Week of April 9th!

Image result for april clipart

Reminders:

  • Mrs. Levitan and I would like to express our overwhelming appreciation for ALL of our gifts and flowers from Teacher Appreciation Week. We were blown away!
  • Please send in Zoo Field Trip Permission Forms and $$ Monday, April 9th. They are DUE!
  • Save the date: Friday, May 18th Tritt Tiger Town-Parent Volunteers Needed!

What We’re Learning This Week:

Math-This week students will be working on Balancing Equations (solving addition and subtraction equations with missing variables on either side, i.e. 7+?=20-5). This will be a great review of their addition and subtraction facts, so please make sure you are reviewing these at home every day!

Reading-We will be wrapping up our Connections Unit (Text to Self, Text to Text, Text to World), as well as starting our  Comprehension Skills Unit this week. Students will practice answering questions following passages that they have read. This will require students to employ ALL the decoding and comprehension strategies that we have learned this year so far.

Phonics- This week we will be learning about words that have the “soft c and g sound as in the words: large and prince.” We will learn the rule for soft c and g which is when these letters are followed by an E or an I, they are soft. I use a visual “Gentle Cindy” to help them remember this which will be on their spelling sheets this week.

Writing-This week we will continue using adjectives to add details to our writing, as well as using conjunctions to expand our sentences. We will revisit some old pieces and make revisions involving adjectives and conjunctions.

Social Studies-This week we will be learning about the courageous and inspiring Ruby Bridges. Students will learn all about her experiences and character traits.

S.T.E.M. We will do an activity involving tangrams and critical thinking. This will reinforce their knowledge of shapes, while proving to be a challenge for all.

Have a great week!

 

Week of March 26th!

 

Image result for spring clipart

Reminders:

  1. Family Journals: Please respond to your child’s entry and send them back on Monday.
  2. Report Card Envelopes: Please sign and Return!
  3. Zoo Permission Slips: Please fill out and Return!

What We’re Learning This Week:

Math-This week we will start learning about the defining attributes of 3-D shapes (solid figures). We will be creating designs with them as well as finding them in our environment.

Reading– This week we will continue making connections while we read as well as focusing on our comprehension skills and our ability to answer questions while reading.  We will also spend time using strategies to learn the meanings of new vocabulary words while we read by using context clues.

Phonics- This week we will be learning about words that have the “or” sound spelled oor, as in door, “or” as in horse, and ore, as in score .” Again, these patterns more be confusing because they all produce the same sound.

Writing-This week we will be working on using adjectives in our writing. Students will understand how using these “Sparkling Words” can add so much to our writing. We will also work on using conjunctions in our writing: because, so, and, or, etc.  Using these allows us to add so many interesting and important pieces of information to our writing. We will be learning about and using adjectives and conjunctions for the next couple weeks.

Science-We will start learning about plants this weekend-building upon our unit about the “Plant Doctor” George Washington Carver. Students will need to identify plants’ different parts and needs.

S.T.E.M. Plant STEM Challenge-Students will be creating their own plants, with specific materials,  as well as following certain requirements, i.e. the plant has to be free standing, a certain height,  etc. Students will have fun with this challenge, for sure!

 

Week of March 19th!

 

Image result for welcome spring

Reminders:

  1. Family Journals: Please respond to your child’s entry and send them back on Monday.
  2. Please send back your child’s registration envelope: they are DUE!! Also, I will need zoo permission  forms in the next few weeks.
  3. Report Cards will go home this Wednesday, March 21st!

What We’re Learning This Week:

Math-This week we will start learning about the defining attributes of 2-D shapes. We will be creating designs with them as well as finding them in our environment.

Reading– This week we will be focusing upon making text to self, text to text and text to world connections while we read. Students will also get a chance to do this in their reading responses.

Phonics- This week we will be learning about words that have the “ir, er and ur.” This may be confusing for the students because these patterns all make the same sound, so it may take them more practice to be able to differentiate the spelling pattern.

