This Week...

September 2- September 5, 2014

Reading:  Students worked on identifying the plot of a story.  First Day Jitters was our main selection.  As we read, we looked for main characters, the setting, and the beginning, middle, and end.  Understanding these important story elements helped students create a meaningful summary.  During a word sort, students formed compound words.  Choosing just-right books continued to be a focus this week. Reading Logs are due Monday, September 8.  (100 minutes)

Math: At the beginning of the week, we brainstormed ways to determine if we had longer last names or longer first names in our class.  Students recorded their data in a tally chart and displayed their findings in a bar graph.  Then, we analyzed the data by finding the maximum, minimum, range, mode, and median.  Name collection boxes were another main focus this week.  Students learned how to write equivalent names for certain numbers by using money, tallies, and arrays.  They also enjoyed finding different number combinations while playing “Name that Number”.

Social Studies:  We learned that we live in a variety of places at the same time.  Students started small with their street address.  Then they identified their state, country, and continent.  Hemispheres were another focus this week.  Students learned that the equator and prime meridian divide our world into four different hemispheres.

Writing:  Students also worked on sentence elaboration by learning the importance of including details.  They realized that if the writer does not use specific words, the reader cannot form an accurate picture in his or her mind.  Students experimented with this idea by creating their own juicy sentences about a favorite animal!  In grammar, students differentiated between statements and questions.  They used correct capitalization and ending punctuation to make sure the words formed a complete sentence.

Spelling: We took our week 1 spelling test.

Miscellaneous:  I had a wonderful time meeting many of you on Curriculum Night!  I truly appreciate your support and enthusiasm for the upcoming school year.  If you were unable to attend Curriculum Night, there is a copy of the presentation on our blog at morizzo1.blogspot.com.  Please return the Dryden Handbook and volunteer forms as soon as possible.  If you would like to receive our newsletter via email, please send the blue form back to school with your email address.  September book order forms went home today.  They will be due on Friday, September 26.  If you choose to order, please send a check or order online.  Thanks for supporting our classroom library!  Thank you again for all your hard work this week…I truly appreciate your support in helping your child get into the routine of a new school year.  As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!