Short "I" Week

We're working on short vowel sounds to start the year. Last week was short "o" and this week is short "i". Brent knows all of the letter sounds, but he gets the middle sound mixed up. He'll be able to read the words a lot easier if he has those short vowel sounds down. I decided to keep it fun like we did in preschool, we're just working on different skills now.

Day 1: RIP

Math:

• Tried out candy corn equation puzzles. Brent loved these. 
• Change up the equations (add/sub) and let him come up with some.
• Print here. I printed the pieces on yellow, orange, and white cardstock, then laminated and cut out.

Literacy:

• Do short letter 'i' book. Cut, paste, write. Practice short 'i' sound.
• Rip I's out of magazine and glue on cover.

• Rip magazine pages into strips for pinata.
• Mix paste (glue + water) and make a pinata.
• Short 'i' words we talked about ... rip, pinata, fill (with candy), hit

  

Day 2: SIX

Math:

• Make numbers on ones/tens chart with candy corn and candy pumpkins. 
• This was great! I wrote a number below 100 and Brent made it on the chart. We counted by tens and ones. Then, we tried some addition. I wrote an addition problem (vertical) and he made each number with candy, then counted it altogether. I showed him how the ones line up and the tens line up on the chart just like on the equation. I loved it when it clicked and he said, "I can do math!"

Literacy:

• We played "Roll & Read". This is a great game for practicing short vowel words. Brent and I both enjoyed it.
• Take turns rolling the die. Whatever number you roll, read the next word in that column. We each had a color and circled the words we rolled and read.
• If you roll a six, eat a SIXLET! (or candy corn) :) 
• We improvised and when a whole column was done, if we rolled that number again, we read the whole list and got a candy :)
• Brent noticed lots of patterns in our colors too.

 

• We didn't get to this, but read "Six Sticks" by Molly Coxe
• Use six popsicle sticks to make creations.
• Write number words (one, two, three...) on 10 sticks. Mix them up, then order them.
• Use the popsicle sticks to measure things. Draw a picture of what you measured and record your measurement.

Day 3: MIX

Math:

• We always do our number corner first (calendar, weather/temp, add a unifix cube to our ones/tens chart, do add/sub equations, read sight words). Then we either do a handwriting page or a few pages from a 1st grade workbook.
• Brent wanted to know what 200+70= so I had him write it down vertically, then we worked on it on the tens/ones chart. I had him count out ten pumpkins, then showed him how those ten pumpkins changed into one box of Dots (one box = 100). He understood and thought that was awesome. I love that he can see it and understand it.

Literacy:

• We played "Mix It & Fix It" with short 'i' words.
• I told him I was going to mix up some ingredients and his job was to unscramble the word and write it down the right way on his "recipe" (just lined paper for writing practice!)
• I used letter magnets and put P-O-T in a container and shook them to scramble them.
• I dumped them out and Brent un-mixed the word, then wrote it on his paper.
• It was funny because he kept making up and longer and longer story about his recipe after each new word.

 

For Fun:

• To watch colors MIX, we make coffee filter leaves.
• Cut coffee filters into leaf shapes (I just traced a leaf cookie cutter, then cut several at one time.)
• Draw a circle of color with markers in the center of the leaf. Some, we did just one color. Some, we added a second color.
• Fold the leaf in half, then in half again, then in half again.
• Dip the point into a cup of water and watch the colors soak and mix!
• Ours are hanging on a string in our window! So pretty for fall.

• Make Halloween trail MIX for our movie night.
• Have Brent use a 1/4 cup, 1/2 cup, and 1 cup to help measure ingredients to mix together. Talk about whole, half, and quarter.
• Ideas: candy corn, popcorn, fall sixlets or M&Ms, candy pumpkins, bugels (witch's fingers), pretzels, chocolate chex.

This is how far we actually got on making our Halloween trail mix. Oh well! We did watch the Disney version of "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (with Bing Crosby) ... just no snacks to go with it!