Welcome Back! It was a pleasure meeting all of the parents at Open House last week. We are off to a great start this year. All of the students having been following directions so well as we have been organizing our supplies, getting used to a new classroom routine, and getting to know one another. Every child has been a delight. They all come in with smiles on their faces and are ready to learn. I am looking forward to a wonderful year!
Science
In science this week we will learn about the parts of a bean seed. The students will plant their own bean seed and keep a plant diary. Students be sure to keep all science papers in your science folder in your binder. Do not remove any papers from the folders in your binder except for the folders in the take home side at the end of your binder.
Social Studies
This week the students will be on a "Patriotic Quest" to learn about the United States government. What is a republic? What kind of government does the U.S. have? What are some of their responsiblities? What are the three branches of government and their functions? These questions and more will be studied. Watch for papers coming home. They should try to review and study the worksheets each night as these concepts are very new to them. Remember to keep all sheets in their social studies folder. Expect a test over this material a week from this Friday.
Spelling
Our first spelling pretest was given last Friday. The children should have their lists in their spelling folder and know the words they have to study. I did meet with each child to be sure they were forming their cursive letters correctly in the spelling words. Some of the children may need more help and practice in forming their letters correctly. You may want to check over their papers to see how they did.
Reading
This week in reading we will finish the story The Pumpkin Runner and together we will make a story map to summarize the story. We will focus on two reading strategies this week: monitor/clarify and predict/infer. Along with our reading strategies, we have been doing a picture book study. Last week the different structures of picture books were presented and the children were encouraged to bring in samples of the different structures we were reading that day. I was very happy to see how many children brought in different examples of picture books. It has been fun sharing and comparing the different stories and structures. We will continue our study this week by looking at the structures of question, comparison, narrative, and contrary fairytale structures.
English
In English this week we will review capitalization and punctuation. The students will also review the different kinds of sentences: Questions, statements, exclamations, and commands.
Don't Forget
A permission slip to the Morton Arboretum went home on Tuesday. They are due back on Monday, September 10th.
Curriculum Night is on Wednesday, September 5th at 7:00.
