I'm sure you've figured it out already, but your child's returned work will be coming home on (most) Friday afternoons. Please make sure to check your child's folder on Fridays/over the weekend and go through the pile of returned work. If you have any questions, please ask.
Here's what we've been working on in the classroom:
Reading : The students learned about reading partnerships last week (and we'll continue learning about them this week, too). Partner reading is a fantastic way to extend the students' reading time and for them to read and discuss books with someone else. Now, during reading workshop, the students read independently and with a partner. Ask your child who his/her reading partner is!
Writing : We're nearing the end of our first writing unit! Last week, we talked about how all stories should have a beginning, middle, and end. The students also chose a writing piece that they would like to publish at the end of our writing unit. (Towards the end of each writing unit, the students choose a writing piece to edit/revise and 'fancy up.' We have a publishing celebration as the culminating activity in each unit, during which the students get to share their published pieces with others.) The students will be working on fine-tuning their pieces this week.
Math : We finished the first math unit and started the second unit last week. We spent time learning and practicing the 'counting on' addition strategy. Ask your child what it means to 'count on' when you're adding two numbers together. We also spoke about turn around facts (i.e. 2+3=5 and 3+2=5) and math facts that make ten.
Social Studies : We continued learning about communities last week. We spoke about the three different types of communities - cities (urban), towns (suburban), and the country (rural). We also spoke about the rules that make up a community.
Here are some pictures from our week: