Dear families,
These days are just flying by! I am proud of all the hard work students have been putting in.
A few reminders:
-Sign those planners every night! I want to know that parents are seeing the students' homework each night.
-Complete those reading logs! It's 20 min a night M-Th and 40 min to be doled out over the weekend. If you lose the form, use a scratch paper until you can transfer to a reading log.
-Most students have math every night. If they say they have no homework, work on math facts for 10 minutes. Math should be a daily part of the homework routine! :)
Classroom Needs:-Tissues
-Hand Sanitizer
- Empty paper towel rolls! We are collecting paper towel tubes for a project in a few weeks. We'd appreciate your donations!
Week at a Glance:
Language Arts- Riggs: We have started spelling words! The words and their markings are recorded daily in the agendas. If a student ignores directions and doesn't copy down the words, the natural consequence is that they will still have spelling practice to finish at school the next day, or they will end up with a try again on their homework. I remind the kids several times throughout the day to get those words in and stress the need for perfection. They can do it! We will also begin doing a weekly word study sheet. 4 words a week will be examined. The students are expected to build dictionary skills by finding the word in a physical dictionary themselves. This is a standardized test skill, so please do not allow them to use online dictionaries. Let me know if you have any questions about the homework or the expectations with Riggs.
Writing- We will begin focusing on parts of speech this week. The students will be drawing distinctions between nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. We have also begun the second story in Aesop's Classical Writing. That workbook should be coming home a few nights this week as well.
Reading- We will continue to work through Shiloh. We may pick up the speed now that the students are getting adjusted to discussion groups. (I really appreciate all the parent help we've had!)
Science- This week we will cover reptiles and amphibians. Next week we will cover birds. There will be a test covering the common characteristics of each vertebrate class on Friday of NEXT week (9/23). The students have an 8.5 x 11 table of notes on the characteristics of each of the classes. They can begin reviewing those facts now to help them prepare for next week's test. Ask your students for interesting facts about each of the classes to help them share their excitement at home. After we finish the classification of animals, we will begin our unit on ecology.
History & Geography- We are taking a few days to discuss geographical terms and features, such as island, peninsula, isthmus, etc. We are making review sheets in class that can be used to prepare them for the quiz. The students should be able to draw each feature, and to describe it in words. We'll have a short quiz on these terms on Thursday, 9/15. Our next stop is Canada! We will begin with the geographical features of Canada, looking at a physical map on Thursday, and then begin learning the names of the provinces and territories on Friday. Students will be expected to memorize and label the provinces and territories on a map of Canada for the final Canada assessment.
Developing Core Virtues: This week, the students have been challenged to memorize "honesty". If you are looking for them, the core virtues can be found in the first few pages of the agenda.
As always, please let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!
Another heartfelt thank-you goes out to our many volunteers. We are loving all our classroom support!
Warmly,
Miss Smith and Miss Williams
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