Happy Friday Families!

It was great to wrap up our week with the Fun Run! We didn't let a few puddles get in our way! The kids had a great time at their last (sniff, sniff) Fun Run in elementary school! Our last hour of school today was spent participating in a school-wide SEL (social emotional learning) activity about effective problem-solving strategies. We ended our day with part two of our team building game called THE BEST GAME that we started last Friday. Be sure to ask your child about it! We had sooo much fun!

Literacy

*We are finishing up our first shared reading book of the year—Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley. We’ve used this text as a springboard for many reading and writing learning targets thus far.  This book has also connected nicely to our study of ecosystems in science. Be sure to ask your student about what he/she has learned about vernal pools and spadefoot toads! Today we played some culminating Kahoot and Quizlet games that test our vocabulary and comprehension knowledge of the story. 

Writing

*Students are in the process of finishing their first narrative stories of the year! After utilizing graphic organizers to plan, students developed their stories through the use of a detailed sequence of events and effective character development. Encouraging students to infuse dialogue into their writing was also an emphasis.  We will be writing yet another narrative in order to apply what we’ve learned and produce an even higher quality sample.

Math

*Our students are continuing their work with writing and evaluating numerical expressions with parentheses as well as demonstrating their understanding of how find the volume of rectangular prisms. We also began our “Number Corner” routine which takes place each day for about 20 minutes outside of our regular math block. Here, students practice skills in such areas as computational fluency and problem solving (in addition to several others) on a daily basis. 

Social Studies

*We started our discussion on the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places.  Over the next two weeks, the focus of our discussions will revolve around why America declared its independence from Britain. Today I showed an "old school" Schoolhouse Rock video entitled "No More Kings!" to help the kids understand why the colonies broke away from England. :)

Science

*We are continuing our focus on understanding the characteristics of  various ecosystems around the world. Our first science investigation involved “traveling” to virtual ecosystems and studying the interactions between living and nonliving organisms. This week we also learned what a plant does and does not need to grow and survive. Many of the kids were surprised to learn that soil is not actually required--but sunlight, water and carbon dioxide definitely are!

Upcoming Events

Sept. 30 - No School/District Holiday

Friendly Reminders

** Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

** Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 18. Brushing up on division facts would be helpful too, as we will be learning the process of long division this year!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  Thank you for your continued partnership and enjoy the rest of your weekend!