Weekly Update and Daily Homework - Monday, February 6th

This will be our first "official" full week together, and there is already a lot on the go. I like to give a weekly oversight on Monday evenings in order to keep parents and guardians up to speed about what our academic focus will be this week, as well as any school activities that may be on the go.

LA

At the moment, both grades are learing about Reading Workshop. We began organizing our Reading Binders and Book Boxes today. Many hands made light work! Reading Workshop will be split between the beginning of the day and the end of the day. During this time, I will be working with small groups of children to do Guided Reading. This provides students with the opportunity to read appropriately leveled books, and work on the necessary skills for that particular group. While we are doing that, the rest of the class will have several independent activities to focus on. One will be Independent Reading and Response. Students will work on being actively engaged in their reading, and will be responsible for submitting a Reading Response Letter every 2 weeks summarizing their books and most importantly, explaining the thinking they have been doing while they read. Students will also work on cursive writing (grade 3), and Word Study (grade 4).

You may have noticed that no spelling homework went home today. This is because we will be switching to "Words Their Way" -  Word Study. I will be sending home a notice with students soon to provide you with more information. This program is a combination of phonics, vocabulary building, and spelling instruction. Once the information has been sent home and you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Grade 4 - Math

We will continue on Unit 8 - Multiplying and Dividing Larger Numbers. We will also start our math class with Problem of the Day (P.O.D.). These problems will be based on material already learned, and it is a great way for me to ensure their understanding of outcomes covered.

Grade 4 - Science

We will continue with the Biomes research projects. Students will get time in school to do their research and will have the opportunity to create and share a presentation on one particular biome.

Grade 3 - Science

We are starting a new science unit - "Plants". This unit will consist of a variety of read alouds, and hands on projects in order to provide students with the opportunity to delve into the plant world.

Here is today's homework:

Both:

1. Read
2. Return Parent Survey

I think that about sums it up :)

Have a great evening!