Gobble Gobble Monday!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is upon us. Today the children wrote about three things they are thankful for. From what I read thus far, parents are tops on the list. I myself am thankful for supportive parents. I do hope that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Report cards will be coming home soon. If you have any questions or concerns after reading the report card, please don't hesitate to contact me. Knowing that we are in the second reporting period, I am expecting each child to focus more on the quality of their work. The children have a phrase on their desk written by Howard Newton that reads..."People forget how fast you did a job-but they remember how well you did it."

By the end of the week, we will conclude our study of Floridian Native Americans and begin working on a group culminating project that demonstrates what they have learned. I am not sure that everyone saw the poems that were outside the classroom. But the children also wrote a Diamante poem comparing and contrasting two Native American groups. I will save them and we can celebrate them in December when we have our Author Celebration.

We do have a spelling list this week of compound words. I would like the children to do at least one Spelling City activity before Friday. Tonight's spelling homework doesn't relate to compound words. It is a challenge abc order activity. There are six lists of words that have similar beginning letters.

We are moving on to Unit 4 in math. This unit covers skills such as: multiples of equal groups, multiplication arrays,word problems demonstrating equal sharing, division ties to multiplication, division fact families, estimating distances with a map scale, and a review or perimeter and area. Tonight they are coming home with a parent letter that I am sure you are going to want to read. Please continue to review multiplication facts nightly. I am going to give the children a little check up on 0's -6's by the end of the week. Then the children will know which facts they possibly struggle with and then can focus on just those facts.

This weeks at home reading comprehension activity includes two poems. The children must compare and contrast the two poems. They only have to turn in the sheet that has the questions on the back. Please make sure that you sign the reading paper as well.



In Writing Workshop, we will do a couple of lessons on using repetitive words and phrases as a strategy to emphasize something that is really important. We are using a few books such as Saturdays and Teacakes, In November, and The Other Side as examples of this author's craft.
I am hopeful that the children will consider these strategies when writing the second personal narrative or with any other story that they may write.

We have completed our first lesson of Motion and Design. My plan is that in the next couple of days, the children as a group reflect and share with the entire class the easy or difficult aspects of designing a vehicle. As the lesson progress, the objective will be more specific as to what pieces they can use to build the vehicle and how far the vehicle must travel.

The children did a wonderful job at Poetry in the Park. Several of you have already shared pictures. I am collecting any and all pictures that I can. So please feel free to share!