November 15, 2013 Update...

Dear Parents,
Thank you for visiting today.  There are a few important reminders at the bottom of today's blog, so please make sure you read all the way through!  Here's what we've been working on in class this week...

Phonics/Grammar:  We learned more complex spelling patterns of the short and long o and the short and long i. We also focused on our first set of homophones.  We worked on not only learning how to spell them, but also when to use them.  We continued our work on using commas in a series as well as where to use them in a friendly letter (in the date, after the greeting, after the closing).

Reading: We read several chapters in The Bad Beginning.  We also read the book Ted, which is about a boy who has an imaginary friend who gets him in all sorts of trouble!  We worked in small groups, focusing on specific skills like fluency and comprehension strategies. 

Writing:  We began our 2nd informational chapter book, writing about Mary Musgrove's life.  We are focusing on increasing our volume when writing, beginning with good topic sentences, and writing "twin" sentences, which are two sentences on the same idea to give more detail.  We will continue this piece of writing next week, adding features such as  a timeline, a table, and a glossary. I'm so impressed with the progress of the class. They amaze me every day with how they've improved since the beginning of the year!

Math: We began adding and subtracting two and three digit numbers when regrouping is required.  We are using base ten representation and expanded form to solve these problems. Please pay close attention to the math that is coming home. These are the strategies the children are required to learn, as stated by our standards.

Social Studies: We learned all about Mary Musgrove and her work as an interpreter for Tomochichi and James Oglethorpe.  She helped found Georgia through her work with these two men. 

Class News and Announcements...

Congratulations Jacob Martin, for being chosen as this week's Celebrity!  Awesome behavior!!!

Remember to visit the sign up genius link (on the blog...at the bottom) to sign up to help out on Thursdays with our OSCARS tests.  Please also encourage your child to show that self motivation and study for a test!  We still have some children who haven't tried one yet.

Here is our OSCARS LEADERBOARD...
1st Place:  It's a tie between SAWYER KALE and SOPHIA NEWLIN (11 stars each!)
2nd Place:  It's a tie between LANDON ABRAMS and ALEX NORTON (6 stars each)

Don't forget our Thanksgiving Feast Wednesday at 10:00!  Each child needs to send in a special food and complete the writing assignment. The page is in your child's folder today if you didn't print it last week. 

If you haven't done so, PLEASE send in a pronged folder for Spanish. Label it with your child's name and write "SPANISH" on it.