We had a GREAT first week getting to know one another, settling in our classroom, and getting started in our first units of the school year. Here's what's going on in each subject...
Math: Some students are switching classes for differentiated math lessons. All teachers agree that we are off to a FANTASTIC start. Kids took beginning of the year assessments and started unit one where they get familiar with using the on-line Student Reference Book. Lessons will continue next week with the exploration of finding the area of figures.
Science: We studied the Scientific Method, conducted two experiments (ask your child about their experiences), and started our unit on animal and plant cells. An assessment on the steps of the Scientific Method will be on Tuesday.
Writing: The kids are working hard to complete a mock newspaper article titled "Extra, Extra!" that will be hung in the hallway all-year round for everyone to enjoy. We studied common, proper, singular & plural nouns. We'll continue with possessive nouns and an intro. on verbs next week.
Whole-group reading: In our introductory unit, the kids learned the parts of a play and identified non-fiction text features in informational books. In addition, they took several beginning of the year reading assessments/bench-marking. Next week we'll focus on the structure of a poem and the author's point of view.
Small-group reading: The kids are preparing for small-group reading meetings coming soon by reviewing ways to choose an independent reading book that will capture their interest. They've been building reading stamina by silently reading each day...building on their time each day. This practice will continue next week.
*Have a GREAT weekend!