Writing-For the entire fourth quarter we will be reviewing our Narrative, Informational and Opinion Writing units. I also think it is important to foster our creative minds, so we will start writing more fictional stories, which they love to do. It is important at this time of year to hone in on students’ editing skills, so you will see these assessments coming home more frequently. Encourage your students to edit his/her work at home, as well.

Social Studies- We will continue learning about George Washington Carver and all of his contributions to the world of farming. This will transition nicely into our next science unit on plants.

S.T.E.M. We had fun learning about mischievous leprechauns this week. This weekend, as an optional STEM activity and a great way to earn a WOW! card, have your child try to create a leprechaun trap (OPTIONAL). They made their plan today. You can use a shoe box, cereal box, tissue box, gold coins (from our very own leprechaun), and other materials from home to outsmart your tricky leprechaun. Feel free to just send me a picture, rather than sending them in Monday. Whichever you prefer!

St. Patrick's Day Leprechaun Trap Ideas For A School Assignment Or If You Just Want To Have A Little Fun With The Kids!

 

 

Have a wonderful week!

Week of March 12th!

Image result for march clipart

Reminders:

  1. Family Journals: Please respond to your child’s entry and send them back on Monday!
  2. This Wednesday is Early Release, March 14th!
  3. Please send back your child’s registration envelope this week if possible!
  4. Quarter 3 officially ends this week. Report Cards will be sent home next Wednesday, March 21st!

What We’re Learning This Week:

Math-This week we will be spiraling back to review all the concepts we have learned so far this year, i.e. True/False Statements, Comparing Numbers, Adding by Tens, as well as Word Problems.

Reading– Quarter 3 ends this week, so I will concluding my assessments of students’ reading levels, as well as sight word acquisition. I will also be assessing using our Touchstone remotes

Phonics- This week we will be learning about words that have the “ar” pattern such as start and sharp.

Writing-I will be assessing Opinion Writing this week; we have concluded our unit. I will also be assessing editing skills. We will also be kicking off our new unit, Fiction Writing! This is always a fun unit that allows everyone’s imaginations to come to life on paper.

Social Studies- We start learning about George Washington Carver and all of his contributions to the world of farming. This will transition nicely into our next science unit on plants.

S.T.E.M. Students had a BLAST performing their shadow puppet skits. Ask your child about what their kindness message was in their stories.

Have a wonderful week!

Week of March 5th!

 

Image result for dr seuss read across america 2018

Reminders:

  1. Family Journals: Please respond to your child’s entry and send them back on Monday.
  2. March Homework Choice Boards: These will be sent home on Monday, March 5th and will be DUE: Friday, March 30th.
  3. Picture Day: This Thursday, March 8th! Envelopes were sent home. This is the picture that will be used for our class picture.
  4. This week is Read Across America Week! Please celebrate this at home as well!

What We’re Learning This Week:

Math-We will continue using the skills that we have learned this year to solve word problems. We are focusing on the process of underlining the facts, circling the question, deciding upon a strategy, solving, then writing the answer in a complete sentence.

Reading– This week is Read Across America week so we will be reading many fun Dr. Seuss books as well as partaking in many Dr. Seuss-themed activities. This week we will wrap up our unit on Point of View, or who is telling a story, how we know this, as well as how this affects the story. Students can also practice this at home this week with their reading responses.

Phonics- This week we will be learning about words with the “y” at the end of the word with the long i and e sound, such as in shy and lucky.

Writing-We will be honing in on our editing skills this week. As students are completing their homework assignments, please encourage your child to always “Go back and reread what they have written!” They should be making all corrections involving capital letters and punctuation marks.

Science-We will be learning about the human body this week and how the muscles make it work. We will do an experiment to find out just how strong we are!

S.T.E.M. Students were introduced to their S.T.E.M. Challenge of creating a shadow puppet show with a kindness theme. This week students will be creating and performing these skits.

Have a wonderful week!