Primary eNews – September 25th, 2020

Photos of Primary last year Three-Way Conferences

PYP Three Way Conferences
BIS will hold three-way conferences on Thursday, October 1st – this will be a non-teaching day. Students are encouraged to use any extra time following the conferences to complete assigned tasks, catch up, and work on learning packs. Students are also encouraged to get away from their devices. 

If COVID data points allow, we will welcome Primary families onto campus, all health measures in place, for 15-minute conferences with the homeroom teacher. I will inform families via email on Wednesday, September 30 regarding our final decision about access to the campus.

The purpose of this day in primary school is to recognize & celebrate the achievements of our students and to identify and communicate areas that need strengthening. It is also an opportunity to articulate future learning goals. Teachers will send home a Three-Way Conference Summary form prior to the conferences so that parents will have a chance to review prior to the meeting.

In Preschool we have begun exploring rhymes and rhyming words.

Rhyming words are words that have the same ending sounds. 

For example, “cat” and “hat” rhyme.  “Bear” and “chair “also rhyme because they have the same ending sound. 

Why is rhyming important?

1. Rhyming teaches children how language works.  It helps them notice and work with the sounds within words.
2. Rhymes help children experience the rhythm of language.  As they recite rhymes they learn to speak with expression and intonation.
3. When children are familiar with a nursery rhyme or rhyming book, they learn to anticipate the rhyming word.  This prepares them to make predictions when they read, another important comprehension strategy.
4. Rhyming is important for writing, too.  It can help children understand that words that share common sounds often share common letters.  For example, the rhyming words cat and bat both end with –at. Children can begin to explore words and rhymes themselves and recognise what happens to a word when a sound changes, like the initial sound dog becomes log. Children will also begin to see that combination of letters can have the same sound e.g. paw, door

In Preschool we;

1. Listen to rhymes in stories. Many children’s stories use rhyme as part of their structure. We will often cover a word in a sentence and see if the children can predict the word based on the rhyming pattern.
   “He was very good at standing still and munching shoots off trees. But when he tried to run around he buckled at the (knees).” (‘Gerald the Giraffe’ by G Andreae)
2. Play games where children look at pictures and listen as we say each picture’s name. Can you guess the odd one out e.g. king, ring, sing and dog? Which one doesn’t rhyme? Why?
3. Sing and act out finger and nursery rhymes. 
4. Engage with activities on seesaw that build up rhyming word families.

So enjoy reading, playing and singing with your child. 

After all, another reason we listen to rhymes is because it’s fun 🙂

The Preschool Team

Resources to support rhyming.

Suggested Stories

• Gerald the Giraffe,by Giles Andreae 
• Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown
• I Spy Little Books, by  Jean Marzollo
• Each Peach Pear Plum,  Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg
• The Gruffalo, Julian Donaldson
• The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
• Barnyard Dance, Sandra Boynton
• Edward the Emu, by Sheena Knolwes
• Llama Llama Red Pyjama, Anna Dewdney

These books can be found on the internet but BIS has a great library and Mr. Marshal is a rhyming whizz.

Suggested Rhymes

• Traditional Nursery Rhymes
• 5 Speckled Frogs
• Teddy Bear Teddy Bear Turn-Around.
• 1, 2,3,4,5 Once I caught a fish alive.

Games

• I spy with my little eye something that rhymes with e.g. red.  The answer could be bed.

Counseling
Catherine Pearson is one of many who wrote an article about how young children are over Zoom. We hear parents expressing concerns about their children not being connected enough on Zoom or being on Zoom too much. Some children like Zoom with their whole class and some dislike it. Some like meeting in a tiny group with their teacher; for others, it’s too much. Mixed emotions and enthusiasm are typical. 

What happens on Zoom?

How can you help?

• If they don’t want to attend Zooms or complete assigned tasks, give them a break. Use that time in a way that makes learning feel enjoyable. Tap into the Arts.
• Communicate with the teachers. “My daughter does not respond to the class Zooms, but she will go to the small group sessions.” Or, “My son needs a break from Zoom, and we are honoring that request this week. We will reevaluate after a week.” 
• Consider how your child learns best during this pandemic. Swimming in your pool or climbing on rocks at the beach is as helpful as doing a PE Zoom lesson. Children naturally inquire as they play. Do not underestimate the importance of playing.
• Create a safe family and friend bubble, so your children can interact with others.
• Spend time in nature as a family.
• Acknowledge their feelings.
• Remind yourself that little and often is an excellent approach to teaching and learning in Primary. In a classroom, teachers would never have children work on a task for hours. Small bursts are going to make learning more enjoyable.

Take care,

Sharon Gibbons