We had two more firsts this week - our first counselor lesson with Mrs. Grindstaff (she's wonderful) and a visit with our STEAM buddies, Mrs. Adams' Kindergarten class. Our first visit was a get-to-know-you visit. Each student was paired with a student in Mrs. Adams' class, they made a bookmark together, and got to play outside. They will be "buddies" all year as they discover through STEAM activities, share books, and just have fun together. It is a great opportunity for our older children to be role models, mentors, and just feel important. I loved hearing our students talk about the kindergartners - "they are so cute", "my buddy is adorable", "I played what he wanted to on the playground". In a few weeks our buddies will visit our class and we use See Saw to introduce you to them. PLEASE make sure you have signed up for your child's account with the paper that came home last week. According to See Saw we still have 10 families that need to do this. All of our pictures, videos will be posted on SeeSaw - not the blog - so make sure you sign up! If you have misplaced the paper with your child's QR code please email me and I'll send you another one.
Questions to Ask: Now that the class has finished James and the Giant Peach did you like it? Why? Who was your favorite character and why? Our new book is Full Steam Ahead. We've only read a little, but see if your child remembers the problem the twins in the book are trying to solve. Other books we've read this week as mentor texts for lessons include Painting the Wind, The Best Story, and Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge. See if your child is able to retell any of these stories and maybe even what the lesson was that went with it. What are the 4 traits you've learned that are used to identify different rocks and minerals? Remember: *This Wednesday is Early Release day. Students are dismissed at 12:30. Obviously, our lunch time will be earlier in the day, but students should still bring a snack. *This Friday is our first Math with Parents. If you are on the calendar you will receive a game to practice either Monday or Tuesday. Please be at Tritt with your game ready to begin at 9:00. Thanks! *Your child's parent journal should be in the book bag. Please read the letter to you, write back to your child, and return the journal by Tuesday. Thanks! Next Week: Math - Students will learn several subtraction strategies to help them understand how to subtract numbers within 1,000. Thanks for all the help with the homework last week. I know these strategies are new to you, but I really think they help students understand the concepts instead of just memorizing how to do the algorithm. Also, please help your child practice his/her addition facts. Now that they are adding 3-digit numbers - having to stop and add 3+7 on their fingers is making it more difficult than it has to be. Language Arts - Students have added several reading strategies to our CAFE board. This week we will practice how making different types of connections helps a reader become more engaged. As a whole the class is making great progress building their reading stamina during our independent reading time. In conferences I have met with each child discussing what they know about themselves as a reader and now am hearing each child read aloud to help assess fluency. I love how excited they are when it is time for Writer's Workshop and they get to write. This quarter they are learning how to write a personal narrative bit by bit using a storyteller's voice. Science - Our rocks and minerals study is almost complete. On Friday students will take an "open book" quiz on what traits we use to identify rocks and minerals. We will take this test online in the computer lab to help them practice taking assessments on the computer. This will be a NO STRESS situation and no studying at home is required. Social Studies - We will begin a 3 day launch study about what is social studies and how it is more than just studying history. Have a great weekend!
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AuthorMrs. Amy Benson Archives
December 2018
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