Hello Parents,
We are at the end of our first six weeks of school, and our classroom structure and culture has taken shape. There is a lot going on and below is just a glimpse…
Math:
We finished our unit on graphing, and have moved on to working with large numbers and the Number System. We have reviewed how to say, and write numbers in written, expanded, and standard forms. While also working with numbers in place value, rounding, ordering, and comparing. Our focus is to build a strong foundation and strengthen number sense, so to develop strategies to easily manipulate numbers when mentally adding and subtracting larger numbers. As mathematicians, the students are developing strong math vocabulary.
Reading:
We are finishing up In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson. Students practiced looking up words in the dictionary and also using context clues to learn new vocabulary. This particular book is filled with so much wonderful and descriptive language. The students learned how similes make writing more interesting, and they have written some great ones as well! Next week, as we begin our unit on poetry, we will start to read Bat Poet. In addition, Your children will be coming home with poems they will be asked to memorize in preparation for a MS poetry salon in November. More to come on that…
Geography:
We are studying the United States, and in tandem the students are working on creating their own states. They are just wrapping up creating the physical map of their state, and then will be making a road map, city map, state flag, and more! From time to time they will be working on parts of this project at home.
Writing:
Students are learning about the writing process during writing workshop. They began the year using many different writing prompts to get accustomed to utilizing a graphic organizer. Learning how to use transition words and statements to make writing more cohesive has been our most recent focus. The students are working on typing, in Integrated Studies, and “publishing” their first writing piece in response to a prompt from In the Year of the Boar. They also write independently and creatively in their Writer’s Notebooks. Our workshop model will continue to focus on working on individual creative writing pieces, as well as expository, and teacher directed writing in response to literature.
Of course there is so much more going on, but I just wanted to give you a glimpse.
Reminders:
Monday is Picture Day, Lunch Bunch, and scary stories at The Mount!
Parent Teacher Conferences are on the 27th/28th of October. Sign up sheets will be going up soon.
Have a lovely weekend,
Jennifer
