All students in Kindergarten through grade 4 will need an empty box for their 3D architecture project. Suggested boxes are: cereal, cracker, kleenex, etc. Paper towel type tubes can also be sent in. If you have a spare roll of tape that you would like to donate, we would appreciate it. Construction of buildings will begin the week of January 17th. Please write your child's name/class on the box. Questions: Please contact: Ms. Hemmens, Art Teacher.
Reading:
Just For You - Theme 3: Our World
Your child has been reading Pumpkin Fiesta, by Caryn Yacowitz. In this folk tale, Juana always wins a special pumpkin crown at the big fiesta for her fine large pumpkins. Foolish Fernando uses all her tricks but fails to grow pumpkins as big. He steals her best three pumpkins and enters them in the festival. However, Juana shows proof that they are really hers. Then she teaches Fernando how to grow his own beautiful pumpkins. Please encourage your child to read Pumpkin Fiesta over the weekend. Vocabulary Power precedes the story.
Focus Skill: Predict Outcomes
Vocabulary Power:
boasted-bragged
crept-moved slowly
crown-a pretty head covering, often with points
village-a group of houses that is not as large as a town vines-plants with long stems that need to be held up
vines-plants with long stems that need to be held up
School-Home Connection: Discuss with your child the things needed to grow plants (good soil, water, air, and sunlight). Talk about what might happen if the plant does not have one of those things. Then invite your child to draw two pictures, one showing a thriving pumpkin and the other showing a shriveled pumpkin.
Writing:
We have been editing our "Slice of Life" personal narrative writing. Through this process, your child is experiencing the 5 steps in the writing process: Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Proofreading, and Publishing. When completed 2nd Edition books arrive students will share their writing with classmates.
Spelling:
The Spelling Tic-Tac-Toe choices have changed for the 3rd quarter of the school year. As always, your child may choose any previously learned favorites. Just write-in and initial the choice in one area of the sheet. Also, if your child enjoys spelling practice on the computer, he/she may go to Spelling City (right hand column of this blog) and complete any activity with this week's spelling words. Just print out and attach the completed project to the Tic-Tac-Toe, write-in and initial.
Math:
Focus Skill: Whole-Number Operations and Number Stories
In the context of number stories, children are reviewing earlier work with addition and subtraction and are beginning formal work with multiplication and division. The 3 main areas of focus include:
- Introduction and practice of array models.
- Review of strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems
- Development of procedures for multiplication/division problems.
Students have been through a "laptop" training session with Mrs. May, LMC Director. We are now able to bring the laptops into the classroom for various lessons. This week, your child began creating a Power Point presentation with his/her food riddle from the Nutrition unit in science.
