Weekly Update- 10/14

We started Topic 3 in math this week.  The students used place value blocks to practice adding numbers.  They are doing a great job with their regrouping! 

In science we talked about the differences between physical and chemical changes.  The students completed an experiment using antacid tablets to illustrate a chemical change.  They also worked in teams to complete a matter crossword puzzle and we played the game, "I Have, Who Has" to review some of the important vocabulary words.

We read the book, Wild Baby Animals in shared reading this week.  This was an informational text that explained about many different baby animals found in the wild.  For each animal, the students learned about how the babies learn, grow, and survive.  The students also used this text to practice their skills with prediction.  In guided reading we talked about identifying the author's purpose. 

In writing we have started to talk about personal narratives.  We read some examples and the students brainstormed ideas for their personal narratives.  They had to think of events that were memorable, occurred over a short period of time, and happened to them.  Today, the students filled out graphic organizers and shared them with each other.  They will begin drafting next week.  In addition to the writing the students are doing for the writing program, they are also journaling everyday.  They are doing a fantastic job of writing complete sentences, using punctuation and capital letters, practicing starting sentences with different words, and adding description into their writing!

In Fundations, we are continuing to learn about 1-1-1 words and adding suffixes.  This week the students learned that 1-1-1 words that end in the letter "x", are exceptions to the rule.  Whenever you have a 1-1-1 word ending in "x" (tax, box, fox), you do not double the consonant before adding the suffix.  We also added a few more sound alike words to our list.  These words include; guest, guessed, banned, band, missed, mist, son, sun, some, sum.

This week we had an awesome assembly about bucket filling!  In addition to learning about bucket filling, the students learned how to use their lid when other people try to dip from their buckets.  The students are doing a great job of being bucket fillers in the classroom!

The Bear Run has been rescheduled for Monday.  Please send your children to school in sneakers, comfortable clothes, and ready to cheer their classmates on!  Have a great weekend!