September News

Thank you all for helping to make the transition into a new school year so successful for our class! It is hard to believe that we have been together for a month already. It was a big help to get in all the forms and other paperwork so quickly. If you have not paid for this years subscription to Time for Kids and for the field trip t-shirts, please do so ASAP. If you will not be purchasing a new t-shirt for your child then please make sure you send in last years to me.

We have begun our first unit in science, Matter and Energy. During the course of the unit we will be developing the idea that matter is the stuff from which all common and familiar objects and materials are made. We will explore sources of energy and identify forms of energy. We will also discuss the phase changes of matter (from solids, liquids, and gas).

In Social Studies, students have started exploring Unites States geography
with some games and activities. Students used a Scavenger Hunt to explore their Social Studies textbooks. Soon students will be exploring life in communities in the United States and beyond. If you can, find the time to talk with your child about the community in which you
grew up, and how it is similar or different to where you live now.

In math we have just completed our first unit on number sense. Students reviewed place value, comparing and ordering numbers, and rounding. We will soon be starting our second unit in which we will be reviewing and expanding on addition and subtraction skills.

In writing we are working on writing expository paragraphs. Students are learning the importance of good planning (pre-writing) before the actual sentence writing begins. We are also working on writing topic sentences and adding detail to make our writing more interesting.

For our reading instruction students are participating in Reader's Workshop. We start with a mini lesson that focuses on a particular comprehension skill or strategy and then students are given time to read a book of their choice and write in their reading response journals about what they have read. Some mini lessons so far have covered how to choose a "just right book", making connections to what we read (text-text, text-self, text-world), and different story elements (characters and setting).