September 20th Update...

Hi Parents,

Thank you for visiting the blog today!  We had such a fantastic week, with NO TESTING!  We got so much accomplished. Please read about our week below.

Phonics/Grammar: We continued discussing singular and plural spelling patterns and special rules when words end with certain letters. This week, our focus was on words that ended in -y.  We also studied why author's use dialogue in their writing.  We learned the correct way to punctuate and capitalize when writing dialogue.  We incorporated this into our writing this week.

Writing:  We wrote a narrative from beginning to end.  We all wrote about a shared experience; going to the Pep Rally at the beginning of the year. We focused on writing our stories bit-by-bit and including enough detail to make our story a real story, and not just a list of events. We included character details, setting details, and action.  We also wrote the internal story (feelings and emotions) that went along with the external story (events). 

Reading: We finished our first chapter book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School.  We answered comprehension questions about the story. We wrote in our Reading Response Journals and discussed how to write a good paragraph responding to what we've read.  We also read the story Picture Perfect and learned new vocabulary.  We identified what is needed in a summary, versus what is needed in a retelling.  We met in small groups to practice fluency and comprehension strategies. 

Math:  We continued our work with multiplication and division.  We learned how to find the missing number in any multiplication or division problem by using the inverse equation. We also learned that there are three parts to every equation; a total, number of groups, and size of groups.  We learned the tricks for memorizing certain facts, like our x0s, x1s, x2s, x5s, and x10s. The students should begin working on memorization of multiplication facts.  They will need to be fluent in this by the end of third grade. We looked at word problems involving multiplication or division and studied key words to help us identify which operation to use for solving. 

Social Studies: We began our unit on Democracy and the United States Government. We learned where democracy had its roots, in Athens, Greece. We will continue our study of the three branches of the government and the idea of checks and balances next week.  Your child will need a white poster board for a project we will be doing on the three branches. We will begin Monday, September 30th. 

Class News...

I'm so proud of our class behavior.  We filled up our marble jar and had our first MARBLE PARTY in celebration of our hard work. We went to the nature trail and got to choose an activity to do with a friend (scavenger hunt, make a nature bracelet, or investigate soil and rocks on the trail).

I'm sure you don't need a reminder, but next week is Fall Break!  Enjoy the time with your family!

Your child will need a WHITE poster board for a project we will begin on September 30th. Please send that in with your child on the Monday after our break. 

A link to set up a parent-teacher conference time will be sent to you in an email from me on Monday, September 30th.  I will be offering day and late afternoon/early evening choices in order to accommodate everyone's schedule. I'm excited to share all the progress your child has made this quarter with you.  Both parents are welcome to attend if possible.