Reading & WritingReading: In reading this week, we will begin our new reading unit, Mystery! We will begin the week by solving a mystery right here in our classroom. We will learn to to figure out the mystery in story, look for clues, and identify the crime solver. We will also begin our new read aloud, A-Z Mysteries, The Absent Author. To help at home, read mystery books with your child and ask them questions like, "Who is the crime solver? What is the mystery? How would you describe the crime solver?" Writing: This week in writing we will begin our "Changing the World" Unit. We will begin the week with the question "What makes a piece of writing convincing?" Then we will begin writing persuasive pieces to address problems we see in our world. Later in the week, we will write pieces that convince our readers to see the beauty in the world and appreciate it. At home, talk with your child about problems and solutions in their everyday lives. Also, talk about things that are worth noticing and appreciating. Word Study: In word study this week we will revisit homophones and introduce homographs. Math & ScienceMath: As we jump in to the new year, we will start by reviewing some major concepts in math. Tables and relationships, strip diagrams, multiplication, division and word problems are the topics we will be reviewing. Students will rotate among the math teachers to revisit and practice these math skills in a small group setting. Science: We will be blasting off in our Solar System science unit. This week, students will learn about the Sun, which is the center of our solar system. This big ball of gas is our source of light and heat here on Earth.
A Few Reminders Tuesday, December 17th
Reading & Writing:Reading: This week in reading we will learn how to compare characters and story elements. While reading with your child at home, discuss similarities you notice between books you have read. On Friday, we will celebrate two read alouds, Because of Winn-Dixie and Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel. Writing: In writing this week, we will continue our unit on baby essays. We will push our thinking by debating topics. Students will learn to form a claim and support it with reasons. Math & Science:This week in Math and Science we are all about the gingerbread! We will have gingerbread themed math stations and math challenges. We will also have some special science STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) challenges with a gingerbread theme. Students will practice their math skills as well as teamwork and logical thinking skills.
A Few Reminders:Don't forget gingerbread decorating is next week! If you signed up to donate an item please send it with your student as soon as possible. They may place items in the gingerbread boxes in the pod or give them to their homeroom teacher. Reading & WritingReading: This week in reading, we will continue in our "Character Studies" unit. Specifically, we will study character strengths, character change, and the lessons characters learn. We will also discuss why an author might have made certain choices when it comes to a story's elements. At home, continue to encourage your child to read stories with well-developed characters. Ask questions such as, "How did the character change from the beginning to the end of the story?" and "What lesson did the character learn about life?" In addition, please refer to the teal study sheet sent home with your child this week. Our "Character" Test will be on Friday, December 13th. Writing: In writing, we will make final touches to our baby essays and end the week with a fun reflection of all that we have learned. We will put our first and last baby essays side by side and celebrate all that we have learned! Grammar and Conventions: In preparation for our assessment at the end of the week, we will be reviewing various concepts from the last few weeks. We will revisit homophones, compound sentences, precise verbs, and superlative and comparative verbs. Word Study: This week will serve as a review of contractions and prefixes (dis-, un-, pre-, re-, mal-, in-, im-, and mis-). Please sign-in through MyKatyCloud and BrainPop to view the following contractions video: https://jr.brainpop.com/readingandwriting/word/contractions/ Math & ScienceMath: This week on math we will learning another way to write numbers to the hundred thousands place, expanded notation. This is useful in science and higher level math. For example, 48 can be written (4 x 10) + (8 x 1). Towards the end of the week, students will participate in guided math stations covering expanded notation, word problems, area and perimeter. Science: In science this week, we are continuing our study of earth science by exploring landslides and review fast changes to earth's surface. We will also study natural resources with a focus on reducing, reusing and recycling.
|