Weekly Update 10/25/13

Can you believe October will be over in a week?  We'll be in November before we know it!
* Conferences begin next week and continue into the following week!  I'm really looking forward to it and don't forget that your child be attending as well.  They are very proud of their work and want to share it with you.  If your conference is scheduled after 3:15, you may need to wait till conference time before coming in as the door will be locked.  I will walk the previous conference out and then I can let you in.  Thank you for your cooperation.
* Homework is going really well overall!  Students are working on the work and completing it fully.  Many students are completing Xtramath twice a week and that is great!  If you're not doing Xtramath, please be sure to be practicing facts in another way (such as flashcards, using dominoes, etc.).  Also, the reading log is to be completed 1x a week online.  Please plan accordingly to have it completed.  If you have difficulty for some reason, please send a response in an email instead.  The students are told each week what the prompt is and should be able to do it in an email.  The prompt will be posted and students should complete the prompt Monday-Thursday based on the book they are reading that day.

In literacy, we've been working on identifying the problem and solution of the story (we read Lon Po Po, a Chinese fairy tale) and we also focused on comparing characters and describing them (Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters, an African Cinderella story).  In Fundations, we've worked on the sound of /ed/ and suffixes.  Next week, we'll focus on unit 4 trick words.  You can find these trick words on my website.  The more practice the better!  We've also been working on our conference reflections during reading and writing times.  It's so important for students to be able to reflect on what they've been working hard on and what they still need help with.  In writing, we continue to look at our stories, revise and add details, and focus on what we really want to the reader to read and understand about our small moment story.  They're just about ready to be shared with you at conferences!  We will be meeting with our buddies in a few weeks to share with them as well.  The students are truly becoming wonderful writers!  We have also been writing to our pen pals!  It's very exciting and I will be mailing them all this weekend!  Hopefully, we'll receive letters from them by Thanksgiving.

In math, we continue to focus on number stories, addition and subtraction strategies, as well as doing hands on activities that help reinforce these skills.  On Friday, we took the unit 2 math test and we will look at it altogether during conferences.  Next week, we'll begin unit 3 focusing on place value.  We continue to do "Plus Time" during our RTI blocks.  Students are working in groups that are right where they are with numbers.  Students are switching classes and working with other students as well as other teachers.  So far it's going great and we're all excited about it!

In social studies, we completed the "Me on the Map" project and are moving into the United States, landmarks, and landforms.  For science, we observed a pumpkin focusing on describing words and detailed illustrations, estimated the number of seeds, and we will count them next week to see if we're right.

I hope everyone enjoys the last weekend in October!
Any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to let me know!