December happenings

Dear Parents,

The homework books will go home tomorrow night with the green December calendar glued in.  Please complete each daily activity along with the reading assignment for the day.  If you want to work ahead, that is fine too.  I would like to still have students bring in their HW books on Friday for me to check their weekly assignments.  As noted, there will be some additional writing and math work sometimes in their take home folders so please check that nightly.  The December HW calendar is on the homework tab on the blog.

Library books should be sent back to school by Friday, so students can check out books on Monday.  The book fair has started, so we won’t be checking out books this week or next.

I added some games to the blog for math unit 4 (greater than, less than).  Hopefully you’ve been able to enjoy the Thanksgiving song that was uploaded as well as a glimpse into our Everyday Counts! Calendar routine.  The class is learning to be very resourceful in using the different tools on available to them when decomposing: Today was the 57^th day of school so 50+7=57, 40+17=57, 54+3=57.  Some of the tools they are referencing include; the 100’s chart, coins, tens frame and place value straws (showing groups of tens and ones that represent the days we’ve been in school).

In Language Arts, we are working on a paragraph about winter.  We will be discussing facts and opinions this week, as well as sequencing a story this week.  Next week, we will start studying the elements of poetry. 

Today students practiced writing sentences from dictation.  This is a new quarterly test from the county that we’ll be completing at the end of quarter 2 in mid-January.  Reversed letters are counted as incorrect per the county on the assessment.  If you see your child is writing letters reversed while completing homework, point it out and see if notice their own mistake first.  Otherwise, ask them to correct it.  We just completed our turkey journals with facts where they called the COPS on my facts. Those will be sent home tomorrow with two of their very first writing pieces.  Make a big deal of their incredible growth as writers!!  J 

In Social Studies, we will be studying the various traditions of people around the world and the holidays they observe.  This is a fun time of year, where we learn about each other’s traditions and how many of them originated from countries overseas. 

Pizza Hut Book It November calendars are due!  I’ve received about 7 and will be sending them home with certificates tomorrow and the December Book It calendars will come home also. 

Thanks for your continued support of your child at home, checking their folders and completing homework with them.  I truly enjoy watching them grow and learn each day!

Mrs. Gowin 

My writing buddy tonight...Willow :)