May Update

Welcome to our May newsletter! 

We want to thank you all so much for the cards, treats, coffees, lunches, etc. in celebration of teacher appreciation week! We are so thankful for every little thing!

The students have had so much fun learning about Ancient China! We are getting ready to complete this Social Studies unit and will switch to Science and learn about animals.

In Reading, we will explore main idea and drawing conclusions.

In Writing, we will continue to focus on grammar and will begin to write letters.

In Math we will learn about fractions.

We continue to STEAM on with various challenges.

Have a wonderful month!

February

Welcome to an exciting month!

In Reading we will draw conclusions in fiction and nonfiction; discuss author's purpose; and summarize and determine main idea in nonfiction.

In Writing, we will explore nonfiction.

In Math we will add and subtract 2-digit numbers; recall basic addition and subtraction facts to 20; count and compare a collection of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters whose total value is $2.00 or less; use the cent symbol, dollar symbol, and decimal point to write a value of money that is $2.00 or less.

In Content we will finish exploring Ancient Egypt and begin learning about magnets.

Have a wonderful month!!

Happy New Year everyone! We are excited to begin a new calendar year! 

This month in Reading we will study character development, author's purpose, and summarizing.

In Writing, we will focus on fictional writing.

In Math we will continue with computation - students will solve problems by completing numerical sentences involving the basic facts for addition and subtraction and create story problems using the numerical sentences. Students will use the equal sign to indicate equivalent quantities and the unequal sign to indicate non equivalent quantities.

In Content we will continue our weather unit. We will learn about storms (hurricane, tornado, thunderstorm, blizzard); the difference between a drought and a flood; precipitation (rain, snow, ice - sleet/hail); and describe how weather effects people and the environment. We will also learn about weathering and erosion.

Week of December 12th

This Week at a Glance In Content we will be learning about Weather. We have already begun studying about the role of a Meteorologist, and the tools they use. Next week we will learn about storms! In Reading we are identifying main idea, asking and answering questions about nonfiction text, and exploring author's purpose. In Writing we will be writing in a variety of formats, using vocabulary from our content area, and telling more. In Math we will recall and write addition facts for sums to 20 or less and the corresponding subtraction facts. Towards the end of this month we will explore the different holiday customs celebrated throughout Virginia Beach. Must know words for the month of December are as follows: December 12-16 had, how, down, don't, friend

Weekly Homework

Monday ◦Read for 15 minutes ◦Write must know words three times each or in a pyramidPlace •Tuesday ◦Read for 15 minutes ◦Write must know words in ABC order •Wednesday ◦Read for 15 minutes ◦Put each word in a sentence. Underline the word. Don't forget capitals and periods. •Thursday ◦Read for 15 minutes ◦Give someone in your house a spelling test using your words and then correct their test.

Patience and Persistence

Patience and Persistence are perfect words to describe our second week of school. The students had to learn how too log into their school account to access safe websites and assessments. They were AMAZING! Many of them became very frustrated when login and passwords did not work the first time. They were persistence and patient with one another. They all were able to log in by the weeks end and completed a pre-assessment in mat h on TenMarks. This give me a baseline of information that already know in math. They were all very patient when I had to administer the Developmental Reading Assessment to every child one on one. I hope to be done with testing by Tuesday. We will all be thankful for testing to be over. Looking ahead to this week, we will have an assessment on how to be a good citizen. We will begin out unit on systems and how they work. From a bike to a human there are so many different kinds of systems around us. We will begin both small group reading and math. We started last week to get in the routine of our rotations but, this week we will dive into word study and reading. We are still settling into a routine. Following directions and remembering what notebook to use or getting our homework notebook into our backpack has been a challenge for some. Every morning they pass in their homework notebook. I check it and they put it directly back into their backpack. The students first assessment on their "Must Know Words" will go home on Monday. I thought this would be a breeze for them. They not only have to write the work but, use it in a sentence. To earn an AP the student must write a sentence with more than 7-8 words or more for all five sentences. Some forgot capital letters or end marks. We are working on Place Value in Math. Ask you child, "What is a base 10 block?" they should be able to tell you without hesitation. We are working on identifying the place value of and value of each digit in a three-digit numeral using pictorial and physical representation. I was diligent on awarding and taking away Dojo Points this week. We did not have all that much excitement assessing both math and reading. I hope to send you more pictures and updates this week. Wish me luck. I am enjoying using Dojo but, I'm still trying to work it in to our day without taking away from your child's learning process. My goal is to get iPads for the classroom which would allow your child to take a picture of their work and send it to you. That may be a high expectation but, I believe if you are going to dream, DREAM BIG! I am excited for week three and look forward to small group reading and math.

SCHEDULE UPDATE!

Our music time changed from Monday at 8:20 to Tuesday at 8:20, therefore, I needed to change our mystery reader time to Wednesday at 8:20. Please look for a sign up sheet in your child folder today.