Dear Parents,
The third grade enjoyed themselves at the Children's Museum on Wednesday. Students were amazed by the process of doing suminagashi. The "wow" factor was when our teacher lifted the paper from the pan of water and the ink design was printed on the bottom. In the Japanese house, students were allowed time to explore and find something similar to their own home and something different. They then divided into three groups, morning, afternoon, and evening to look through boxes of activities associated with those times. Each group presented information to the whole group. Back at school, we did a venn diagram comparing Japanese and western style homes. CURRICULUM RESEARCH This week, students have been creating their slide shows of their independent research in preperation for the culminating event at the end of March. Many are also writing/typing their reports. Each student will have the chance to present their slide show to their classmates. MATH In math, we are continuing to work on multi-step problems using all four operations with and without bar models. We will complete this chapter before our March break. TECHNOLOGY In technology , students are creating 3-D kokeshi dolls with Mr. Felix. Once students are done with the programming, the 3-D printer will continue to make them on our spring break. MIX-IT-UP- GROUPS Students have been creating maps of Japan showing the major regions, or prefectures, and surrounding bodies of water. Colin Martin would like parents to know that the next Diversity Group Meeting will be on Thursday March 7 from 3:15-4:00 in the Conference Room. Childcare for FA students will be available in the After School Program free of charge during the meeting. I hope everyone has a great weekend. For all you snow lovers, it looks like we are in for some white, fluffy weather! Sincerely, Gayle UPCOMING EVENTS Monday March 4- Grade 3at the Zeiterion Theater for the NBSO Thursday March 38 8:30 in the Commons- Third Grade Culture Culmination Monday April 15- no school (Patriot's Day) Friday April 19- no school (Good Friday) Monday April 22- no school (Professional Day) Thursday April 25- Arts And Poetry Night
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Dear Parents,
It was great to see everyone at our Student Led Conferences. As you could see, they have been busy with many different units of study, and continue to do so. As the time is getting closer to our March break, the third grade is busy completing work in reading, math, and social studies. Just a reminder that next Wednesday, the third grade will be going on a field trip to the Boston Children's Museum for a special Japanese program. They will learn and experience the ancient art of suminagashi and visit an authentic Japanese house from Kyoto. We will be leaving school at 8:15 and returning by 2:00. We will not be going to All School Meeting that day. Please be sure to pack your child a snack, lunch, beverages, and a quiet bus activity. Students also need to be wearing socks since they are required to take off their shoes in the Japanese house and cannot go barefoot. Thank you to Robin Abdallah-Doukkara for volunteering to help us on this trip! CURRICULUM Reading We completed reading Sadako And the Thousand Paper Cranes and are in the process of completing a few end of the book activities. The students enjoyed this thoughtful book which reflected hope, kindness, courage and peace. Spelling We completed unit 13 using blends wr, ch, tch, sh, and th. Some of the language skills we used were analogies, context clues and compound words. In our next unit we will be using words with the soft g and c sounds. Math Our class wrapped up our chapter (8) using division with remainders and long division. We will continue to use these concepts as well as multi-place multiplication in our next chaper (9). In this chapter we will be doing muli-step word problems using multiplication and division. Social Studies Our class is doing a great job in the research process investigation information about their topics. Students have read, outlined, and are now in the writing stage of their project. This project is similar to our Mexican research, except students will be using the information on their outline to write paragraphs. They will then created a slideshow of their topic. All of their hard work from both Mexico and Japan will be on dispay on Thursday March 28th at 8:30 a.m. in the Commons. We hope you will be able to join us for this celebration! Technology Mr. Felix is working with the students to create a 3-D image of a kokeshi doll. A kokeshi doll is a traditional doll given in Japan and passed on down through the generations. In our book Sadako, her bamboo class sent a kokeshi doll to the hospital as a gift. Later, all her letters and correspondances were gathered and printed into a book called Kokeshi. Everyone is very excited about tonight's FriendsFest (AKA FunFest). Many thanks to Ms. Pink and Mrs. Pope for orchestrating this amazing event. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Happy Birthday to Maitea and Norah on Saturday! Sincerely, Gayle UPCOMING DATES Wed. Feb. 27- field trip to BCM 8:15-2:00 Mon. March 4- trip to Zeiterion Theater in the morning Dear Parents,
