A Couple Reminders...

Walk to School Day is taking place tomorrow (Wednesday)!  Please meet at the various corners to walk to school with teachers and your friends!

October book orders went home today.  There are 3 catalogs to choose from.  These orders will be due on October 30!  Thank you to everyone who ordered in September...we had a great turnout!

This Week...

September 29- October 3, 2014

Reading:  Students worked hard applying the problem and solution skill to various texts including The Perfect Pet, and “Pets: True or False”.  Students also read an article about a Texas oil spill.  They highlighted evidence that supported the problem and solution.  Multiple meaning words were discussed and practiced in context.  Diagrams were the text features analyzed this week.  Students learned how diagrams help them understand the meaning of the text. Reading Logs are due Monday, October 6.  (100 minutes)

Math:  We continued practicing function boxes by analyzing patterns and rules.  Number stories were another main focus for the week.  Students worked on solving number stories with the problem solving steps and different diagrams.  Total-part-part, start-change-end, and quantity-quantity-difference were the diagrams students used.  The partial sums addition method was practiced, in addition to the trade-first and counting up method.  The unit 2 test will be Wednesday, October 8.  A review guide will be going home next week.

Social Studies:  At the beginning of the week, students worked hard reviewing for their map skills unit test.  Students also shared their wonderful map projects!  It was very enjoyable to see all the interesting ideas and hard work students put into the projects.  At the end of the week, students learned about mental, pictorial, and physical models.  They made their own physical models of favorite animals using clay.  Next week, we will begin our first science unit: habitats!

Writing:  Students completed their first RA, or revision assignment, which asked them to turn one of their telling sentences into a showing sentence.  They also worked on a new skill: showing!  Students learned to differentiate between telling and showing sentences.  In grammar, we worked on combining sentences to form compound sentences, which included a connecting word and a comma.

Spelling/Cursive: In cursive this week, students practiced the letters “a and j”.  We took our week 5 spelling test.  Next week will be a review week for spelling.  We will not have spelling homework and the test will be multiple-choice.

Miscellaneous:  Congratulations to Giorgio on becoming our student council representative!  October writing words went home this week.  Please keep this list in a safe spot…students will be tested on these words at the end of the month.  We are almost ready to send our Flat Stanleys on their way…we hope to mail them out at the beginning of next week!  Please let me know if you have any questions…have a great weekend!

This Week...

September 22- September 26, 2014

Reading:  We continued practicing the reading strategy of main ideas and details. Students worked hard to identify detail sentences that would help them discover the main idea of a paragraph.  They recorded their ideas in a main idea and details chart.  “Life in Antarctica” and Penguin Chick were read in conjunction with the weekly theme: Antarctic Life.  We analyzed the poem “In Praise for Penguins” with a close reading activity.  Students determined the author’s purpose with evidence from the text.  Homographs were also a focus.  Students found various definitions for the same word and showed their meanings through sentences. Reading Logs are due Monday, September 29.  (100 minutes)

Math:  As we began unit 2, students discovered different kinds of fact families.  Students practiced using fact triangles to help them learn their basic facts.  They also analyzed various fact extensions by finding patterns.  At the end of the week, students completed function boxes by following various rules and solved total-part-part number stories.  We continue to have 2 fact tests a week.  Please remind your child to be practicing their facts at home…thank you for your support!

Social Studies:  We spent the week reviewing major concepts and skills from our map skills unit.  We started to share the country maps and will continue presenting next week.  The students have really enjoyed seeing the creative projects!  The map skills unit test will be on Wednesday, October 1.  A review guide went home on Thursday.

Writing:  Focus continues to be the target writing skill during WEX.  Students worked on developing tiny details that focused on sound.  They made careful observations to create interesting descriptions of various objects and moments.  Students continue to share their work and respond to each other using targeted, positive feedback.  In grammar, we worked on identifying the predicate in a sentence.

Spelling/Cursive: We took our week 4 spelling test.  In cursive, students practiced the letter “w” and “r”.

Miscellaneous:  The students were very excited to begin their Flat Stanley project!  Thank you for helping your child find a person willing to help with this project.  Please let me know if you are having any difficulty finding someone.  Student council applications went home this week and are due Tuesday, September 30.  Have a fabulous weekend and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

Flat Stanley Project!

We began our Flat Stanley project this week!  We are so excited to begin writing our letters to family and friends who live out of state.  Please return the blue form by Monday, September 29.  If you are having trouble finding someone, please let me know!  I am happy to find someone who is willing to have Flat Stanley visit!  Thank you so much for your support with this...I know our class is thrilled! 

This Week...

September 8- September 12, 2014

Reading:  Students read our main selection, Dear Juno.  In order to find out character traits, students found text evidence to support their ideas.  They learned that Juno was a clever young boy by analyzing his actions throughout the story.  We also discussed various nonfiction text features and their importance to the reader.  Students created a visual representation of the text features, including: captions, the table of contents, boldface words, photographs, and the glossary.  Headings, charts, subheadings, and diagrams were also analyzed and discussed.  We continued to practice using context clues to figure out unknown vocabulary. Reading Logs are due Monday, September 15.  (100 minutes)

Math: Students utilized number grids to find differences between various numbers.  They practiced using calculators to solve “change-to” problems where a number is given and needs to be changed to a new number.  Students were responsible for figuring out how to get to the new number using a variety of operations.  As a class, we learned the importance of knowing our basic facts during the game “Beat the Calculator”.  Money concepts were also reviewed at the end of the week.  Students wrote different amounts in dollar-cents notation.  Our unit 1 math test will be on Thursday, September 18.  A review guide will be going home next week.

Social Studies:  Students learned how to use a physical map to determine various landforms across the country.  They also learned how to use map scales to find accurate distances from one place to another.  By using a ruler to measure the distance in inches, students were able convert that measurement to determine the actual distance in miles.  At the end of the week, students practiced reading a community map.

Writing:  We started our writing program: The Writer’s Express (WEX)!  Students enjoyed learning about the writer’s mindset, the rules for writing, and how to “show” readers with their words.   We also discussed how to share our work and provide positive feedback to classmates.  In grammar, we differentiated between exclamations and commands.

Spelling/Cursive: We took our week 2 spelling test.  In cursive, students practiced the letter “i”.

Miscellaneous:  We had another great week!  On Tuesday, we had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Music for Youth concert.  By watching peers play the violin and cello, students were able to see if this experience was something they would like to do in the future.  Next week, our class will be taking the MAP tests in the areas of reading and math.  An informational letter went home today specifying dates and times.  Just a reminder, book orders are due on September 26.  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and please let me know if you have any questions!

Book Orders

Book Orders

Welcome to our Scholastic Book Orders Page!

Please visit the Scholastic website by clicking on the link below:

Scholastic Book Orders

Our class activation code is:  GNHZJ


Thank you for supporting our classroom and encouraging reading!

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!