Week of April 1

Welcome to the Month of APRIL!! We are in the last quarter of the school year. :) Upper Grades are starting testing, and we aren't far behind them... we will have our last i-Ready Diagnostic real soon. (We will let you know the dates as soon as we find out.)

Our week is as follows: P.E. on Monday and Slippers Day on Friday. Don't forget to pack them in your child's backpack. We will only wear slippers inside of our classroom. The rest of the time, your child will need to have regular shoes.

***If you would like to sign up for Fun Friday Snacks, please email us. We have a lot of empty dates in April and May. :) ***

MATH
We are starting this week reviewing our unit on combining numbers to make a new number. On Tuesday we are planning to have our unit assessment on number bonds and number combinaitons to 10. Please make sure you are reviewing with your child. Let us know if you have any questions about it.
We then will jump right into our next unit with a continuation of addition on addition stories. We will begin using a number line to help us visualize addition and use the addition and equal sign more.

WRITING

I decided to fully flip script and begin reports on ourselves. :) The students will be writing ALL ABOUT ME Reports. We will discuss all of the facts they can say about themselves and how we will not add opinions in our writing.
Check out the youtube video below for a very simple All About Me Report Book. 

\

SAXON/READING SKILLS

In Saxon we will discuss Digraph ck. Students will learn the rule for applying ck to words. (Please note, we do not expect the students to learn this once and then apply it. It takes time to remember it and apply in their writing.)

Our vowel focus is A. We will discuss whether the vowel sound in the middle is short or long. Check out the slideshow and practice with your child! Our blend is the GR- grapes, green, Grandma, etc. Instead of focusing on one word family, we will discuss the word families that go with letter a= at, ake, am, able, etc. Finally our Sight Words this week are: know, with, back & after.



READING
Our story is called Tops and Bottoms. It is written by Janet Stevens. The vocabulary we will use when discussing the story is crops, harvest, profit and gathered. We will discuss words and events that informed us Bear was lazy. We will then discuss the similarities and differences between bears and hares.
On Thursday we will discuss the events of the story and the students will work with their Sanford Harmony Buddy putting the pictures in order. Finally on Friday the students will take a short Comprehension Test. 

Report Cards!

On Friday, March 29, Report Cards went home. :) Please make sure to sign and cut off the signed slip. All we need returned is the envelope (if you received one) and the signed slip.

Some students received Possible Retention Letters. If your child was one of those students, please sign the paper and let us know if you would like to have a Conference. 

Summer Camp at Chimney Lakes

If you are looking for a Summer Camp to enroll your child... look no further! Enroll them in the Chimney Lakes Summer Camp. :) 

Mrs. Phillips (the Art Teacher) and I run the Art Rotation of Camp. It's the best!!

If you want to know what Field Trips we go on, check the Front Office for a Field Trip flyer. :)

Week of March 25

Painting Time~ Don't forget our classroom is being painted on Monday, March 25. So we will be spending the day upstairs in the 4th/5th grade wing in Room 141.

We only have Resource twice this week. We have Music with Ms.Broach on Tuesday and Thursday. On Friday we have a Library Visit in class with Mrs. Noah Thomas. We also have Sunglasses Day going on and William Scully is bringing in Fun Friday Snacks. :) 

MATH
This week we will continue focusing on number bonds up to 10. We will introduce the number bonds 9 and 10 and continue to review. While working hard on our number bonds we are also writing number sentences to go along with them. Towards the end of the week we will be focusing on combining sets to make the number 10. We will be reviewing a lot this week with number bonds to help prepare for out test next week and our following unit on word problem number sentences. Some students are having a difficult time understanding the two parts (the circles with the lines coming from them) make a whole (the circle that has both lines connected to). Please continue reviewing the blog videos, and the classwork and homework that is sent home. 

WRITING

We are honing our sounds!! The students are doing a pretty good job of finding sight words on the word wall... but they get nervous and many shut down when it's an unknown word. So we are going to focus on USING OUR SOUNDS!!

You'll notice more writing paper sheets going home. Please make sure to use the paper two different days. Do not try to complete both sides in one day. We want your child to enjoy writing and not see it as a punishment.

SAXON/ READING SKILLS

Saxon is focused on letter Qq and on introducing Combination qu. If your child says "qu blend" it is okay at this time, but we will be working on getting it named Combination qu.  (The way to code this combination is be putting an arc underneath the two letters.)

We are beginning the 4th Quarter where our focus is VOWELS!! This week we will just review how there are five vowels. Next week we will begin studying them and our first vowel is Aa. Each week we will discuss how it makes a short and long sound. Be on the lookout for a lot of breve and macron chatter. (A breve is a small arc (smiley face) above the vowel. A macron (pronounced as "may-cron".) is a short horizontal line above the vowel. )

Our Sight Words for the week are: new, take, give, & very.

Our Word Family is the -in family and our blend is FL-. Check out the slideshows below so your child gets their practice in!!

READING

This week we are reading Koala Lou by Mem Fox. This is an adorable story about the unconditional love of a mother. Koala Lou may have siblings... but her mother doesn't love them anymore or her any less. We will discuss the vivid way the author uses words to explain to the reader what is going on. We will also work on retelling the events in the order that they occur. 

**Due to the painting of the classroom at the beginning of the week and the Library Visit at the end of the week. We have decided not to give a Comprehension Test on this story. However, we may revisit the story in the future with a Venn Diagram in a Compare/Contrast Activity. **

i-Ready Usage

We have noticed that many students have not been going on i-ready at home and their usage is down. Please remember that the students are expected to be on i-Ready Reading for 45 minutes a week. Along with i-Ready Math for 45 minutes a week. 

