Math: Students are learning many different strategies to add and subtract up to three digits. Based on my observations, this is a challenging task for many students. We will continue working on these skills next week.
Reading: Students practiced asking and answering questions while reading to help them stay focused on the text. During the next few weeks, I will be assessing each student one-on-one (the same assessment program used when they were in second grade). This will give us an idea of their reading strengths and areas for growth.
Writing: Students are beginning a unit on personal narratives. We have started brainstorming good "seed story" ideas for our first piece. A seed story is one that covers a small moment in time (Finding a sand dollar at the beach vs. a one week trip to the beach). Writing about a seed story allows students to add detail and dialogue.
Science: Students have started a unit on the human body. We will cover bones, muscles, and joints. So far we have counted the bones in our body, assembled a skeleton, and completed tasks without the use of our thumbs! (We will switch to a social studies unit halfway through the quarter).
Homework: The county has delivered our math homework copies which we will begin using next week. For reading, each student will receive a master copy containing prompts. The instructions will be at the top. Students are being asked to read for 20 minutes or more and then choose a prompt to respond to on notebook paper.
Behavior: This week I awarded positive dojo points only and let students know verbally if their behavior would result in a negative dojo. Beginning Monday, students may receive a negative dojo for inappropriate behavior. Our class is making great improvements each day, but as a whole they are quite chatty. This takes up a lot our instructional time because we have to stop and get refocused often. Beginning next week, a behavior report will be stapled on the inside or your child's Tuesday folder. Please read initial it each Tuesday.
Supplies: Please make sure your child has their school supplies. A supply list can be found on our school website under "Our School."
Wish List: Playground equipment, a large tub to store playground equipment.
Reading: Students practiced asking and answering questions while reading to help them stay focused on the text. During the next few weeks, I will be assessing each student one-on-one (the same assessment program used when they were in second grade). This will give us an idea of their reading strengths and areas for growth.
Writing: Students are beginning a unit on personal narratives. We have started brainstorming good "seed story" ideas for our first piece. A seed story is one that covers a small moment in time (Finding a sand dollar at the beach vs. a one week trip to the beach). Writing about a seed story allows students to add detail and dialogue.
Science: Students have started a unit on the human body. We will cover bones, muscles, and joints. So far we have counted the bones in our body, assembled a skeleton, and completed tasks without the use of our thumbs! (We will switch to a social studies unit halfway through the quarter).
Homework: The county has delivered our math homework copies which we will begin using next week. For reading, each student will receive a master copy containing prompts. The instructions will be at the top. Students are being asked to read for 20 minutes or more and then choose a prompt to respond to on notebook paper.
Behavior: This week I awarded positive dojo points only and let students know verbally if their behavior would result in a negative dojo. Beginning Monday, students may receive a negative dojo for inappropriate behavior. Our class is making great improvements each day, but as a whole they are quite chatty. This takes up a lot our instructional time because we have to stop and get refocused often. Beginning next week, a behavior report will be stapled on the inside or your child's Tuesday folder. Please read initial it each Tuesday.
Supplies: Please make sure your child has their school supplies. A supply list can be found on our school website under "Our School."
Wish List: Playground equipment, a large tub to store playground equipment.