Week of September 24th

Another great week with some fabulous kids! Thank you so much for having your kiddos to school on time and holding them accountable when it comes to homework. It is so very important for kids to understand that homework is important and that they should take pride in it! Neatness is always important!

As we continue to work on Small Moment stories, we are focusing on how to plan and write a true small moment story. Here are the components that we have been working on with our small moment stories:

• writer's think of something that has happened to them
• they picture it in their minds
• they sketch it on the paper
• they write words

The students also got writing partners this week! They did a wonderful job working with their partners. We talked about how when we confer with our partner we can start by giving them a compliment (telling them something they really did well). We can then offer them a suggestion or ask them a question we would like answered as a reader. I am so proud of how hard they are working. The students are really beginning to see the connection between reading and writing!

The kids did well on their first math assessment. This is a great tool to see what the kids are really confident with and what they can use some more work on. The great thing about our curriculum is that it spirals throughout the year and each topic continues to be addressed. I hope you took take time to look over your child's math assessment. If you have not sent it back yet, please sign it and send it back to me. The students took the assessment on Wednesday and then were given the opportunity to "correct" it. We then went over it together.

As we progress, please start working with your child on their basic addition facts. Being able to recall these facts quickly, will enable them to tackle the more challenging problems as we move on through the following units. In math this week we will be learning about doubles facts (2+2=4, 4+4=8, etc.), Turn-around Facts, +9 shortcut, addition strategies that use doubles, and subtraction from addition. Please take time to check over your child's Home Links. These are a direct review of the lesson taught each day.

In science last week we discussed the changes: freezing and melting. The students observed and recorded the properties of ice. They designed and implemented a method for melting an ice cube, and they set up an investigation of evaporation. We called the activity The Melting Race. The students each had a partner and they had to find a way to get the ice cube that was in a baggie to melt quickly. They were hysterical. They tried everything from blowing on the bag to putting the bag down their shirts (with sound effects of course) and stuffing them under their armpits. Once they were able to get the ice cube to melt, they recorded how long it took. We then filled 3 sets of petri dishes with water. Each set consisted of a covered and uncovered petri dish. The students chose different areas of the room to place them as well as made predictions about what they believed would have to the water over the weekend. Oh, what fun we have

in science!

Spelling and Vocabulary:

This week is a review week. The students took a pretest today on the spelling words we have had so far. Their spelling lists for this week were taken from the words that they missed on the pretest. It is important for your child to not only practice the words, but the spelling skills as well. All of the vocabulary words and definitions are on the back of their homework sheet for review.

Scholastic Book Orders:

I will be sending the Scholastic book order in on Wednesday, please make sure to make your orders before then. There will be new order forms for October coming home the end of this week or the beginning of next.

100pencil challenge:

We are now up to 353 pencils! The kids changed the goal from 100 to 1,000. If you would like to help us reach that goal, we need all new pencils here by Monday, October 1^st as I will be putting them in the mail that afternoon. The organization that we are helping would like to have a photo of some children with our pencils to document the project. If you are okay with your child being photographed for this, please email me and let me know. Again, you can read more about this organization here: http://www.100cameras.org/100pencil-challenge/

Have a wonderful week and please remember how proud I am of your kiddos. Looking forward to chatting with you next week at conferences.