Our third grade students did a very nice job singing with Band Of Friends on Wednesday. There will be many opportunities this spring for them to perform at All School Meeting as well as other venues. Students have been working hard each morning on their ERBs. I think for students, listening carefully as I read each example can be the trickiest part. For the most part, Mother Nature has been very kind allowing us some extra recess time after sitting still during testing. CURRICULUM This week, I have reduced the amount of curriculum we usually do, to make time for ERBs. Math In math we have continued our work with division, expanding our concepts to include examples such as 92 dividied by 4 and 63 dividied 5. We will continue to work on various types of division with and without remainders. Sadako As our story progresses, Sadako illness worsens and she develops many symptons. Despite this, she continues to be brave and positive as she continues to fold paper cranes to reach her goal of1,000. Reading Logs Students have been doing a fabulous job on their letters about the books they are reading. For many students, they have developed an interest in reading many books in the series by the same author, or different books by the same author, or reading within the same genre. Some authors the children have chosen are Troy Cummings, Cynthis Lord, Carolyn Keene, J.K. Rowling, Tui T. Sutherland, Roald Dahl, and many different authors writing classics. Genres include the classics, realistic fiction, fantasy, and mystery. Social Studies We have started the independent research process on topics from Japan. Students are in the early phase of reading and gathering facts. In our mix-it-up groups we discussed an important holiday in Japan, O Bon. This three day holiday is quite similar to Days Of The Dead in Mexico. Families clean the graves at cemeteries, prepare special foods on an altar, and welcome back the spirits of their ancestors. Students will be making O Bon lanterns. They will use Japanese characters, to write the name of the family member that they researched when writing their altar story, on the lantern. Student-Led Conference Thank you to the parents that signed up for a conference next week. I am looking forward to meeting with each of you. My conference schedule is on my door for anyone who has not signed up. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Sincerely, Gayle UPCOMING DATES Wednesday Feb. 13th- 2:30 Conferences Thursday Feb. 14th- noon dismissal (after school care available) Conferences Friday Feb. 15th- no school Conferences from 8-12 Monday Feb. 18- no school in honor of Presidents' Day Friday Feb. 22- Friends Fest in the evening Wednesday Feb. 27- Field trip to BCM 8:15-2:00 Monday March 4- grades 3-5 at the Zeiterion Theater for the NBSO concert Thursday March 28- Third grade Culmination at 8:30 in the Commons Dear Parents,
On Monday, Terry Wolkowicz from the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra visited grades 3-5 to present Resourceful Composer, Resourceful Planet. This year the program explored how the compositional techniques of Beethoven served to model ways to reduce plastic pollution. Like Beethoven, we should reuse, repurpose, recycle, and reduce! Beethoven created beautiful symphonies from small amounts of musical material. Ms. Wolkowicz connected his work with the need to reduce plastic pollution on the planet. Students used magnifying glasses to look at plastic film, pellets, fragments, and lines found in the ocean. On March 4th, we will attend the annual Young People's Concert at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford. CURRICULUM Math Our class started the concept of division. Using arrays to divide into smaller parts helps students understand the main concept. Knowing multiplication facts, also helps students with mental division. This chapter also extends to division with remainders. While students begin the chapter dividing in the horizonal form, we also move into dividing vertically (long division). Reading In our chapters this week, Sadako has enteted the hospital realizing that she has the atom bomb disease. Together we did some cause and effect. Students branstormed effects for: "Because the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima"... and "Because Sadako was in the hospital... We also discussed feelings and emotions that Sadako might be having, and why. Students then used these ideas to write a journal entry in the first person as Sadako. Reading Logs Students are continuing to do a very nice job answering questions and following specific directions in their letters. Our genre book wall is quickly growing! So far, graphic novels and fantasy are in the lead. Language Arts This week we have continued our work with adjectives. In our spelling book, students spent time doing synonyms, alliteration, riddles and dividing words into syllables. Social Studies In our mix-it-up groups this week, we looked at a very special festival in Japan that celebrates children. Kodomo-no-hi, Children's Day, (formally known as Boys' Day) celebrates the health and happiness of boys and girls in Japan. On May 5th, banners shaped like carp are flown outside of their homes. They often have a banner representing a family crest, then a black carp for the father, red for the mother, and various colors for each child. Carp represent strength and courage. They eat special foods and participate in different activities, such as taking a hot soak in a tub with iris leaves. Since this holiday includes girls, we also added information about Hinamatsuri (Doll Festival) held on March 3rd. On that day, girls participate in tea ceremonies and display dolls passed down from relatives that symbolize the Imperial Court. Our students designed paper carp kites. E.R.B.s This week we discussed the ERBs and worked on some test taking strategies. We will begin the test on Monday morning. Please try to have your child at school by 7:55 to give him/her enough time to settle in before we begin. Do not hesitate to e-mail me with any questions about the test. Field Trip On Wednesday February 27, the third grade will be going to the Boston Children's Museum for a special program relating to our study of Japan. Students will visit a traditional house from Kyoto and participate in activites about a typical day in the life of a child in Japan. Then they will learn about the ancient art of suminagashi (paper marbling). We will be leaving at 8:15 to ensure a timely arrival in Boston. I have a ticket for one parent, so if you are interested in going, please send me an e-mail by Feb. 15th. I will put all names into a hat and pick one lucky winner. Other parents are welcome to also come along, but will need to purchase a ticket. Parents Diversity Group Colin Martin will be hosting a parent diversity group in his classroom ( room 33 in lower Stites) on Friday February 8th from 8:15-9:00. All are welcome to come and join the conversation about diversity. Student Led Conferences My schedule for student led conferences is on my classroom door. Please sign up for a day/time. The after school program is available during conference times. Band Of Friends On Wednesday February 6, the Band of Friends will be singing at All School Meeting. We hope you can be there! I hope everyone has a great weekend. I know that most people are looking forward to the Super Bowl game on Sunday, so I expect a lot of sleepy eyes on Monday! Sincerely, Gayle UPCOMING DATES Monday-Friday Feb. 4-8 ERBs Wed. Feb. 13, Thurs. Feb. 14, (noon dismissal), Fri. Feb. 15-(no school) Student Led Conferences Monday Feb. 18- no school- President's Day Friday Feb. 22- FriendsFest in the evening (see link below) Wed. Feb. 27-field trip to BCM 8:15-2:00 Mon. March 4- grades 3-5 to Zeiterion Theater March 9- March 24- Spring Break Thursday March 28- Third Grade Culmination Presentation http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07efyce2iif820a4d9&llr=df8gwxlab Dear Parents,
This has been a week of recesses that saw single digit degrees and balmy, rainy weather. You never know what to expect! Over the next few weeks, we will be working on a number of special projects in the classroom that connect with our unit on Japan. Some of these will involve research, others will be writing pieces, and some physical projects. During the week of February 4th, the third grade will be doing E.R.B. testing. This is a multiple choice, untimed test given in grades 3 and 5 in the Lower School. The E.R.B.s tests reading, language arts, and math skills. We usually begin at 8:15 and stop around snack time. next week I will discuss this with the class. We will do a practice test to help them feel familar and relaxed with the process. It will be important that your child get plenty of sleep, eat a hearty breakfast, and arrive to school on time. For many students, this will be the first time taking a standardized test and we try to minimize any worries. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to e-mail me. CURRICULUM Language Arts This week we looked at rich descriptive words as we continued with adjectives. Students used adjectives in writing haiku poems. Using a scenic photo, they wrote strong adjectives and verbs to describe their pictures. In spelling we completed unit 10 using long i words. Our next unit uses long words spelling with oa and ow. Literature We continued books by Allen Say, reading Stranger in The Mirror and The Bicycle Man. Sadako As the start of our book, Sadako, her family, and best friend Chizuko celebrate Peace Day on August 6. This celebration honors people who died in the Hiroshima bombing in 1945. Sadako is a lively young girl whose passion is running. Her goal is to qualify for the racing team in junior high team next year. As she practices, she begins to notice a strange dizziness occurring more often, but chooses not to say anything. Reading Logs The students are doing a great job writing letters about the books they are reading. At the beginning, they all started together on the same schedule. Since books they have chosen are different sizes, the time it takes to read some of the books is expected to be longer. Therefore, everyone is on their own individual schedule, returning the Reader's Notebooks throughout the week. Students share their letters and others have the opportunity to ask questions or make comments. Many students are reading a specific genre or books by the same author. Math Our class finished chapter 7 on multiplication this week. Our next chapter uses multiplication to understand the process of division. Social Studies Our mix-it-up groups watched a video titled Familes From Japan. This compared two families, one living in the traditional style and the other in a more modern setting. In the Japanese culture today, people continue to live in both styles. Traditional architecture showing paper panel doors and windows, and straw tatami mats reflect the traditional style. B.O.F. On Wednesday February 6 th, Bands of Friends will be performing at All School Meeting. Hope to see you there! Student Led Conferences I will posting a schedule next week with the days and times for our upcoming conferences in February. Conference days are Wednesday Feb. 13 from 2:30-5:00, Thursday Feb. 14 from 1:00 to 5:00, and Friday Feb. 15 from 8:00 to 12:00. After school care is available on Wednesday til 5:30, Thursday til 5:30, and Friday til 1:00. Early Arrival Duty Next week I have early arrival duty downstairs near the second grade. I will not be in my room until after 7:55, so please send your child down there and not up to our classroom if they arrival early. Thank you. I hope everyone has a great weekend! Sincerely, Gayle UPCOMING DATES Monday Jan. 28- Terry Wolkowicz from the NBSO visiting classes Week of Feb. 4th- E.R.B.s Wed, Feb. 6- B.O.F. performing at All School Meeting Wed.-Fri. Feb. 13-15 Student Led Conferences Monday Feb. 18- no school in honor of Presidents' Day Friday Feb. 22- FriendsFest (see link below!) http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07efyce2iif820a4d9&llr=df8gwxlab Dear Parents,
