Posted by kavery508 | Posted in Uncategorized | Posted on January 20, 2014
I hope you are enjoying the long weekend and holiday! We have been learning about Dr. King through stories, discussion, and video, and analyzing the traits that civic leaders such as himself exhibit (brave, hardworking, patriotic, etc.). Brainpop Jr. has entertaining and informative pages (including video, activities, and games) on this and many other topics: http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/martinlutherkingjr/
Reminder: The PTO is sponsoring an evening of Q & A around the budget and potential impacts next year. The event will take place in the Floral Media Center from 6:45-8:00 PM, Monday, January 27. It is a great way to stay informed about the issues affecting your child’s education!
Our spelling quizzes will look a little different starting this week. We have all mastered the Nifty Fifty on spelling quizzes, and all ten words will come from list A, B, or C. As usual, they will come home on the first day of the week and will be quizzed on the last day.
Our CAFE focus will be on using story elements to help us better understand texts. Narratives most often are about central characters that encounter problems that they solve or that change them in some way. By understanding this format, young readers can use it to key in on what’s important in texts. This in turn helps them predict, ask relevant questions, and better understand what they are reading. More on story elements and their value: https://www.teachervision.com/skill-builder/reading-comprehension/48783.html/11949856271997454136tasto_2_architetto_franc_01_svg_med
This week’s math focus is on learning to recognize patterns in number and to apply them when doing math facts. We have learned that +0/-0 leaves an addend unchanged, while +1/-1 means counting up or back 1. We will next learn that if we know doubles, we can solve math facts that are +/- 1 or 2. For example: 3 + 3 = 6, so 3 + 4 = 7 because 4 is just 1 more than 3. Another strategy is to recognize turnaround facts. If 5 + 3 = 8, then 3 + 5 does too. By learning these tricks, students will be better able to solve addition problems with speed and accuracy, and won’t have to rely on counting with fingers.
After learning the elements and purposes of procedural writing, we continue to practice its application this week by writing out routines that we follow in the classroom. It’s remarkable how many steps are necessary to accomplish even simple things. The challenge for young writers is to include enough detail so that anyone could follow a procedure, even if unfamiliar with it. Try practicing at home with any routine such as brushing teeth or setting the table. What steps are necessary? Which ones may be inferred? Where is it important to be very explicit with the materials being used? A template for writing a recipe procedure can be found here: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1018/procedural-writing.pdf The parent site, ReadWriteThink.org is run by the IRA which is a leader in literacy development in the U.S., and has some good information for parents on both general and specific reading topics.
This week in science we will apply the principles of balance as we create mobiles. Students will use their knowledge of weight and counterweight as they create a system that balances around a balance point. Here is a home version: http://sciencenetlinks.com/afterschool-resources/balancing-points/
We continue our look at what makes great American leaders. We will learn this week that kids show traits too (honesty, compassion, etc.) that help to change things for the better in communities and in the country. We will look at how Ruby Bridges did this as a child. You can find out more at her story’s homepage: http://www.rubybridges.com/story.html
