March 14-19

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS:

Homework packets are due on Monday.  Please help your child remember to put them back into their backpacks over the weekend.

Uh, oh!  The sneaky leprechauns have stolen our homework packets for the week!  Be on the lookout for a fresh new copy coming home tomorrow.

This Wednesday is an early release day.  Please plan accordingly.

Today, your child was given their activity watches.  These watches can be worn 24/7.  Students will return this watches on Friday afternoon.  If you have any questions, Katherine Harvey will be able to answer them for you.

Please remember to send back your time preferences for conferences.  They are set up on a first come, first serve basis.  I need all forms back by THURSDAY!  Thank you!

This week  in...

Spelling:  We are working on Unit 15.  The new words are:  good, new, write, our, and me.

Phonics:  We are working with /scr/, /str/, and /spr/.   Our new words are:  screen, scream, scrape, stripe, struck, strict, sprain, spring, spruce, and strap.

Vocabulary:  Our focus words are:  sincerely, impatient, furious, demand, emergency, and snoop.  We'll define these words and build relationships with them.  Then, we'll search for them in the short story called "Iggy Pig Saves the Day" by Kevin Tormino.

Comprehension:  This week, we'll focus on cause and effect.  The cause is why something happened.  The effect is what happened.  For example, if it rained (cause), you would use an umbrella (effect).  We'll practice this skill while we read Click, Clack, Moo:  Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin.  

Scholastic News:  This week's article is called "At Home in a Castle."  We'll learn all about life in a castle long, long ago.  Then, we'll use a map to answer questions about the country of Ireland.  Finally, we'll complete an activity where the students will have to identify where they learned various facts.  Did they learn it from the text?  Did they learn it from the pictures?  Did they learn it from both?

Writing:  Students have picked the person they would like to research for their biography projects!  Lessons this week will focus on gathering facts from several sources including books and websites.  Students will be learning all about what the person is best known for, some interesting facts, and also how they are like the person they are studying.

Math:  This is the last week for math switcheroo.  These last few days will focus on whether or not students are able to read and write numbers in numbers, words, and expanded form.  They'll also practice how to identify the hundreds, tens, and ones place as well as bundles of 100, bundles of 10, and bundles of 1.  They'll also practice how to skip count by 5s, 10s, and 100s.  Finally, they'll practice how to compare two three-digit numbers using <, >, and =.  

Read Aloud:  The BFG!  We love the Big Friendly Giant!

Science:  We'll continue to observe our radish seeds as they grow.  It's been so exciting to see what has been happening with our seeds.

St. Patrick's Day Fun:  We started the week off with a fun engineering project!  Using pipe cleaners, play-doh, a cup, and some coins, students were asked to create a rainbow bridge that was strong enough to hold the heaviest pot of gold.  We experimented with different materials and different designs.  It was so great to see all of the problem solving happening in the classroom!

On Wednesday, we'll dedicate our day to creating our very own leprechaun traps using materials you can find in the classroom.  Then, we'll be challenged to write about how to create our leprechaun traps.  On Thursday, we'll give our writing to a friend to see if they can build the very same trap!  It will be a great assessment of our writing and a super fun project too!