Recesses have been cold and somewhat windy, but it is always refreshing to get outside! According to the forecast, we are in for some winter weather and cold temperatures over the next week. Please be sure that your child has all the proper outdoor gear to keep them warm and dry. Lower school game night was lots of fun. It is always great to have students of different ages playing a cooperative game. It is a good opportunity for older students to help out their younger friends. Fifth grade helpers were a nice addition to game night! CURRICULUM Social Studies On Tuesday our mix-it-up groups met to take a look at maps of Asia. First, we focused on countries within the continent and bodies of water. Then we zoomed in on the country of Japan and on major prefectures, cities, and bodies of water. On Friday, the students viewed a slideshow comparing Japan, China, and India in terms of language, religion, food, and clothes. It is important for students to understand that while countries in Asia might share some similarities, they are all very different. In class, we started reading Look What Came From Japan. This book shows cultural contributions from long ago as well recently, that have been made by the people of Japan. Reading To enhance our study of Japan, we have started a new book in class entitiled Sadako and The Thousound Paper Cranes. This book is a true story about a young girl living in Hiroshima, Japan in 1954. In preparing to read this book, we did some background information about the U.S. and Japan during W.W.II. We did a timeline of events that took place leading up to 1954. The primary focus of the book is Sadako's positive outlook and courage along with rich details of the Japanese culture. In working with chapters 1 & 2 we also spent time using similes. Author Eleanor Coerr uses similes to describe character relationships and give beautiful visual images. Literature Last week we read Kamishibai Man by Allen Say. In the story the main character is a story teller using hand painted pictures, to bring his stories to life. This week I used story cards to read two traditional folktales, Urashima Taro and The Bamboo Princess. Writing A few students are completing their personal books. Meanwhile, the other students had a chance to share the books they had written, with their classmates. Everyone will have the opportunity to share their completed work. A traditional type of poetry in Japan is haiku poetry. This week I introduced haikus and the students are in the early stages of creating their own poems. Haiku poetry follows specific guidelines in that it is always about nature, does not rhyme and has a pattern of syllables. The first and third lines have five syllables, and the second line has seven. Language Arts In spelling, students are using long i- either with igh, ild, or ind patterns. Some of the concepts they worked on were antonyms, idioms, and context clues. Math We are in process of completing chapter 7 using multiplication. Next week we will spend time reviewing concepts and having our chapter assessment. During the week students practice their multiplication and division concepts on IXL. Practicing multiplication and division facts at home are extremely helpful! All School Meeting This week at All School Meeting, Paul did a fine job on his Book Buzz presentation of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid- Old School. Next week, those students involved with the diversity group will be doing a special presentation at All School Meeting. I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend. Hopefully, Sunday's game in Kansas City is a good one for the Patriots! Sincerely, Gayle Dear Parents,
Happy New Year! Everyone returned rested and ready to start. This week we have been reestablishing routines and getting organized as we begin new topics. We are kicking off the new year with the study of the continent of Asia. Our focus will begin with the country of Japan. As always, we will have a variety of projects and research going on in class. In Japan, the tradition is to wear slippers indoors. Students are welcome to bring slippers to wear during the day. in our class. They will still need sneakers for recess and going to specialists. This is completely optional, but many students enjoy this experience. We would also welcome anyone who has traveled to any Asian country to share their experiences with us. In class this week, students had the opportunity to share their posters with the research they completed about Mexico. The week before our December break was too hectic to do this, so this provided the perfect time to reflect on their work. Each student did a very nice job orally presenting their work and answering questions. CURRICULUM Math Our class began chapter seven which uses multiplication facts extensions with different concepts. This week we worked on concepts such as 50X6=30 500X6=300 both horizontally and in the vertical form. We also did problems like 24X2=48 (no regrouping needed) and 45X4=180 where students regrouped in the tens place. Language