We have had a great transition back to school this week. It was great to see everyone and to hear about all the adventures we experienced during break. Upon returning to school on Tuesday, children were greeted by the newest member of our class, a beta fish! The children brainstormed name ideas and voted on their favorite. Please take a moment to stop by and meet our pet, Lucky!
Curricular News
*This week in writing we began a new fiction unit. We read the mentor texts Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey and Brave Charlotte by Anu Stohner. These stories helped us to brainstorm different characters that we could write about as well as to think of interesting things that could happen to a main character in a story. The children spent time writing short fiction stories of their own.
*Children have been learning about and practicing the k/ck spelling rule. They have learned that when spelling the /k/ sound at the end of a syllable you most often use "k" after a long vowel or a consonant (mask, snake) and "ck" after a short vowel (snack).
*Third graders have been continuing to practice the strategy of wondering and questioning for comprehension purposes. We read the mentor text Mailing May by Michael O. Tunnell, based on a true story of a little girl who was "mailed" on the train in 1914 in order to go visit her grandmother! Ask your children about it! Students have been expected to ask themselves questions about their independent reading and to share them with others in the group.
*Second graders continue to practice the strategy of making inferences. Often, we learn things about the characters in the stories we read by observing what they say and do. These things are not always stated explicitly. Rather, we have to "read between the lines" to gain information. Children are practicing through studying mentor text and then reading independently with these strategies in mind.
*In math, third graders have begun a unit on measurement. This week we discussed the importance of standard units of measurement, and practiced using a meter stick to measure various objects. Students continue to practice addition and subtraction with and without renaming. Second graders began to think about repeated addition problems as a beginning exploration of multiplication. Children also spent some time practicing addition facts.
Next week we will:
* Learn about closed syllable exceptions and begin to examine open syllables.
* Continue to write and read fiction stories.
* Practice comprehension strategies.
* On Thursday, second grade will take a field trip to Bristol, RI for our study of community. (Details coming home!)
* Pizza Day, Tuesday 1/12
No comments:
Post a Comment