What a glorious week! We have all been enjoying the great outdoors this week as the weather has taken a definite turn toward spring. On Thursday we had a lovely lunch out on Mrs. Tukman's courtyard amid the blossoming daffodils.

This week we have been busy writing and revising paragraphs. A paragraph is a group of sentences working together to make one key point about a subject. Students are learning how to plan a paragraph by:

1. Choosing a subject.

2. Deciding on the key point.

3. Brainstorming supporting information.

4. Sequencing supporting information.

5. Writing the paragraph.

6. Editing the paragraph.

Using clear graphic organizers to help us in this process, students are thoughtfully crafting strong informative paragraphs. Currently, we are working on paragraphs that describe the various weather conditions that come together during a thunderstorm.

In reading groups, 3rd Graders continue to read and learn about Helen Keller. We are using our Reader's Notebooks to analyze the text and discuss our independent reading books. Students continue to practice cursive writing and the process is getting more and more automatic. 2nd Graders have been reading The Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry and learning about the rainforest. Students have made a K-W-L tree and added leaves that contain what they know about the rainforest and what they want to know about the rainforest. Next we will picking topics for our research projects.

In math, 3rd Graders continue to learn multiplication and division and memorize facts. Please continue to help your children commit the 2's, 3's, and 4's facts to memory. 2nd Graders are continuing to master addition and subtraction facts and place value.

3rd graders are beginning an exploration of Africa. We are starting by exploring the geography and landforms of the African continent and will move to a more specific study of Egypt. We will need your help with some materials for upcoming projects. Please send in a box of sugar cubes as well as an empty check box with your 3rd Grader. Thank you!

This week both Ean and Mira did a fabulous job presenting at Book Buzz. Bravo!!