Writing
We will begin to wrap up our fictional stories this week. We will talk about how to write a good ending, and how to edit and revise our work to make it even better!
Reading
This week in reading we will be learning strategies for problem solving when we see tricky words. Using a picture book, students will learn how to problem-solve a tricky word by looking at the picture, and by looking at the first few letters and last few letters of the word. Students will learn strategies for breaking up a word into chunks and looking for a part they know. When reading a chapter book that has bigger unknown words, sometimes getting a running start from the beginning of the sentence and trying the word again, or skipping the word, then coming back to it works and is a strategy that can help. The last strategy we’ll learn for tricky words is how to flip the sound in a word if the word doesn’t make sense when you read it the first time. For example, which vowel sound to make, like short o in the word “most”, instead of long o. Students will hear the teacher model reading a word incorrectly with the wrong vowel sound, then problem solve to pronounce the word correctly. Students will practice all strategies for problem solving tricky words throughout the year. We will continue to make sticky note connections, predictions, and retells with our independent reading time in class.
Please remember to read 100 minutes a week at home. If students read 20 minutes at least 5 days a week, they will reach this goal. Challenge your child to use more than one strategy they’ve learned in class during their at home reading time. To encourage them, you can even buy fun sticky notes to use at home!
Math
We are continuing with addition strategies this week. We are beginning with adding on an open number line, where we start with the bigger number and divide the smaller number into increments. We will hop up the number line and see where we end up! This is another great strategy for adding numbers mentally. Then, at the end of the week, we will start learning the traditional regrouping algorithm. We will practice first with base-ten blocks to visually regroup our ones into a ten and then we will move into number sentences, along with word problems.
Two digit addition problems are much easier when children know their basic facts. iXL is a great online program that your child can use to practice their facts at home. Your child’s username and password are both s followed by their 6 digit number. Each child should have it written in their agenda!
Social Studies:
We will bring our focus back to good citizenship this week. We will talk about what qualities a good citizen has. Toward the end of the week we will have a team mission to create an award or trophy for the top 5 citizens in our class. On Friday we will have a Citizen Celebration to recognize them!
Science:
We are starting our unit on energy this week. We will be starting by learning about different types of energy and then focusing first on heat energy and then light. We will have many opportunities for hands- on learning this week. We will be seeing how heat changes popcorn and using flashlights explore. This is going to be a fun and exciting unit.
Your child can also learn more about energy here:
http://www.eschooltoday.com/energy/kinds-of-energy/all-about-energy.html
Question of the week: If our blood is red, why do our veins look blue?
Reminders:
Library Day Wednesday!
Box Tops contest deadline: Friday, October 23
