Week in Review--All about the 5 Senses!

Reading:

-We started TWO sight words this week-- “with, my”.

-The CAFÉ strategy we worked on this week was the strategy “Compare and Contrast Within and Between Texts”.

One way readers understand new ideas in text is by thinking about how things are alike or different.  This understanding deepens their comprehension.  Comparing and contrasting text assists the reader by engaging them in critical thinking.  Comparing involves highlighting similarities and differences.  Contrasting focuses only on differences.  Exposure to various texts along with discussion is the best way to use this strategy to improve comprehension.

How can you help your child with this strategy at home?

1.     When comparing two items discuss likenesses and differences of what is being compared.  Begin comparing two people or places and then move on to comparing the characters or settings in a story.

2.     Look for clue words in text or use these words when comparing texts.

·         Comparing words

o    Clue words: like, as

o    Simile – than, as

·         Contrasting words

o    Clue words: but, unlike

3.     When reading to your child, model this strategy by thinking out loud.  This may sound something like, “This story is a lot like _____ because _____.  I noticed _____ and ____ are very similar.  I also noticed a few differences.  Some things that were not the same are_____.”

4.     After reading two different stories, discuss the following:

·         How are these stories the same?  How are they different?

·         Compare the characters in each story.

·         How might you compare these stories?

Math:

-This week we learned all about the 3D shapes! We learned the cube, cylinder, sphere and cone. We sang a song that went along with those shapes, talked about what makes a shape 3D and thought of objects we see every day that are each of the shapes.
 

 

-We began talking about addition sentences this week with the numbers 1 and 2. To practice this we first began by creating number bonds with each of the numbers using cubes. We wrote in the numbers bonds the different ways to make the number 1 or 2 and then rewrote those ways into an addition sentence. We talked about the vocabulary terms associated with an addition sentence too! The plus sign and the equals sign are both very important signs when it comes to writing an addition sentence.

Writing:

 

-We practiced writing books this week. The main focus when writing books is to stay on the same topic. When the class is writing a book they are to first think of their story, map it out across the three pages and be sure to stay on the same topic. For example, if they are writing about playing at the park they should not change in the middle of the book to writing about their favorite candy they got from trick or treating. If they want to write about trick or treating, they should save that idea for the next book they will write. We focused on having a Beginning, Middle and an End when writing. We started a class book about going to recess and talked about what we do first, second and last. We also focused on the WHO in the story, the WHAT and the WHERE. This also helps the students keep focused in on how they are forming their sentences and writing down all the information needed.


Content:

This week was all about the 5 senses! Seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting! We read several books, watched videos, created a book and even tested our each of our five senses with popcorn AND a marshmallow! We learned why each of the senses is important, helps us every day and about people who might not have one or more of the senses and what they do to help overcome that obstacle.

Other:

We had special guests from Purdue University this week visit our school to talk to us about the importance of making smart choices, working hard in school and striving to achieve our goals!