Junior Infant Information Meeting

1. Junior Infant Information Meeting 7 November 2013 FÁILTE!

2. Agenda • Introduction & Welcome • Our Mission • Your role as primary educator • Oral Language • Reading • CAPER (Children And Parent Enjoy Reading) • Writing & Handwriting • Numeracy • Gaeilge/Irish • Homework • Recommended websites

3. OUR MISSION STATEMENT • To provide a safe, friendly, effective and stimulating educational environment  • To promote the principles of respect, truth and equality • Seek to promote confidence, self-esteem and communication skills • To show consideration and respect for each individual and for others  • Affirm in faith and celebrate difference • Strive to help children to attain goals and to help each child develop his own potential and talents for future life

4. The importance of parental involvement • “The support of parents who are engaged in their child’s learning has a significant positive impacton a child’s educational achievement, especially in literacy and numeracy.” (Literacy & Numeracy for Life National Strategy 2011-2020)

5. Things that influence a child’s life chances, well-being and educational success Family and environment are arguably six times more important than school? Gender, disability, ethnicity Family Resilience Social Capital Readiness Social Personal Social Class Motivation Poverty Ability School

6. Literacy in the 21st Century http://www.pdst.ie/node/472

7. Oral Language • The development of oral language is given an importance as great as that of reading and writing, at every level, in the curriculum. • (English Language Teacher Guidelines, p3) • A child can have between a thousand and five thousand words by the time they are three depending on family circumstances.

8. Solid oral language = better reading = improved writing

9. What can I do to help my boy’s oral language? • Talk to him every day about every day things in his environment at every possible opportunity. • Encourage full sentences. • The use of the past tense. • Express feelings. • Play games. Make sure he interacts with his peers. • Read to him and let him re-tell you the story. • Introduce new vocabulary– picture dictionary useful for all children but especially international children. • Poetry, rhymes and riddles • Improvised drama • Children should be seen and not heard!!

10. Reading • Junior Infants – much of the English programme in his first year will be devoted to oral language and informal reading activities • What is happening in class now in preparation for formal reading?

11. What can I do to help my boy’s reading? • Read to him every night. • Join the library. Have a rich variety of books available at home. • Create a print rich environment in your home. • Make sure you do his CAPER with him. • Practise his letter sounds. (Look for sound in newspapers, books, signposts etc) • Check he is not reading from memory. • Recall/prediction in story. • Don’t jump in. Encourage blending of sounds.

12. Develop sight vocabulary/high frequency/tricky words Dolch list • Thetoand • HeaI • youitof • Inwassaid • Histhatshe • Foronthey • but • Had http://www.brentwood.k12.ca.us/brentwood/Links/DolchProject/sentences/List1.html

13. Play onset and rime gamesThis is just one example of the hundreds of resources out there. • http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/wordsandpictures/clusters/blender/index.shtml

14. Jolly Phonics • What is phonics?Phonics is simply the system of relationships between letters and sounds in a language. When your boy learns that the letter B has the sound of /b/ and he learns that "tion" sounds like /shun/, they are learning phonics.

15. Jolly Phonics Presentation available on our website Parents Section

16. CAPER (In January) • Children And Parents Enjoy Reading • Shared Process between child and adult • Main focus is on enjoyment • Talk to them about the book – front cover, author, illustrator, pages, left to right orientation etc

17. Writing and Handwriting Tips • FroggyLegs -> • Left to right, top to bottom • Finger space between words • Pencil position, page position, • table position • Free writing • If my child is finding writing difficult...? • Handwriting & Presentation Policy on website

18. Why do we need to do Maths Mammy/Daddy? http://www.pdst.ie/node/472

19. Numeracy tips • Forming the numbers correctly (how we do it on handwriting/presentation policy) • Finding maths in the child’s environment e.g. Calendars, brochures, shapes etc • JI – write 1-5, count from 1 to 10 • The language of Maths – more, less, the same, different, rough, smooth, heavy, light

20. Gaeilge/Irish • Children have no hang ups about speaking Irish • Encourage to use simple words at home e.g pass me the bainne. • Question the boys on words they learned in school, games they played. • Dún/oscail an doras – common phrases • Watch cartoons on TG4

21. Homework • Junior Infants – Homework goes out on Tuesday and is returned on Friday. 1 Page Per Night • Colouring in is part of the homework • Usually just English and Maths

22. Some Recommended websites • www.literactive.com • www.starfall.com • http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/ • www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/ • www.iamanartist.ie/ • http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ • www.scoilnet.ie • www.readwritethink.org • www.brainpopjr.com(subscription) • www.iboard.co.uk

23. Miscellaneous • Behaviour management systems in Junior Infants and school-wide • Lunches • Absences and Attendance • Tracksuits – Tuesday and Thursday

24. Questions?