Here's what we were working on in the classroom last week:
Reading : We spent time discussing the differences between 'real reading' and 'fake reading.' Fake reading is when you can read a text and make it sound fluent, but you have no understanding of what you've read. Real reading is when you read the words in the text and understand it. In the classroom, we've been saying that in order to do 'real reading,' you must combine your thinking with the text. Therefore, when you're reading a book, you should always be paying attention to that little voice in your head that is thinking about the book. In the coming months, we'll be learning about lots of different ways to think about texts in order to aid in deeper understandings.
Writing : Before break, we look a little break from our standard 'how to' writing unit in order to write about how to make gingerbread houses. After break, however, we got right back to writing our other 'how to' pieces. The students have been learning about the importance of breaking the steps down and using sequencing words to help teach the reader how to do something. They also added warnings to their pieces. Ask your child about what 'how to' pieces he/she is writing about!
Math : Last week we walked about strategies of how to successfully add three numbers together and how to use the shortcut to add and subtract multiples of ten on a numer grid.
Social Studies : We continued our geography unit last week by learning about how maps show different things like rivers, lakes, and boundaries.
Here are some long overdue pictures of 1-Bu from before break. Enjoy!