* Sammy is our MVP of the week. We're looking forward to learning more about him!
* A big THANK YOU goes out to our Everybody Counts volunteers. If you are interested in seeing the kids work through the activities of the morning, click on the "Everybody Counts" link above. We all felt very lucky for the abilities that we have after learning about the difficulties that others face daily.
* We go back to our regular spelling routine this week. The kids will take a pretest on Tuesday to determine what spelling list they will work with. Spelling assignments will be done online using Spelling City and are due by Friday morning. Our regular spelling test will be on Friday. Our spelling lists this week contain words with a /tch/ and /ch/ sounds.
* In math, the kids will get back their Unit 2 tests on Tuesday. We'll go over these together in class and the kids will be free to take them home after that. The rest of the week will be spent working our way through Unit 3. This week will focus on our multiplication facts, fact families, determining prime and composite numbers, and a review of finding the median in data. It is recommended that your child practice his/her multiplication and division facts nightly!
*In writing the kids will work with using precise verbs to show one moment in time. They will also practice reviewing their work to look for places in their writing that they can revise. The kids will eventually begin to give themselves their own revision assignments to work on during the week. They will try to catch places in their writing that are telling sentences rather than showing sentences, or places in their writing where punctuation is needed. This is a critical part of writing, since it teaches the skill of reading over their writing and determining what can be improved upon.
* In science the kids began researching the eruption of Mount St. Helens last week. The kids looked for information about what happened before, during, and after the eruption. They will be presented with 3 project options this week that will allow them to show off their research of the volcano. All projects will be done in class and will focus on not only the eruption of the volcano, but also the healing process and the positive/negative effects that it had on the land.
* Small groups have started in reading and we are on our way to recognizing key ingredients of the mystery genre. The kids will also work with their questioning skills during this time. Why questioning? Posing questions allows us to seek out information, solve problems, and extend our understanding. As we try to answer questions, we discover new information and gain knowledge. Instead of demanding answers all of the time, we need to teach kids to ask thoughtful and insightful questions. We want the kids to approach everything they read with a skeptical eye and an inquiring mind. Be sure to ask your child the difference between thick and thin questions-- which do they think allow them discuss more?
* Scholastic book club forms went home on Friday. Orders are due by this Friday, October 14th. Feel free to order online through the Scholastic website or send in the order form with your child. Please remember that payment should be in CHECK format only! Checks can be made out to Scholastic Book Clubs.
* Enjoy the next few days of beautiful weather! I hope you all have a great start to the week!
