Welcome back to school! I hope everybody had an enjoyable break. I want to thank all of you for helping out with our Winter Celebration, It was wonderful. I will be posting the winter celebration and Polar Express train pictures very soon- So be looking for those!!
Now it is time to get back into the groove of things. Just a reminder: Homework folders go home Monday and are due back with ALL completed homework on Fridays. Homework includes spelling-3x's each and sentences, math investigation worksheet and reading with a response.Spelling words are written in the planner each week.
Don't forget- http://duval.riverdeep.net
This is where your child can log on and play reading and math games assigned by me. When your child completes a test on the game I get the results and can identify other areas to help your child be successful. Simply go to the address have your child log on with his/her first and last name with out a space followed by our school # 255. Example- Lauragammons255.
Your child's password is his/her two digit birth month and date. Example- October 12 password: 1012
16th Planning Day-No School
19th Martin Luther King-No School
21st Early Dismissal
23rd Spelling test(words sent home 1/15)
26th Weekly reading test for week of 1/23
28th Theme 5 Reading test
30th 100th day of school, Projects due.
Students continue to study geometry. We have a classroom project that requires students to bring in an empty (non-glass) container wrapped. If you'd like the container back please place students name on container, not on the outside of wrapping.
Students are learning to recognize and name the shape (rhombus,hexagon). Students will be able to tell how many sides, and put shapes together to form a picture.(Similar to putting a puzzle together). Puzzles are great practice at home.
Students are also learning about place value and money using our calendar math program. We have worked on identifying ones and tens place. We have worked on how much the coins are worth. Right now students should be able to trade pennies for nickels. Please have your child play with real or pretend money.
Please continue to practice writing numbers correctly.
Your child should be able to read these words: Theme 5 words will be sent home in homework folder 1/05/09. Test date is noted on top of word list. All of these words will have been introduced by 1/23/09. Students should know all words by test date.
Theme 5 reading word test is: TBA
please check you child's homework folder for a zip lock bag with 2 books in it. Your child is to read both books and complete the response form. Every 5 books your child reads, they receive a sticker towards the million word challenge.
Please read with your child every night for at least 20 minutes!
Quiz on "Matter" is being graded and grades will be sent home on a letter. If you'd like to view the test you may come in after letter is sent home.
We are now studying "motion". Forces and how things move, such as gravity and pushing and pulling. We are also reading about animal homes this week(1/5-1/9/09) which will address animal habitats.
For the month of January several social study topics come up. We will discuss Martin Luther King and why we celebrate the 19th,Moving in to new homes (past and present) goes along with our reading series,and maps-being able to read one and understand why we use them.
Your child will take a spelling pre-test on Mondays that include all of the 15 words above. If they get the top 10 correct they are automatically assigned the bottom 10 words including the last 5 challenge words. Sometimes the students will have a mixture of words,depending on what they miss. If your child gets all words correct they are still assigned words- 10 words.
Students have already begun being tested on writing a dictated sentence that includes spelling words.
We have practiced this skill since before thanksgiving break.
The sentence will be part of the spelling test grade.
The sentence is not given to study, the words in the sentence are all words they should be able to spell. The sentence is 8 words with at least 2 of the 1st 10 spelling words (not challenge words). Students are given 1 point for each word spelled correctly, 1 point for punctuation at the end, and 1 point for a capital letter at the beginning of the sentence. Total points to be earned for the sentence is 10.
Students have been working hard on Report writing. However it is now time to move on to functional writing. This is where your child learns how to write instructions on how to do something. Directions are expected to be clear and in order with all steps by the end of January.
Please work with your child on writing complete sentences.
The students are not expected to spell all words correctly. They are encouraged to spell the way the word sounds, unless it is a spelling word or word they have been taught. Students know how to use the word wall to find high frequency words to include in their writing.