We try our best to get the students on the Computers at school, however with the recent tests... even we haven't done as well. 

Getting your students on i-ready helps their overall grades in Reading and Math. So if your child isn't performing where they should be. GET THEM ON!!!

~ If you have lost your child's username and password. Please write us a note or email us and we'll be sure to get the information to you as soon as possible. 

Week of March 18

Welcome Back!!!

We hope everyone had a fun and relaxing Spring Break. We both did! :) Now it's time to get to work... Our grades are due Friday. So we want to have all our testing done STAT!!!

Our week is as follows: Mon-ART w/Schmidt, Tues-EXTRA PE @ 9:00 and MUSIC w/Tillis, Wed-MEDIA and Friday NO SCHOOL~ Teacher Planning Day. :) 

MATH

We continuing with or focus on composing numbers using number bonds and number sentences. Before Spring Break we focused a lot on the numbers 5 and 6. We will review those on Monday and revisit them throughout the week when needed. We will then continue through the week with numbers 7, 8, and 9. In order for students to understand the concept of composition it's important to continue to practice with them with smaller numbers and then  the numbers we are currently working on. In class we will be practicing with hula hoops, number bond white boards, and more to help students understand that two group come together to make a bigger number.

WRITING

Our Writing this week will be about something we did over Spring Break. Then later in the week it'll be our Opinion on which Billy Goat story we like more and WHY! 

SAXON/ READING SKILLS

We are continuing the lessons on letter Ww. Make sure your child produces the sound without adding the "uhhhh" sound at the end of it. Our blend this week is tricky~ but we know the students can handle it!! It is the DR- blend= so we have words like dress, dragon, drop, etc. Our word family is the -ug family= bug, rug, plug, etc. Our Sight Words this week are would, him, did & over. Practice reading the words by using the slideshow. 

Continue to practice sound substitution at the beginning of words with your child. We will be doing that a lot more in the up coming quarter and we change it up by substituting the ending sounds of words. (All of this helps your child become a better reader.)

READING

This week we will read the original billy goat story... The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone. We will compare that story with our book we read before Spring Break~ The Three Billy Goats Fluff. (If your child does not remember the characters or events from the story, check back with the weekly post on March 4.) When comparing the stories, we will use the Venn Diagram and the students will work with their Sanford Harmony Buddy. They can chose to complete the diagram with words or pictures= it's a partners choice activity. 

Pictures from Play Day

Now, I may have been absent... but that did not stop Mrs. Croft and Mrs. Conner from having a blast and taking pictures during Play Day. 

Hope your child went home with lots of stories!! Enjoy the pictures. :) 

Week of March 4

Can you believe we are already in March?!?! Time is flying by and our students continue to learn!! :) Also, we're doing 3rd Quarter Testing.  We're aiming to get it all done by this Friday. 

Well it may be the week before Spring Break, but we have a ton of lessons planned and as mentioned above... we really want to finish the 3rd Quarter Testing. :) So please make sure to let us know if your child is going to be absent and we will administer their tests early... if not they will be testing when they return from Spring Break.

So we have a busy week of Resources on Monday and Wednesday! We have two extra P.E. Classes that we won!!! Thanks for all your support parents. You made our win possible.:) Tuesday we have the Book Fair at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday we have Early Release and then on Friday we have PLAY DAY!!! **Snowasis will be selling Shaved Ice during Play Day. If you want your child to purchase one, please send a Ziploc Baggie with their $3.00 inside of it labeled SNOWASIS. Our Fun Friday Activity is Hat Day. We thought the students could wear them outside to Play Day, so please inform your child whether they can or CAN NOT wear the hat outside. :) Thank you!

Jayven is signed up to bring Fun Friday Snacks for the class. :) 

MATH
Last week we completed our unit on composing teen numbers with 10 and another number. This week we are beginning are new unit on composing a new number with two numbers. During this unit we will be introducing addition and number bonds. As a class we have been practicing putting numbers together in centers and during lessons to help prepare for addition. We will be focusing more specifically this week on the numbers 5-7 and how we can make number bonds and addition sentences with them. The videos below we will be visiting a lot in class so please check them out.

Like we said above we are nearing the end of Quarter 3 so please continue practicing the expectations for this quarter.

WRITING

We will be completing the Writing Test this week. The students will be writing a sentence explaining whether they liked the Billy Goats or the Troll from this week's Reading Story. 

Remember we are not grading the pictures this quarter and this will allow us to translate the students writing since we know what the topic of their sentence is. 

SAXON/ READING SKILLS

We are reviewing the letter Xx and then working on letter Ww. (Ww is my favorite letter... I tell the students daily! haha Please make sure your child knows the Ww sound. They occasionally get it confused with the Yy sound.)

Our blend for the week is BR- and the Word Family is - ell. Check out the media for both below! Our Sight Words for the week are: there, where, when & out. Make sure to review the words with your child by using the slideshow below. :) 

We are taking a rhyming test on Wednesday so make sure your child is able to produce rhyming pairs!! :)

READING
Our story is the cutest one we've read all year!! It's Three Billy Goats Fluff. It is written by the author Rachel Mortimer. :) We will be discussing our opinions of the characters, so that our writing thoughts are all ready for the Writing Test. And our main goal for reading will be retelling the story with pictures. Instead of our traditional Comprehension Test on the story. I have chosen to focus on just the retelling for this one. So make sure to watch the video book and discuss the story in order with your child. 

Slippers Day!!

The students were adorable in their slippers!! And surprisingly no one had the same pair... so they complimented each other so much. :) 

Enjoy the pictures!!