross out the numbers read without error or help. Concentrate on any numbers words your child is struggling with.

two nine five ten three

seven four six one eight

Write numbers that are 1 before or one after:

// 5 8 // 13 // // 7

9 // // 15 // 17 20 //

// 13 12 // 11 // // 19 Circle the number that is greater.

3 9 12 8 5 7 12 14

Counting skills: My child can count without error to ___ .My child can count by 10’s without error to ___.

My child can count down without error from 10 to ____. Jeff Thompson ©2015

Mr. T’s FIRST (INITIAL) SOUNDS PAGE Name: __________________________________________ The Phonemic Awareness Skill of demonstrating the initial sound or beginning sound of a word is extremely important to decoding and reading words and has been a major focus thus far in the Learning Lab. This page is for the parent to

complete with their child and will help you understand where your child is in their mastery of this skill.

Please read the instructions to your child. After the parent reads one word, write down the child’s response in the space provided. (Do not correct your child, your child’s initial response will indicate their mastery level of the skill.) After you

have completed a section, please work with your child with this skill if they are struggling. I’d be happy to help you with methods to help you with your child. (Please, do not show them this page! )

Instructions: “I say a word. After I say the word, you repeat the word and the sound

that the word begins with.”

PARENT WRITE CHILD RESPONSE BELOW

“monkey”

“kayak”

“horse”

“eel”

“apple”

“lobster”

“police”

“rooster”

“dog”

“cow”

“goose”

“insect”

“bees”

“apple”

“umbrella”

“spider”

“fish”

“zebra”

“fall”

“winter”

“spring”

“summer”

“kinderfriend”

“teacher”

Jeff Thompson ©2015

Mr. T’s LETTER SKILLS PAGE Name: __________________________________________ Letter Identification/Sound Demonstration: This page is for the parent to complete with their child and will help you understand where your child is in their mastery of this skill. Point to the letter and have your child

say the letter name, then the letter sound. Cross out the “letter box” above the letter if your child correctly identifies the letter name. Cross out the “sound box” above the letter if your child correctly demonstrates the correct letter sound. Do

not correct your child while completing this section. If your child struggles with letter identification/sound demonstration,

more practice at home with the letter flashcards will help them become more confident in this academic area. Note why we work on all letter names and sounds that the shaded letters below are letters we have concentrated on thus far.

Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound

s a t i p Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound

n c k e h Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound

r m d g o Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound

u l f b j Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound Letter Sound

z w v y x Letter Sound

q Count the number correct in each category:

Letter Names: ____ out of 26 correct Letter Sounds: ____ out of 26 correct

Mr. T’s Number Identification

Ask your child to identify each of the numbers as you point to it. Cross out any numbers they can correctly

identify. Work on any numbers they are struggling to identify. (Please note that it is common for students to struggle with the “teens.”) Use the number cards I gave you to aid in working with your child with

number identification.

2 7 14 0 5 10 6 16 11 20 15 3 19 13 4 9 18 12 8 1 17

Count the correct number of numbers correctly named: ____ out of 21.

Jeff Thompson ©2015

Mr. T’s “BREAK IT DOWN” and “SAY IT FAST” PAGE

Name: __________________________________________ The Skills of “Break It Down” and “Say It Fast” skills are extremely important to decoding and reading words and are a major focus of the Read Well program. Your child has practiced Breaking Down which is breaking down a word into its

individual sounds. (There is a separation between the sounds.) Say it fast is combining the individual sounds in each word together in one breathe and is “just saying the word as you would normally.” This page is for the parent to

complete with their child. Please read the instructions to your child. After the parent reads one passage of their

section, write down the child’s response in the spaces provided. (Do not correct your child, your child’s initial response will indicate their mastery level of the skill.) After you have completed a section, please work with your child with these skills if they are struggling. (Do not show them this page! )

Instructions: “I will “Break Down” a word. After I “break it down”, you break it down and then say it fast!”

PARENT WRITE CHILD RESPONSE BELOW

(parent bumpy blends the word) Break It Down Say It Fast

“j-a-m” (the sounds for jam)

“b-a-t” (the sounds for bat)

“p-i-g” (the sounds for pig)

“t-o-p” (the sounds for top)

“d-o-g” (the sounds for dog)

“s-a-t” (the sounds for sat)

“p-a-n” (the sounds for pan)

“p-a-d” (the sounds for pad)

“a-n-t” (the sounds for ant)

“n-i-p” (the sounds for nip)

Instructions: “I say a word. After I say it, you “break it down!”

PARENT WRITE CHILD RESPONSE BELOW

sat

pet

fun

Ted

not

jet

lap

get

tin

pot Practice smooth and bumpy blending by saying objects in your house or outside as you walk or drive through your neighborhood.

Jeff Thompson ©2015

You are the author and Illustrator. Write a story about what you did during the weekend. Remember to visualize and label your picture

Name: __________________________________________

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// ///////////////////////

Jeff Thompson ©2015

/////////////////////// /////////////////////// /////////////////////// /////////////////////// /////////////////////// /////////////////////// /////////////////////// /////////////////////// ///////////////////////

(Parents, we want the students to start to label objects their picture and use those labels to write. Remember that

students are at varying levels of writing at this stage. Some children are writing words and sentences while others may be approximating words using the letters that they know. Do not correct their work, just encourage them at the level they are currently working by encouraging writing labels and writing letters instead of scribbles! ) When they say they

are finished, say “When you think you’re done…. (they should respond back “we have just begun!”) Ask them to write a few more details in their pictures and words. If you would like, you can come back to this page a day later and ask them to add details as well. Use “Mr. T’s Letter Reference Sheet” for writing the sounds your child knows in their words.

Jeff Thompson ©2015

Mr. T’s “RED WORD” FLASHCARDS PAGE

In addition to decoding and “reading” words, your child will learn “tricky words” or “sight words.” These words do not follow decoding rules (or follow advanced decoding rules they have not learned yet) and must just be memorized. Please keep this cut these flashcards out and help your child practice them. It is helpful to remind them that these are “tricky words” and cannot be broken down. We will be practicing these words using the “say, spell, say” technique. Example: Child says the word: “from!” Child spells the word: “F-R-O-M” (clapping as they say each letter) Child says the word: “from!”

from

go

has

like

one

with

they

two

our

said

Jeff Thompson ©2015

MR. T’S DECODABLE WORDS # 3

Kinderparents,

Please cut these flashcards out and work with your child to “break-it-down” (say each sound) then “say-it-fast”

(read) these decodable words. These letter names and sounds have been worked on in class. We also review

these words daily during reading. If your child does not know the letter sounds, please use the flashcards and

work on letter sounds until mastery is reached. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Mr. T.

ran ram

Tim fin

him sit

it hip

fig sag

fan fit Jeff Thompson ©2015

MR. T’S NUMBER WORDS

Kinderparents,

Please cut these flashcards out and work with your child to learn their number words. Unfortunately, most

number words have to be memorized as they are “red words” and don’t follow decoding rules. Please do not

hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Mr. T.

one two

three four

five six

seven eight

nine ten

zero Jeff Thompson ©2015

MR. T’S NUMBER

Kinderparents,

Please cut these flashcards out and work with your child to learn their number words and match them with

number words as well as quantities of items. This is also a rote skill. Please do not hesitate to contact me if

you have any questions. Mr. T.

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

0 Jeff Thompson ©2015