Arts Students are continuing to practice their cursive in their books while learning about homophones, prefixes, and abbreviations. We have also spent considerable time in class on various homphones. This week we have continued with past tense verbs. Students used irregular verbs with and without a helping word. Writing Our class has been very busy writing their own books. A few have completed them and others are in various stages of finishing. Hopefully next week they will each have a chance to read their personal story. They are also eager for me to read the original book. Mr.P This week Mr. P returned to our class to begin a new book. Peter And The Starcatchers is a high paced adventure on the high seas featuring pirates, orphan boys, and an island with unusual creatures. This book is the prequel to Peter Pan and offers mystery and magical moments. Literature A favorite author during our unit on Japan is Allen Say. His books offer a rich cultural vision into the lives of the people from Japan. In My Grandfather's Journey, he explains his family's lineage from Japan, and the connections and love his grandfather had for both the United States and Japan. The Kamishibai Man is a tribute to a story teller from long ago who is reflecting how different life is now. Say's beautiful watercolor illustrations help the story unfold as much as his words. Family Game Night A flyer went home today about Family Game Night next Thursday from 5:00-6:30. Please return the bottom portion of the flyer and return to the office by Tuesday January 15th if you and your child will be attending. I hope everyone enjoys the weekend, and for all you football fans- GO PATS! Sincerely, Gayle Dear Parents,
We have been fortunate to have cold, but dry days this week to allow us outside for recess. This is essential as we are counting down the days until our winter break! NEXT WEDNESDAY! On Wednesday December 19th, the third grade will have special snacks to celebrate the coming winter break. After All School Meeting, we will have our snacks in the third grade hallway. Thank you in advance to all the parents providing our snacks. To make the day special, we are also having PAJAMA DAY! Students have been asking for a pajama day for quite some time, so this would be a great way to celebrate the day. WINTER CONCERT The winter concert is on Friday December 21st at 10:30. We will have a noon dismissal on that day, or students may leave immediately after the concert with their families. The after school program WILL BE OPEN until 5:30 for those families needing coverage (please bring a lunch if staying in the after school program). CURRICULUM Reading This week we concluded our work in Santiago by writing letters to the author Eleanor Clymer. Students first used a graphic organizer to assemble their thoughts, questions, and ideas. Then, using the organizer, they wrote letters to the author. Unfortunately, Ms. Clymer died a few years ago, so we will not be mailing the letters. It did spark some great discussions about what an author is thinking when writing a book. This week we read The Rainbow Colored Horse. This is a traditional Cinderella story about men, instead of women. We did some comparisons of this book, with Adelita and the original Cinderella. We are continuing to read traditional literature and folktales from Mexico. Math Next week we will be concluding unit six using multiplication and division. We will have our assessment before we break for vacation. The extra practice at home has been evident as students are feeling more confident in their facts. Social Studies Students are continuing their research in class. They have been working very hard compiling facts, typing, and working on their visual project. This week during morning meeting, we had an amazing conversation about the Naturalization process. This came about as a result of Mrs. Pellitier becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. Students had great questions about the process, duel citizenship, voting, and other important questions they were curious to know. Hopefully next week in Spanish class Mrs. Pellitier can shed more light on the subject. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Sincerely, Gayle Dear Parents,
During this time of the year, things can get a little hectic. Our own lives are busy and sometimes stressful, but it effects children in a different way. During the holidays, while there is a lot of excitement with parties, visiting family, and gifts, children become overtired, exhausted, and overstimulated with all the activity. Sometimes these things cannot be avoided, but trying to maintain a little calmness everyday can be helpful. In school, we recognize holidays by reading stories and doing activities, but for the most part we continue with our routines and curriculum. During the next couple of weeks, we will be busy with Winterfest rehearsals and completing projects. That being said, we will still find time for some fun activities. Sharing holiday traditions is a wonderful way for children to understand about other cultures and religious customs. This week we had a great time playing dreidel games and reading Hanukkah stories. CURRICULUM Reading Santiago's Silver MIne We completed chapter 5 this week, solving the mystery of what Jose has been up to in the mine. While Andreas and Santiago were convinced that he was digging up silver, they discovered that he was stealing an even greater treasure. We will be completing some activities related to the book through next week. Students did a wonderful job presenting their story pies this week. They