September 21st Update...

Dear Parents,

Thank you for visiting today!  Please check out the items below to keep up with what we've been doing in class.  Remember to mark your calendars for October 19th...that is our class camp out at the Abrams!  We are going to have so much fun!  Invitations will be coming soon.  River Projects are due next Thursday! Please remember to look over the grading rubric for requirements!

Phonics/Grammar:  Last week, we learned all about the long o sound spelled /oa/. This week we learned the long e sound spelled /ee/.  We also completed several activities to help us learn our challenging spelling words.  We made flip books on the parts of speech; nouns, verbs, and adjectives.  We learned that nouns can be common or proper, and singular or plural.  We learned that verbs don't always show action and adjectives describe nouns. 

Reading:  We read the book Rashee and the Seven Elephants and talked about using context clues to determine an unknown word's meaning. We also read Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters and compared this text to the fairytale, Cinderella.  We created a story cube, retelling the important components of the text (check it out...the kids LOVED making these!).  We read several more chapters in The Reptile Room and took a comprehension test. 

Writing: We learned how to write a narrative, including a hook, details in sequential order, and closing with an excellent ending!  We also learned about the revising and editing process.  We worked with a partner to edit our papers. We rewrote our final drafts on Friday. Look for these graded narratives to come home next week!

Math: We continued our unit on double digit addition and subtraction. We learned how to use a number chart, a number line, and use expanded form when adding (branching).  If you are wondering  why we don't ONLY teach the traditional algorithm for adding and subtracting like we all learned in school, it's because we want the children making deeper connections and understanding processes that will make them fluent math mathematicians.  You may think, "Branching is a much longer process than just doing column addition" but branching requires children to understand the process of why we have to regroup. Branching is also a MENTAL strategy that will eventually be only done in your child's head, not on paper.  Many of these skills are also going to be needed when they get into algebra and this deep understanding will prove beneficial. Please be positive with your children and try to be excited about them using their "math brains" when they are showing you these new ways of thinking about numbers!

Social Studies:  We continued out discussion of Georgia's regions and rivers! 

News and Reminders...

Thank you to Mrs. Byrd for her help with OSCARS this week!  Many stars were added on Friday!

Thank you to all who donated classroom supplies such as light bulbs, erasers, and wipes!

Kemp Camp-O-Ree is tonight!  Enjoy your time in the outdoors!

Please remember to send transportation changes in writing!  I have had many children just telling me when there is a change, but I really need a note from home. If a change is made during the school day or you forget the note, please call the front office so they can make a note of the change. Do not email me during the day, as I may not check my email in time.