So much has been going on in our classroom, it’s about time I catch you all up!
Reading
*Our November book reports are due on Friday, November 30th. Remember that your child is reading a biography on a person of their choosing. They need to fill out the form attached to the project sheet sent home at the beginning of the month, and they will present their person to us on Friday using a poster. Please let me know if you can’t get a poster – I’m sure I can dig one up around here!
*We are now about halfway through our THIRD Roald Dahl book this year. We completed James and the Giant Peach, and Matilda. We are loving hearing all about Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. If you get a chance, ask your child to tell you how James, Matilda, and Charlie are all alike and how they are different!
*Word Study homework has been wonderful and I am really impressed at my student’s dedication to the letter patterns.
*We are learning about possessive nouns (nouns that show ownership.) Ask your child to tell you the difference between the words “boy’s” and “boys.”
Math
*We have started multiplication this week and are strictly focused on the different ways they will see and work with numbers in terms of multiplication in the future. Here are some terms and methods to show understanding of multiplication: factors, product, repeated addition, tally marks, equal groups, skip counting, drawing pictures, number lines, arrays, and how it relates to division. Ask your child to finish this sentence, “Multiplication is all about…..”
*We will be studying multiplication from now through January. Expect to see flashcards to slowly trickle home as we introduce the facts in class. There will be no flashcards this week. Next week (Dec. 3-7) you will see 2’s, 10’s and 5’s coming home. Have your child practice these every night before bedtime, in the morning during breakfast, or in the car while running around town. Even 5 minutes of practice a day can add up to 35 minutes in seven short days!
Science
*This week we are learning about life cycles of plants and animals. Ask your child to tell you how a human baby looks compared to their parents and how a frog baby looks compared to their parents!
We will be going to the Math & Science Innovation Center for a field trip about SPIDERS on Monday, December 3rd from 9:30 to 11:00. Your child will not need a special lunch that day because we will be back before our regular lunch is scheduled. If you were a child in the Richmond area, you might remember this as a field trip where you got to touch spiders…but rest assured (as I breathe a heavy sigh of relief) that there will be NO touching of spiders on this trip!
Graded papers will be coming home this week on Thursday, November 29th. Please sign and return any tests and be sure to talk to your child about their grades and effort!
As always, please let me know if there is anything I can do for you!