did a great job finding seven important events and drawing detailed pictures. After the winter break, we will continue with more reading log projects. Language Arts In spelling we have been using ai and ay words. Understanding that ay (except in a compound word) always comes at the end of the word, helps students recognize which spelling rule to use. Some of the skills we used in this unit were synoyms, verb tenses, words that can be both a noun and a verb, and homophones. Our assessment for this unit will be next Wednesday. Students are learning the different rules in spelling past tense verbs. This week we worked with just adding an ed and doubling the final consonant before adding ed. (hop to hopped) We will continue to work in this area for the next couple of weeks. Math We are continuing with multiplication using arrays and number lines. Many students have been practicing their facts as part of their homework. We have started using arrays to work with division problems. This week in IXL students used visuals to help solve division problems. Social Studies In class, students have been busy gathering facts related to their research topic. Many are in the typing process, then will proceed to creating their poster. We are also reading traditional literature from Mexico. Winterfest On Friday, December 21st the Lower School will perform at the Winterfest concert. The concert begins at 10:30a.m. and will conclude by noon. On this day, there is a noon dismissal. Students may bring a snack but will not need a lunch. The after school program WILL be available until 5:30. If your child is staying after school on that day, he/she should bring a lunch. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Sincerely, Gayle Members of the NBSO warming up before the presentation. Dear Parents, This week, Terry Wolkwicz from the New Bedford Symphany Orchestra returned to Friends Academy to introduce this year's educational theme with music. This year, recycle and repurpose will be the focus as students look at the work of classical composers and how they reuse melodies in different ways in their pieces. Composers often retrograde (reuse music) and invert (music upside down) when writing their work. Terry's point was that composers like Bach and Beethoven never throw out ideas, the way we should recycle instead of throwing things away. Terry was joined by Travis, Peter, and Warren who always add a bit of comic flare in the presentation. Terry will visit each grade after winter break to work individually with students. On Thursday, Mr. P. began book two of the Shredderman Series, Attack of The Tagger. This book continues with our protagonist, Nolan Byrd (aka Shredderman) helping to investigate the spray painting of graffiti in Cedar Valley. However, this serious problem hits closer to home when the tagger paints Mr. Green's van. CURRICULUM Reading In this week's adventures, Santiago and Andreas discover an old grave that was dug up on the side of the hill. In the dirt they found broken bowls and cups and a small doll-like object. They discover a way to get into Jose's property and look into the mine entrance. Near the door the boys find is a basket of these same doll-like items. Students remembered a phase from an earlier chapter, "treasure is not always what it seems". In addition to chapter four questions, students also filled in the "proble-solutions" for this chapter. Using inference skills, they they used all the clues they knew about Jose to predict what they think will happen. Language Arts Students have been working on cursive uppercase letters G,H,I,J,K,L, and M. Some of these letters join to the next letter, and others do not. This week, we introduced verbs in the sentence. We will be continuing to identifying verbs in the past, present, and future tense. In spelling, students worked with the "magic e" rule to make vowels long. Some of the skills we worked on in this unit were rhyming, dictionary letter symbols, analogies, inferences, context clues, compound words, and homophones. Our unit assessment will be on Monday. Writing Students are completing their writing and typing of their altar stories. Many students have started fictional stories in their journals. Social Studies This week, each student began their independent research of a topic about Mexico. Students have folders with various resources as well as books from the library. Additional information will also found from the internet. They are using the information to fill in inquiry sheets and gather facts in an outline form. During our unit on a specific culture, such as Mexico, I often read literature books and folktales from that country. This week we read A Day's Work, which is about a Mexican-American family and their struggle to find jobs. Throughout the year, I also read various versions of Cinderella from different cultures. This week we read Adelita and made comparisons to the traditional story. Math In unit 6 we are continuing with multiplication of facts 6-9 using number lines, arrays, and pictures. Students practice their facts on the Flashmaster and IXL, but continued practice at home is essential. In class we used multiplication with dice and in a tic-tac-toe game. These are easy ways to practice at home. (I have offered students copies of the tic-tac-toe game for home). Literature Students have been enjoying their classics they are reading for their Story Pie. After the students finish sharing their pies, they are welcome to explore other classics. They have been adding to the genre list in class! I hope everyone has a great weekend. Sincerely, Gayle |