Hello Parents & Students,
It is already the last week of February and we have almost a million things to do this week! Well, it may feel like a million things even if it isn't. This Friday is "Read-Across America Day" in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday. I am inviting YOU parents into the classroom to read YOUR favorite Dr. Seuss book (mine is The Lorax). Just let me know any twenty minutes window that you are available during the day and I can pencil you in and adjust my plans. This Friday we are also our Jump Rope for Hearts celebration "Jump In." Our time is 2:50 pm-3:30pm so if you have any transportation changes please be sure to let me or your child know by Friday morning. Also, all Read-A-Thon forms should be submitted by tomorrow for credit. Any forms turned in after tomorrow may result in your child not receiving their prize. Finally, on Wednesday the class is putting Maleficent on trial. The citizens of Kingdom Come have have charged Maleficent with crimes against their beloved Princess Aurora. Every student in class has a part to play as this drama unfolds. Please make sure that on Wednesday your child is dressed for their part.
Reading News-This week we are continuing to study personal narratives. We are starting the week by learning about Annie Oakley and how she overcame gender stereotypes to capture the hearts of millions. Your child will also learn more about Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman and Dred Scott. Particularly we are looking at their personalities and the qualities that they had and demonstrated by their actions. All of these famous African Americans contributed greatly to the founding of Black History Month and I know how sad we all are to see it end. Be sure to keep the learning going at home by taking your child to the library on weekends and holiday breaks so that they can become intrinsically motivated to learn!
Writing News- Your student is plugging along on their own Personal Narrative. It is my hope that by looking at various other personal narratives your child is able to accurately tell about their lives or a major event in their life. The main concept I am evaluating for in their work is indenting, punctuation, and supporting details. Stretching "It was a nice day" into "Sunday was a nice day because it was sunny and seventy degrees" is only one example of what your child should be able to do by the end of this activity. Please continue to encourage them at home by asking them probing questions.
Science Update- Today was our "High Touch/High Tech" field-trip. Your student went fishing, made ice cream, and created our own "chemical reactions." Do not be surprised if your student wants to create a lot of concoctions at home over the next week. This field-trip is a great segway into our new Science Unit on Matter. In class we will be mixing gravel, toilet paper, salt, and water to analyze what changes these items go through. We will also learn words like "exo-thermic" and "endothermic."
Math- We have been working so hard on subtraction and using extended notation to help us understand regrouping over the last week and a half. This week we will be practicing subtraction with word problems and having our Unit 9 test on Thursday! Friday we will spend reviewing items that we did not test well on so that we can begin our new unit next Monday. Please have your student get a good nights rest on Wednesday night so that they are well rested and ready to show me how brilliant they are.
Fundations- Our Unit 6 assessment is coming up this Wednesday!!! It seems like we have finally mastered our skills from Unit 6 and are ready to head into Unit 7. Unit 7 includes open syllables, y as a vowel, combining open syllables with closed and v-e syllables, y, ly, ty suffixes. Some sample words include: no, music, relate, cry, baby, and chilly. Some trick words we will be looking at are: why, large, change, every, family. Your Unit 7 Fundations packet is coming home today in the Monday Folder!
Final Thoughts-Next week is our Author Visit by Tom Birdseye. He will be in school on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Today a notice is coming home regarding a bagel meet and greet with Mr. Birdseye. On Friday, your student is invited to wear a hat (funky or not) to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday. We will still be having Math-Tiles on Friday from 1:40pm to 2:40pm.
*Thank you all for the help you do with your child each and everyday at home. We are almost 3/4 of the way through the year however we still have so many more fun things to learn. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me at gharvey@wcpss.net. Have a terrific week!
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