Well, it certainly doesn't feel like December, but it's here! 3 more weeks to go until winter break and they are filled to the brim with things to do! Here is an update from our classroom:
* Thank you to Connor for being such a great MVP last week! We can't wait to learn more about Anjali this week.
* Thank you to those families who returned their report card envelopes already! If you haven't done so, please turn them in before winter break. The only thing we need back is the envelope--keep whatever is inside for yourself. We will use these envelopes again for the upcoming trimesters.
* 40 Book Challenge- the kids were challenged to read 40 books by the end of the year. This isn't an assignment, but a challenge. We will have different levels of rewards for different parts of the challenge that the kids complete. The 40 Book Challenge encourages the kids to read all different types of genres. Any books read during Thanksgiving break and on will count. Your child can tell you all about it!
* Cursive writing is a topic that was brought up by both students and parents during conference times. While the district is no longer doing any formal teaching of cursive (except for an introduction in third grade), I am implementing a cursive practice time in class for the kids. THIS WILL NOT BE INCLUDED ON THEIR REPORT CARDS, NOR WILL THE KIDS RECEIVE GRADES FOR IT DURING THE WEEK! The kids will simply be allowed to practice their cursive skills during morning work times on days that we don't have specials right away at 9:15. We will have one group of children working with an ipad app as well. This app encourages tracing of words, letters, sentences, etc. It's a great way for the kids to remember the cursive strokes. Looking for more practice at home? Cursive is something that can be practiced easily! Lakeshore Learning sells cursive practice books or download a cursive app. You can also google websites that help the kids review the cursive strokes.
* In reading we will continue to work on character analysis. The kids will look for clues through actions, thoughts, and words of a character to describe them and provide examples. We will begin to think of differences between emotions and traits. The kids will also begin to compare characters in multiple books and with themselves. Lots of analyzing to do!
* In writing we are finishing up our letters to the editor. The kids picked a topic that is important to them and brainstormed reasons to back up their opinions. We used our knowledge of the letter format to create "letters to the editor". We will begin to look at specific persuasive techniques this week and think about how to relate to differences in opinion among an intended audience.
* In math we worked with decimal places up to the thousandths. I apologize for the one homework sheet that asked for the reduced fractions! I completely forgot to have the kids cross off that portion of the directions. It was a good lesson for them to learn though in "showing what they know". Again, it's more important to me that the kids just show their thinking of the subject at the time. If you are finding that you are teaching your child something that clearly has not been explained to them, please just have your child write a note to me at the top of their paper and we'll review in class! This week we will finish up unit 4 by learning about the metric system. The kids will take a practice test in class on Wednesday, we will review on Thursday, and take our unit test on Friday. I have also started some study sessions during lunch that cover subjects that students are expected to have down, but are easy to forget. An example of this is borrowing in subtraction. I had one student stay in with me this week, but hope that in the future we get many more. Please encourage your child to stay in, if help is needed. I will announce study sessions to the kids as more come up.
* The kids created a website about their tribe/region during our social studies time in the LMC. This week they will work to finish up their website by adding in information, graphics, and an "About the Author" page. In class, we finished up our first unit in History Alive. The kids received a study guide last Thursday and will take their quiz over this on Monday. IT'S HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT THE KIDS USE THE ONLINE TUTORIAL TO HELP STUDY FOR THE TEST!!!!
* We will start a new science unit mid-week...electricity here we come! The kids will begin by experimenting with static electricity. We will think about questions we have about how things become electrically charged and observe effects of electrically charged objects. A note describing this unit will come home with your child later in the week. There will not be a reference book for the students to use during this unit, however, I will try to post different websites/videos that will help explain topics to the students (and parents) to our blog.
* I think that covers everything. If there are any questions or concerns, please let me know! Have a great week!
