Hello Parents,
We have had another incredible week. Please check out the updates below to find out what we've been doing in each subject area. I think the highlight of the week for me was to hear the children complementing each other during our class meeting on Friday morning! We call these "big-ups!" and the kids love giving and getting these complements. It was a wonderful thing to hear what the kids have noticed about their peers and to hear how their actions and words have positively influenced others.
Phonics: This week, we learned about the sh and ch digraphs. We made a word web for each digraph, we sorted words by category, and we worked with our book buddies to make word puzzles from various letters. We worked on our white boards to sound out more challenging words, discussing the spelling rules that accompany these words.
Reading: We finished our chapter book, Ghostville Elementary, this week. We also read the books Epossumondas, The Little Red Hen, and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs and discussed important components of retelling a story. We now know that story retelling should include the character, setting, and four events. These events should be retold in order, using transition words to indicate sequence of events (first, next, then, last). Please encourage your child to orally retell you the stories that they are reading at home to reinforce this skill. Independently, the children worked on books that correspond to their reading level. They completed a reading contract, which emphasizes various reading, writing, and spelling skills using their particular book. We also worked in small guided groups on fluency and utilizing sounding out strategies to help us decode unfamiliar words.
Writing: We continued with our writer's workshop exploration this week. We learned about various ways that writing is used in every day life. We learned the five components of a friendly letter (heading, greeting, body, closing, signature) and we learned a hand motion to go along with each to help us remember! We learned that good writer's do their best and then move on to get those great ideas down on paper.
Math: We learned three strategies that will help us become more fluent in addition. We discussed the counting up method ( to be used when one addend is 1, 2, or 3), memorization of doubles facts (when both addends are the same), and using a number line to count up (when the addends are larger than 3). We also began discussing fact families, place value, and counting sets of money during our calendar time. We took our timed math facts test on Friday. Please make sure you are allowing time during the week for study. Your child will advance to the next set of math facts when a score of 85% or greater is achieved.
Dinner Conversation Starters...
*ask your child what a "big-ups" is and if they've gotten one or given one
*ask your child how Cassidy finally made the ghosts in Sleepy Hollow Elementary happy
*ask your child what words are called who let the reader know a story is being told in sequential order (transition words...first, next, then, finally, etc)
*ask your child what book they are reading independently during reading time and what contract page was their favorite
Class News and Reminders...
All coupon books were due today. Please return Monday if you still have them at home!
Congratulations to Paul Farley for being chosen as this week's Teacher's Helper! Way to go exhibiting those lifelong skills!
A HUGE thank you goes to Mrs. Farley! She donated recess toys, classroom games, and math manipulatives to our classroom! The students and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
I want to thank all my parents this week as well. I have been so impressed with the quality of work coming back on the homework packets. You are doing a wonderful job of expecting the kids to do their personal best! I love reading the stories the kids are writing. I'm so impressed with the LENGTH of the stories! What great detail!
Challenge Activity #2...(due Friday, September 23)
We are learning about Benjamin Franklin and his historical contributions to our country next week. I want to you to teach me about another historical figure who has made contributions to our country. Here's what you'll need to do...And remember, I am expecting personal best on these challenge projects! The following things must be included to earn a reward!
1. Do research on the Internet to find a historical figure who contributed to our country
2. Divide a piece of construction paper into four squares.
3. In the first box, include a picture of the person, as well as birth date and date of death.
4. In the second box, write three facts (COMPLETE SENTENCES) about this person's life such as where they were born, what their occupation was, etc.
5. In the third box, write a paragraph (at least five sentences long) about what contributions this person made and why you think they were important to our country.
6. In the last box, write the character trait you think best describes this person (some examples would be perseverance, commitment, compassion, etc.).
7. Be familiar enough with your poster to share it with the class!
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