Bringing in the New Year!

Happy New Year!  I hope everyone enjoyed time with family and friends this holiday season bringing in the New Year.  Every start to a new year makes for the perfect opportunity to reflect on our achievements and set new goals.  This is exactly what the children did.  Going through this process is meaningful for the children as they are learning that they can track and monitor their progress and by doing this it motivates them to strive higher.  Looking at their growth also allows them to self assess, set another goal, and make a plan to get there.  Students set goals for reading, math, and they also set personal goals as well. 

Here is a summary of what happened in our classroom:

In Langauge Arts...

• This week's essential question was how does weather effect us?  Students practiced to describe the main idea and find supporting details using a text called Tornados!  Prior to reading, students activated their prior knowledge about the subject.  Students learned this is an important reading strategy because it allows students to connect new information they learn about a subject to information they already know helping us to understand complex topics or ideas.   

• Using another text called Wild Weather by Seymour Simon, students learned about extreme weather conditions and how it can effect people.  The practiced describing the main idea while learning about the differences between thunderstorms, lightning, tornados, hurricanes and blizzards.  They even learned about some of the most devastating hurricanes in history, including Hurricane Katrina that hit New Orleans in 2005. ​

• Grammar and vocabulary lessons this week included synonyms and antonyms.
• In writing, students learned that introductions have two components: a hook and a summary sentence.  Students used a divided circle map to develop various introductions then selected their favorite.  Students used riddles, fun facts, exciting moments, questions, or sounds as their hooks.  ​

In math...

• Student used a hundreds chart to subtract numbers, learning that when you move directly up on a hundreds chart, you're subtracting 10 and by moving to the left you're subtracting ones.   
• Students then used a number line to subtract.  They first had to decompose the subtrahend, then jump accordingly.  For example, 57 - 13 = ?  Students start at 57, make a jump of "minus ten" to 47, then another jump of "minus 3" to 44.  This strategy is called the "jumps of ten" strategy.  

In science...

• Students built their seed disperser models this week.  Using the Scientific process, students designed a model and got to evaluate and redesign to make improvements based on their findings.  Click here for Photos

REMINDERS AND ANNOUCEMENTS​

• Progress portfolios, evidence binders and report cards with iReady scores will be going home with your child on Thursday 1/17.  Please be sure to check for these things in your child's backpack on that day.  You may take a few days or a week or so to review the binders.  Please return them with everything intact.  Please sign and return the report card envelop on Friday 1/18 and keep the report card and iReady report at home.  
• No School on Monday 1/21- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
• Please note that there is a new Reading A-Z homework routine.  Students will be assigned an A-Z book and comprehension questions every other Monday. This assignment is due on Fridays.