Important News and Information
Dear Parents:
The end of the year is approaching, and we have so many exciting things ahead of us! May brings the grand opening of our very own classroom restaurant! The Dragon's Diner will be open on Wednesday, May 15th from 10-11:30. We can't wait to see you there! Our field trip to the Detroit Science Center will be on Thursday, June 6th. We are in need of 5 chaperones, so please let me know if you'd like to join us! Field Day and our end of the year party will be on Monday, June 10th. Mr. Lovas is in need of volunteers, so please let me know if you are interested in helping out! Mrs. Cardenas Reading
This month we will take a deeper look at characters in a series. In order to become experts on characters, we need to:
*Collect information about the main characters as we read *Pay attention to how characters respond to problems *Notice the things that are the SAME across the series *Think about what characters say and do *Use what you know to guess what the characters will do next *Notice what a character's relationship shows Ask your child about all of the books that we have been reading in class! We will read a bunch of Tomie dePaola books this month and study all of the different characters that he has created over the years to help us with these strategies! *Please remember to send R.A.H. (Reading at Home) folders back to school with your student on the first day of each month. I will check in their signed reading log, and will send back the folder the same day. *Scholastic Book Order forms come home at the beginning of every month. Online ordering is available at www.scholastic.com Our classroom code is J8KFC. You can send in a book order form with your student. If you prefer to send the order in with your student, please send checks only! No cash! Please make your checks payable to Scholastic. Thanks! Writing
This month we are continuing to focus on opinion writing. We will start off by discussing the difference between facts and opinions. The children will have a lot of practice with the format of this writing through different types of activities. The opinion writing format focuses on:
*Starting with a catchy lead *Stating your opinion *Giving 3 reasons why you feel that way (including evidence to explain each reason) *A conclusion that restates your opinion The children will create opinion writing that focuses on different topics such as: *Should Strega Nona keep or fire Big Anthony? *What is your favorite restuarant? *Who is your favorite character? *What is your favorite book? *Where is your favorite place to travel? |
Math
Unit 6 focuses on place value, comparing and counting numbers, 3 digit addition, subtraction from larger numbers, word problems with unknown addends, mixed addition and subtraction word problems, and more ungrouping!
*I will keep track of who turns in their math homework on a daily basis. Please encourage your child to complete their homework, and allow them to explain what is happening in math class. *Click on the homework tab of our classroom website to keep track of daily homework assignments! Word Study
Our Word Study curriculum is a developmentally based approach to phonics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction. It allows students to develop an understanding of the structure of written words.
Keep an eye out for a new word sort each week. Please remember to practice these sorts with your students at home! Science
We had a wonderful time learning about weather! Our new unit of study is SOUND. Our students will be using their scientific skills of predicting and observation, while having fun with some hands-on experiments! One of the hardest concepts of this unit is the difference between pitch and volume.
Social Studies
Our next unit of study for social studies is economics! We will be focusing on three main questions throughout the unit:
*Why do we need money? *How do people earn money? *How are goods produced and transported? We will talk in detail about goods, service jobs, and how to be a smart shopper. |