Hi Parents and Students,
Only one more week until Spring Break! I hope everyone has great plans. Please try to encourage your child to continue his/her reading during this time. Our last AR celebration is a great one and we've got some pretty lofty goals this quarter. I know the kids can meet these goals, but it will definitely take continued attention to do so. Please also encourage your child to stay within his/her ability level for reading. I know the kids are excited about reading longer chapter books, but understanding is the key. We had some exciting news here at school; Mrs. Belmonte's chicks have hatched! As of today, we have five baby chicks. More are expected to hatch over the next few days. The children went to science lab today, so we were lucky enough to see this event first hand! Check out the Extra Credit project below...it is a fun one this time! BUT, to earn the reward, the format MUST be followed with VALID reasons and supporting evidence. I will be picky about this one! Our secret agenda word this week is "CHICKS".
Phonics/Grammar: This week, we learned about the 'oo' sound as in cook and the 'oo' sound as in tooth. We used our I-Respond system to check our understanding of these sounds and we worked on whiteboards to practice writing these words. We also played a matching game with a partner. We reviewed the four types of sentences (statement, command, exclamatory, and interrogative) and wrote our own. We focused on the kind of punctuation that is needed for each.
Reading: We worked in small groups on the books Talk, Talk, Talk, The Legend of the Bluebonnets, and The Big Sheep Mix-Up. In these groups, we focused on identifying the genre as well as pointing out the key events that lead to the solution in the story. We continue to read our chapter book, Lone Wolf. Ask your child about the sad event that happened in the story this week regarding Thunderheart. We also worked on our individual chapter books and completed contracts that emphasized reading skills.
Math: This week, we reviewed elapsed time again and telling time to the five minute increment. We also began our study of division. We've worked on taking our knowledge to the next level by completing "EXEMPLARS", which are word problems that have many possible answers. I provide the children with a word problem and manipulatives to solve the problem. They then have to explain how they arrived at their answer. I love to see the great deep thinking that is going on in our room!
Writing: We began our genre of Persuasive Writing this week. I modeled using an organizer to jot down my thoughts, then I used that organizer to help me write my paragraph. The format for this type of writing is to state your opinion, provide three reasons for your opinion, then include three specific examples under your reasons. Of course, then we close by restating our opinion. The children wrote guided paragraphs on why they believed they were good citizens.
EXTRA CREDIT: Due by Friday, April 2nd...
1. State your opinion on whether or not you think children should have homework.
2. Provide three supporting reasons (must be LEGITIMATE reasons) and three details or examples to support these reasons.
3. Type your paper on the computer.
4. Be prepared to share your paper.
IF you persuade me with your reasons (for or against homework), then you will have NO homework for one full week! Remember, I am going to be very tough on whether or not I give the reward on this extra credit paper! Your spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and format must be exceptional! Good Luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment