Mrs. Chromy

Welcome to our K-1-2 classroom! We have a great time working together and independently in the primary room. We are a "family" and practice respect for each other as we discover new things and learn new skills. Our day begins with "calendar," where we discuss the day, date, month, season, weather, etc. We also count our school days, and work with mathematical ideas such as place value, temperature, money, skip counting, odds and evens, patterns, etc. Calendar is a very enjoyable time for all of us, but also great practice in mental math as we learn together and from each other. Reading is a main focus in our room. We practice the 70 phonograms of the Spalding method, which students use to decode new words. A strong phonics program has given the students real tools to use when learning how to read, write, and spell. We have daily oral reading practice and skills work. I also ask students to read the daily lesson to someone at home in the evening, and have the listener initial a dated folder to record practice. This daily oral practice greatly improves a student's reading skill. The ability to read well makes other subjects like science and social studies more meaningful, and also greatly adds to a student's enjoyment of pleasure reading. Of course, writing and spelling are directly connected to reading. Again, a strong phonics program enables the students to feel success in these areas. We practice the phonograms both orally and written to gain confidence in using them. When we have spelling, we apply the Spalding rules and markings to the words, so we learn about things like short and long vowels, and even syllables. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ... Math is also emphasized in our classroom. The calendar gets us all into mental practice first thing in the morning, but later we will be writing down many concepts in math, in various levels. We use the Everyday Math series at our school, and one thing that this program does is show you that numbers and math concepts are everywhere in your day. Another great thing about this program is that it is somewhat "open-ended," allowing a more advanced student to progress at a more challenging rate. We have a lot of drill and practice, as well as applying what we learn to daily life. Show and tell, library, social studies, science, music, p.e., and all kinds of activities round out the rest of our day. We have lots to learn and we have fun doing it!