Week 8 - October 25, 2019

Curriculum

Reading:
As readers, we've been focusing our learning on how to decode words we do not know.  Students have learned to use the pictures to help them as well as use chunks or parts of words to help them decode unknown words.  Next week, we will learn to get our mouths ready to say the first sound as well as look all the way through the word to stretch it out.

Book Baggies:
Students brought home six books.  Two books below their level so that they can practice fluency, two books on their level to help them practice decoding strategies and other skills we're learning in class, and two books above level to help students push themselves as readers.  Books will be taken home and returned every Thursday.  If your child feels the books are too easy for them, that is okay.  They can build their fluency and confidence as readers.  Levels will change throughout the year, but they will NOT change weekly.

Writing:
Students have been working really hard to revise their writing and make it better.  This week, they learned to use sensory details and transitions in their writing.  Next week, we will learn to show not tell and to edit for capitals, punctuation, commas and spelling.

Math:
This week and next week, we have and will continue to practice our counting skills through counting collections.  Students work with a friend to count items in as many ways as they can.  The tricky part for them is learning to show their thinking in writing, which they are practicing.  In addition, they've been practicing solving addition and subtraction word problems.  They work together with partners to solve problems and again show their thinking (their strategy).  They are also working on then sharing out their strategies orally.

Science/Social Studies:
The students looked at the patterns they noticed from the weather last week.  We also began looking at the moon phases as this was something they had observed in the sky a few weeks ago when we did our air, wind, sky, weather observation walk.  They are learning that the moon orbits over the course of the month and that the reason there are phases is because that is the part of the moon we can see based on its position and relation to the sun.

Purposeful Play
Please see the Purposeful Play tab on the blog to learn more about our weekly Play Time and donation items we could use for it!

Homework

• Read every night
• Work on a math skill (i.e. counting forwards and backwards within 120, adding and subtracting to 20 - play a board game for this, telling time, counting coins, measuring - length and volume -  have your child cook with you to practice this, talk about shapes - 2D and 3D - find items around your house, etc.) 

Specials Schedule

Monday: P.E. (Wear tennis shoes)
Tuesday: Art (Bring an Art shirt labeled with your child's name)
Wednesday: Music
Thursday: Media/Library
Friday: Rotates (See the back of your child's OWL folder (everyday folder) for a schedule.)

Important Dates

October 25: Trunk or Treat (5pm)
November 5: No School - Election Day
November 12: Conferences
November 13: Picture Retakes
November 15: Bagels with Buddies (8:15 AM-8:45 AM)
November 25: Multicultural Feast
November 27-29: No School - Thanksgiving Break
December 6: No School - record's Day