August 18, 2017 Update...

We are so excited about our special event, the solar eclipse, happening on Monday!  Check out below for important announcements regarding the eclipse.  Keep reading to see what amazing things have been going on in Room 315...

Phonics/Grammar:  We reviewed the -ew, -ay, -y, and -igh sounds. We played several games of SPARKLE and completed some sorting activities.  We continued our study of common and proper nouns and created a flip book with examples.  We took our second spelling assessment on Friday.

Reading: We learned several new strategies that strong readers use.  We practiced recapping previous events before beginning a new chapter and ENVISIONING the story by making a mental movie in our minds.  We finished  up Stone Fox (weep, weep!) and learned how to identify cause/effect in stories.  We took an assessment on the novel.  We also read four chapters in our book club books and had our first official meeting with our group.  Our discussion focus was main characters and their traits and sharing our favorite parts.  We learned behavior expectations as well as how to be a valuable member of a book club.

Writing:  We learned how to identify and write a story with a HEART.  A heart of a story is the main event.  We learned that great narratives are not simply a list of events that happened over a period of time, but an important noteworthy event that will captivate an audience.  We went back to previous stories, identified the heart, or added one if we wrote a story without a heart (Ahhhhh!).

Math: We learned two great addition strategies, using expanded form and finding partial sums.  We also practiced regrouping when subtracting.

Science:  We put on our geologist hat and found rocks outside that we identified using the physical properties of rocks and minerals.  We discussed the solar eclipse and talked about precautions we have to take for Monday. We watched an informative video on what happens during  a solar eclipse.

Dinner Conversation Starter...

*ask your child who won  the sled race in Stone Fox and how was it different from the  usual way to win a race
*ask your child to tell you what the "heart " is in their current narrative
*ask your child what title they are reading in book clubs and how the first meeting went
*ask your child to tell you their favorite math  strategy for adding
*ask your child where he/she went for FUN FRIDAY

Announcements...

Thank you Mrs. Newlin and Mrs. George for creating our class directory!  Be on the lookout for it next week.

Please allow your child to bring a towel or small blanket for watching the eclipse on Monday.

I've also asked the kids to wear tennis shoes with socks...we will be in  the grass and I don't want them to get bitten  by ants.

Remember, there will be no check outs between 2:00 and 3:00 on Monday.

All are welcome to attend Tellus, but you must provide your own transportation.  Our two official chaperones will be Mrs. Newlin and Mrs. Lane, who will be riding the bus with our class.