9/17/12 - 9/21/12

Sunday, September 16, 2012

 Greetings!

What an amazing week! The children were absolutely wonderful, and as a result we were able to accomplish a great deal. Math centers and spelling groups are going strong. This week we will officially begin our reading groups. All groups have already met, but students were reading their own books while at the reading table. It is now time for us to start reading assigned literature. I love reading groups because reading is thinking, and I get to see how well the children think after reading an article or parts of a book. Much of the thinking is observed through discussion, but some of the thinking is observed through written responses. Students must be able to do both. Please encourage your your to always be thinking when he/she is reading!

Here's what's happening the week:
Math: Look for returning math tests on Monday. We will begin Ch. 3 which begins with rounding and then heads into subtracting with regrouping multiple times.
Writing: We will weave a little social studies into our writing time this week by writing postcards from rural, urban, and suburban communities. By the end of the week you should be able to see our communities murals and postcards on display in the hallway.
Spelling: New words will come home for the Red and Yellow Groups on Tuesday and the Blue and Green Groups on Wednesday. (No spelling on Mondays because of library.)

Reading:  Reading groups begin.  Some groups will meet every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Other groups will meet every Tuesday and Thursday.
Science: Quiz on plants and their parts on Tuesday. Also know what all plants needs in order to survive. We will also continue study of trees and their leaves.
Social Studies: We will head into Ch.2 which is a study of Earth's geography.

Important Events:
Mon.- Library
Tues.- Science Quiz
Fri.- First published story due;