We have gotten off to a great week! We will be much more on our schedule this week given that last week was our first full week of school. I think the children and the teachers needed some 5-day training. Smiles!
First, let me apologize for the Geography Project Blunder. I had posted that a project would be coming home and even posted the date it was due. However, time always seemed to run out the last couple of weeks and I couldn't find enough time to do the project justice. I don't like to assign things unless we have had some time to review and make connections in class. I did tell the children to let you know that we would still do the project but that it would come home later in the month. You will see the project sheet this week.
This week in Spelling we are continuing our work on silent e and words that have a short and long vowel sound. I am challenging the children to find other words that completely change their sound and meaning simply by adding an e. You will find the list of words this week to the right of the blog.
We have a couple more lessons to complete in Math. Thus I will not be giving the Math test until Friday. We will spend Thursday's math time reviewing and making sure that the children have plenty of time to ask questions. We have had a little difficulty with numbers in patterns. But with further practice, I believe the skill is getting easier. Please continue to review basic addition and subtraction facts at home.
We have completed our Peace poems and illustrations in preparation for Peace Day on Friday. I made a copy of the poems without the illustrations so that you can see what your child accomplished and what is being displayed here at school. The illustrated versions will come home at some point for you to cherish. They are wonderful! We will also decorate our Peace rocks that will be used in our Shorecrest Rock Garden. We are also writing stories of us which will be displayed in the hallway so that you can see and read them on conference day.
I have been completing some reading assessments during our day as well. I will share this information with you on conference day. This will help guide both of us in helping your child choose "just right " books for independent reading. We are working on a new reading log in class. It asks the child to keep track of not only the number of pages but the time as well. As I explained to the children, this is for them to see their own growth and how well that are able to maintain their reading focus during our independent reading time. Hopefully this will help with the home reading as well.
We are continuing reading our class novel, Muggie Maggie. This character has really gotten herself into a little trouble with her indignant attitude about learning how to write and thus read cursive. Our main skill while reading this book has been to find specific details including specific vocabulary words in order to fully comprehend what we are reading. On Tuesday night, the children will have a homework assignment which will require just that. Please know that the children are to respond to the questions in complete sentences. I will review the first couple of questions with them so that you will have an example at home in case you need to help them.
Also in Reading Workshop, we are learning how to "buzz" about a book. This is an excellent way to share books with other children in the room and make recommendations of good books to read.
We have begun our first steps with lower case cursive writing. We began with letters that have an "uphill stroke". These letters include: l, h, k, t, i, u,e, j, and p.
We will begin Lesson 2 in Wordly Wise. These words include: attract, attractive, attraction, crew, dangle, drift, event, launch, opposite, reverse, signal, steer.
We have completed our introduction to the History of Us book. We will now become the experts on the History of Florida. We will study the geography and its economy and people, past and present. The children have booklet that they have designed which will keep all the information that we learn and study organized. There may be an activity or two that may come home. However, most of our work will be completed in the classroom in groups and individually.
This children produced their first flow chart using the Scientific Method information that they have learned. I was so impressed. I have saved a copy to place in their Science journals, but am sending home a copy for you to see as well. You can expect to see a science experiment activity coming home this week as well. They will then have to put to use some of the procedures that they learned about the the Scientific Method.
We are continuing our work on Simple Machines in the computer lab this week and in the classroom. This week, the children will be using digital cameras to take pictures of simple machines that we find around our Shorecrest campus. They will then design a poster, all computer generated, that displays what they have found and learned. We should have these ready to be displayed by conference time as well . You will be amazed!
Please remember that when you child comes home with the weekly reading comprehension activity, that you are to listen to them read this passage orally at least once and sign at the bottom of the page.
I want to close by sharing some great personal news. Many of you have been concerned and have been very sweet to inquire and have shared encouraging words. We learned yesterday that my husband received a clean bill of health from his doctor. It looks as if the chemotherapy did it's job and if he can continue down this positive path or two years, then he can be considered "cured" from this form of cancer. Again, thank you to many of you that expressed your concern and care.
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