January 17th

Reading: We read A Woman With A Vision which was all about the inventor of windshield wipers. We practiced identifying the main idea and supporting details of that story. We also read an article called A Lucky Accident, and with this story we practiced giving strong retellings while sequencing strong supporting details. 

Our phonics lessons specifically focused on words with VCe and Consonant-le syllables.

Writing: We began our week with an indoor snowball fight! The students had fun writing about different things they have been up to and then throwing their ideas around the classroom to their classmates. Next up, we wrote about some of our goals for the new year. They are on display in the hallway, and they turned out so cute!

Each student chose an invention that they thought was helpful. Next they used a graphic organizer, and then they wrote an opinion piece in which they gave their opinion along with supporting details. 

Math: Place value of three digit numbers has been our focus. We have learned how to represent three digit numbers using base ten blocks, place value charts, expanded form, and standard form. 

Social Studies/Science: Economics is the unit we are studying, and we have enjoyed learning about producers and consumers during our pretend shopping trips. We also learned the difference between needs and wants. Most recently we learned about different goods and services that are provided. Getting to virtually see the inside of a crayon factory was a huge hit! 

 

December 20th "Winter Party Fun"

December 15th

Reading: In reading, we read the story, “Stone Soup”. We practiced identifying the key events of the beginning, middle, and end of the folktale. We also worked on naming the lesson that was learned, and examining the different points of view of the characters. In addition, we reviewed character traits while reading Little Bear and the Golds. In phonics we studied words with r-controlled vowels that make the sound “ear”, including eer, ear, and ere.

Writing: In writing, we planned for our fictional diary entry. Students are writing their diary entries from the point of view of a villager in the story “Stone Soup”. We recorded the words, actions, thoughts, and feelings of the villagers during the beginning, middle, and end of the folktale in a graphic organizer. Next, we wrote our drafts of our diary entries.

Math: We wrapped up our unit on telling time this week by continuing to practice telling time to the nearest five minutes, as well as knowing the difference between A.M. and P.M. Then, we reviewed all of Unit 2 and took our end of unit test.

Social Studies/Science: This week we learned about seed dispersal. Students found out that seeds can travel by wind, water, and animals. We made models of different types of seeds to see how well their design helps them disperse.

December 8th

Math: In math this week we wrapped up counting coins and bills. We also started learning about telling time on a clock to the hour and 5 minute increments.

Writing: In writing we learned about the 5 parts of a friendly letter (heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature). We practiced writing several friendly letters. In phonics we studied words that have r-controlled vowels, such as or, oar, and ore.

Science: We continued our seed unit. We made our first observations of our plants to see what we observed after 8 days. We looked at what plant parts, if any,  grew. Then we observed the color of those parts, and we measured any growth’s height in centimeters. We also learned about the parts of a plant. We discussed a little bit about different animals and plants that are in the habitats around our school.

 

Reading: In reading this week we started our new unit called “Many Characters, Many Points of view.” In this unit we have read two stories. We read “The Blind Men and the Elephant” and “How the Beetle Got it’s Gorgeous Coat.” We discussed the structure of the stories, created mental images to help us better understand the story, and determined the central message, lesson or moral of the story.

Our Thanksgiving Balloon Parade

 

November 22nd

Social Studies/Science: This week we started our “How Seeds Travel” science unit. We planted Marigold and Dill seeds. Over the next few weeks we will be tracking how the seeds grow with different variables.  Each seed was either placed in a pot that gets:

-Water and sunlight

-Water but no sunlight

-No water, but sunlight

-No water or Sunlight

Math: Our learning in math was spent learning how to add identify and count money.  We have learned to identify the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter and how much each is worth.  We are practicing counting sets of coins and solving money word problems.  This is an excellent skill to continue practicing at home!  

Writing: In writing we continued working on our Community Helper books. We are currently in the publishing phase. The students' books are turning out great!

Reading: In reading this week we dove into a story called, “Getting a Message to General Washington”.  This story was a historical fictional story about a boy named Tom who helped get an important message to George Washington during the Revolutionary War.  We summarized, retold, used context clues to determine the meaning of vocabulary words, and compared and contrasted points of view.  We also read and analyzed a poem by Langston Hughes called “Words Like Freedom”.  We have officially wrapped up our Government Unit and will be beginning a fiction unit after Thanksgiving Break.