Hello October

We have successfully completed our first month of school! I can't believe October is already here. It seems like yesterday I was meeting your children for the first time. This week was also our first full week of school since we started. We were very busy. Here is a little look at what we did this week.

Writing- This week students had the opportunity to share with one another their list of possible narrative topics. They enjoyed hearing about the different events and times in their friends lives. The following day the students chose their topic that they wanted to use to write their narrative. Students brainstormed some ideas of what they would like to write for the beginning, middle and end using a  story planner graphic organizer. We read Owl Moon and The Leaving Morning in their entirety and discussed why these books are considered a narrative and that both books focus in on one small moment.

Reading- Students were given ziplock bags this week and had the opportunity to pick books that are just right for them for independent reading time. We discussed the 3 finger rule. This will be helpful to students when choosing books in the classroom and in the library. The 3 finger rule means that when your child reads a page they should have less than 3 errors per page. If they have more than 3 errors on a page the book is too challenging. We also talked this week about making sure the books we read make sense to us and we are able to comprehend what we are reading. We talked about sometimes we can read all the words in the text but if we can't understand what we are reading, the book is also too challenging. Students know they have to find the right balance between knowing the words and understanding. We also talked about some stations the students will be completing while I am teaching guided reading groups. The two we talked about this week are Read To Self where students read independently Read To Someone where students read to a partner.

Math- In math we finished up chapter one with a lesson on problem solving. Students had to determine whether or not they needed to add or subtract after reading a math story problem. The next day we completed a math reteach page to help us prepare for our chapter 1 test. And on Wednesday students took their chapter 1 test. These were sent home last week. I was pleased with how everyone did. Next week we will start chapter 2.

Social Studies- This week we watched a geography powerpoint video about where we live. The powerpoint showed the students that while we live in a small community of Delmar it is part of something much bigger. We looked at the breakdown of where Delmar really is starting with Earth, North America, United States, New York, Albany County, Town of Bethlehem, and then where they live. We are in the process of making a craft to help us visualize this.

Spelling- The word family this week is the AB family. Please help your child study their spelling words to be prepared for the test on Wednesday.

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weekend. Just a reminder as the weather is beginning to change and get cooler, please remember to send your child to school with a coat. It is still cool some days when the kiddos go out for recess and a sweatshirt is needed to keep them warm.

Don't forget:

1. A healthy snack for your child each day
2. Parent Teacher conferences are right around the corner. Please contact me if you forget your day and time or you need to reschedule.