February 26, 2010

READING
Our next story is called The Great Ball Game: A Muskogee Story. It is a fable about how the birds and animals play ball to decide who is better. The birds don't allow the bat on their team, but he ends up winning the game for the animals.
In phonics we will be focusing on the vowels pairs oa and ow.
Vocabulary words are accept, advantage, argument, penalty, quarrel, and guarded.
Comprehension strategies are rereading for understanding, cause and effect, and summarizing.
In grammar we will be working on plural possessive nouns.

MATH
We will be finishing our chapter on solid figures next week. We will be having a math test on Thursday. Our next chapter will be on plane figures and spatial sense. We will learning how to identify plane shapes, plane figures and combining the figures to make shapes.

Handwriting
We will be learning to write the cursive letters k and r. Please review the lowercase letters with your child.

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/Teacher Conference slips went home with your child. Please sign and return the slips as soon as possible.

Student of the Week
Britta is the Student of the Week! She likes to go horse back riding and play softball. Her favorite colors are red and green. Her favorite animal is a dog. When Britta grows up she wants to be a Singer.

Elizabeth Ide PTO
Elizabeth Ide is looking for new PTO board members. If you are interested please contact Liane Raso or Mrs. Hansen for more information.

Character Counts
The Character Counts pillar for the month of March is Fairness. I am fair when I play games honestly. I am fair when I share my toys with others. Have your child show their spirit by wearing orange every Friday in March.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mar. 2 – Casimer Pulaski Day – No School
Mar. 9 - Strega Nona Field Trip
Mar. 9 – Report Cards
Mar. 13 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School

February 19, 2010

READING
This week we will be reading two stories about dinosaurs. Little Grunt and the Big Egg is a fiction story and Mighty Dinosaurs is a non-fiction story. We will be comparing the literature and discuss cause and effect.
In phonics we will be focusing on words with nd, nt, mp, ng, nk and the vowel pairs ow and oa.
Vocabulary words are disaster, earthquake, erupting, lava, pitch, volcano, fossils, packs, prey, remains and reptile.
Comprehension strategies are cause and effect and drawing conclusions.
In grammar we will be working on singular possessive nouns and plural possessive nouns.

MATH
In math we will be finishing our chapter on time. Our test will be on Monday. Our next chapter will be on solid figures. We will be identifying, sorting naming attributes of solid figures. Some of our new math vocabulary will be sphere, cone, cube, cylinder, pyramid, rectangular prism, face, edge, vertex and vertices.

Science
We will be learning about the water cycle, storms and droughts. We will finish chapter 7 and have a test next week.

Handwriting
This week we worked on the cursive letters l and b. Please review how to form these letters at home.

Student of the Week
Michelle is the Student of the Week! She likes to play soccer and play with her stuffed animal Sparky. Her favorite colors are red and yellow. Her favorite animal is a dog. When Michelle grows up she wants to be a Veterinarian.

Character Counts
Our pillar for the month of February is trustworthiness. Being honest, completing homework independently, playing by the rules, and being on time are some of the characteristics of a trustworthy person. Please have your child wear blue on Fridays during February.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Feb. 25 – Spring Pictures
Mar. 1 – Casimer Pulaski Day – No School
Mar. 9 – Report Cards
Mar. 12 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School
Mar. 29 – Spring Break Begins

February 12, 2010

READING
Our next story is called Ant. It is a photo essay about the different kids of ants that are found throughout the world. We will talk about how ants work together to get food, and about the kinds of things that ants eat..
In phonics we will be focusing on the word endings -nd, -nt, -mp, -ng, -nk, base words and endings in nouns -s, -es, -ies.
Vocabulary words are antennae, colonies, larvae, cocoons, fungus, and tunnels.
Comprehension strategies are rereading for understanding, cause and effect, and fact and opinion.
In grammar we will be working on singular and possessive nouns.

MATH
In math we worked on telling time after the hour in 5 minute increments. Next week we will be learning to tell time before the hour, make reasonable estimates and determine how much time has passed from start to finish.

Science
We will be learning about weather, seasons, how to measure weather and the water cycle.

Student of the Week
Mairead is the Student of the Week! She likes to do cheerleading and play soccer. Her favorite colors are red, white and blue. Her favorite animal is a dog. When Mairead grows up she wants to be a Pediatric Nurse.

Iowa Testing
Thank you to the PTO for the delicious animal crackers and juice boxes. The children enjoyed the treat!

Valentine’s Day Party
Thank you our Valentine’s Day party was great! Thank you to all the helpers who organized our games and those who provided snacks. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated! The children had a wonderful time!

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Feb. 25 – Spring Pictures
Mar. 1– Casimer Pulaski Day – No School
Mar. 9 – Report Cards
Mar. 12 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School

Happy Valentines Day!

February 5, 2010

READING
Due to the Iowa testing all next week, our class will not have a spelling test on a new set of words. We will also not begin a new reading story.
Next week will be busy (and tiring!) for your children, so make sure they get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast.
Our class will resume with a new story and spelling words the following week.

MATH
In math we will finished our chapter on money. Our next chapter will be on telling time. We will be learning to tell time to the quarter hour and in 5 minute increments. Practice telling time at home with your child.

We will be celebrating 100's Day, Valentine's Day and learning about presidents next week .

Science
Our next unit will be about the weather. We will be observing and recognizing weather patterns, learning about the tools needed to measure weather and the water cycle.

Student of the Week
Erin is the Student of the Week! She likes to play softball and cuddle with her family. Her favorite color is orange. Her favorite animal is a kitten. When Erin grows up she wants to be a Singer.

Valentine’s Day Party
On Friday, Feb. 12th we will have a Valentine's Day party. Your child may bring one valentine for every child in the class (21 students). Please have your child sign each card, but
DO NOT write individual names on the envelopes. Bring the cards to school in a bag with your child’s name on it.

Thank You PTO for the privacy screens for our classroom. We were very excited to use them in our classroom!

Service Project
We are collecting food cans for the Woodridge food Pantry. We will be collecting these items until Feb.8th. Thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Feb. 8 – Iowa Testing
Feb. 15 – President's Day – No School
Feb. 25 – Spring Pictures
Mar. 1 – Casimer Pulaski Day – No School
Mar. 9 – Report Cards go home
Mar. 12 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School

Happy 100th Day of School!