MATH:
-We
continued practicing number bonds this week. We reviewed numbers 1 and 2 and
then went on to practice 3,4 and 5. We have a new option in our “Number Work”
choice where the students roll a dice to decide the number they are going to
work with, write the number down on the number bond paper, take that many cubes
out and complete the number bond and addition portion of the page! They
continue rolling the dice to create new number bonds!
-Our classroom iPod touches were also introduced this week. The class is on a rotation where we go in number (ABC by last name) order to use them. We have two iPods so the two students each round are able to use them. During our Daily 5 reading block, they play educational apps that practice letters, words and reading! During our Daily 5 math block, they practice more educational apps that are related to numbers, counting, addition and shapes!
-We
worked in writing groups this week on creating books that have a beginning,
middle and end, as well as staying on the same topic throughout the entire
book. Some groups are focusing on staying on topic, others are working on sight
words, stretching out words they don’t know and writing down the sounds they
hear, meatball spaces, writing with lower case letters and adding details to
their writing. Each group has one or two main focuses during our writing
session.
-We
also practiced this week adding punctuation to the end of sentences depending
on if they were a telling sentence, exciting sentence or an asking sentence.
-During our morning work this week, we practiced writing sentences with specific sight words. After morning announcements, we gather as a class and create a class sentence using the sight word of the morning and write it together! We are getting really good at writing sentences, which makes Mrs. Brown VERY happy!
READING:
-We
started TWO sight words this week-- “what,
you”.
-The
CAFÉ strategy we worked on this week was the strategy...
“Make a Picture or Visual Image”.
This
is an excellent strategy for readers to use when recalling details in the text.
Making a picture or mental image assists readers in understanding what they
read by creating images in their mind, based on the details in the text and
their prior knowledge.
How can
you help your child with this strategy at home?
1. Remind your child that when making a
picture or mental image, readers put themselves in the story or text by making
a mind movie. They also look for important details that help them make pictures
in their minds.
2.
Explain that there are many ways pictures help readers remember what they are
reading. They can do this by:
-
thinking about what they know about the text before they read
-using
sensory details to create mental pictures (what did it smell like, feel like,
look like, etc.)
-looking
back at the picture in your brain after the story to remember what has
happened.
3.
Read to your child and model how you make pictures in your mind. Then, give
your child a chance to try it. Read a selection to your child and ask:
-What
do you see in my mind as I read this selection?
-Can
you see yourself in this selection?
-Explain
to me the picture in your mind.
"-AT" WORD FAMILY
-To practice our first word family this week, the "-at" word family, we started WORD SEARCH WEDNESDAY. This is when we work as a class to find words from our word family and circle, read and spell them in a word search!
-I also sent home a new piece of homework this week called "ROLL & READ" this page will be sent home every Tuesday and needs to be completed by Friday. This is yet another way for you and your child to practice reading sight words AND words from our word families!
Below are a few pictures of the class doing their "jobs" during Daily 5 Reading this week!
WORD WORK
READ TO SELF
READ TO SOMEONE
WORD WORK
OTHER:
-We had quite the creeeeepy, crawly week here in room 26 learning all about spiders! We first started the week by writing down all the things we already knew about spiders and then as we learned new facts, we put them on the “learned” side of our chart. By then our “learned” side was even longer than the side we already knew! We practiced fact vs opinion, wrote a creative writing sentence with a spider and created a spider web with a spider and even some a “bug” as prey!
EXTRA:
-We had our Veteran's Day Program on Thursday morning this week. The 4th and 5th grade students performed several patriotic songs and all of the veterans in attendance were recognized for serving their country.
