Word Study: Next week's spelling words are player, Thursday, story, anybody, ready, family, snowy, eyebrow, reply, away, myself, and firefly. Additional words you may want to use when sorting and doing other spelling activities include: gray, today, cry, they, why, try, fly, play, cranky, spray, obey, sway, shy, stray, lay, worry, survey, birthday, horsefly, playground, rainy, everybody, heavy, and money. Our patterns are groups of words where y represents long a, long e, and long i sounds.
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Reading: The fall Ohio Reading Achievement Assessment is complete. I will probably not receive feedback until after Thanksgiving. While this is an important and thorough assessment, it is only one of many tools teachers use. Students who do not pass will retake the test in the spring.
Writing: We finished our first friendly letter and began short writings that incorporate our idioms from word study. Students are doing a fine job and seem to enjoy this.
Math: We continued to review addition strategies: zero more, one more, doubles, near doubles, sums to ten, and make ten, which left only two facts without a specific strategy. I present problems and have students record their strategy and I also present a strategy (or multiple strategies) and ask for an example number story (e.g., a near double that is is also two more is 2 + 3 = 5). We continued to do higher decade facts with an emphasis on basic facts (e.g., If I know 7 + 8 = 15 then that helps me to know 70 + 80 = 150). We also built on higher decade facts with extended facts (e.g., if I know 3 + 5 = 8 then that helps me know 13 + 25 = 38). Both require focus on place and value. We reviewed equivalent names as that was a consistent area of difficulty on our unit math assessment. I introduced rounding and estimation, part-part-total problems and partial sums. Here is a great link to understanding partial sums. (Click on link for animation of partial sums.)
http://media.everydaymathonline.com/em/student/algorithms_in_everyday_mathematics/3/addition/partial_sums_addition/online_resources/2-Digit_plus_2-Digit/M1_C02_P030_F1.swf
I do this a bit differently than Everyday math because I start with the ones and then move on to the tens place. I find this makes it easier to move on to the traditional algorithm. Many students are excited to solve multi-digit sums problems using the traditional algorithm (the way most adults solve addition problems on paper), but partial sums allows us to demonstrate understanding of place, value, higher decade facts, and we check our work with rounding and estimating. Partial sums is much more about strategy and understanding than just a right answer.
Please see the Unit 2 Everyday Math Family Letter below. This will give you a good idea of the key vocabulary, concepts and strategies we will cover over the next few weeks.
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We also started STMath. Please see earlier post for more information.
Science: We continued our rocks and soil earth science unit, focusing on erosion. We looked at gravel closely and found different size rocks and even sand as the rocks rubbed against each other. We next looked at sand and found small rocks in the sand that were in the process of being broken down. Finally we looked at dry clay. Students noticed that the clay's smaller pieces still appear as "rocks" under a magnifying glass, but there smaller size makes them "softer." It also allows water molecules to bind them together more easily, whereas sand grains are too big and break apart water molecules, which is why we sculpt with clay and not sand. We added all three rocks to a clear plexi container with water and a lid. We looked at the sand particles that were suspended in the water when we added the gravel. After adding all the rock and soil types, we shook it up and are waiting to observe what we find when the particles all settle. We predicted that larger and heavier particles will fall out first and make layers. I bet we were right:)
Important Dates and Reminders
My sincere thanks for all of the hard work PTO put into planning, organizing and executing a very successful Fall Family Night (my family enjoyed it immensely). Thank you for your time, energy and support! You help to make Windermere what it is.
We will begin Ukulele Orchestra on Thursday, October 13th. We will have Ukulele Orchestra every B and D day from 11:05 until 11:25. Please help your student to remember their ukuleles on these days. If you still do not have your ukulele and need assistance, please email or call and I'll try to provide some local resources.
The PTO's Scholastic Book Sale is going on all next week.
October 20th: School Picture Retakes. I do not have any information on student photos. Please see the envelope that came home regarding retakes or photo packages.
October 26th: Field Trip to Highbanks Metro Park. Please let me know if you are able to chaperon. See separate post.
I have the following chaperons. Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Hargraves, Mr. Westhoven and Mrs. Brown. Please let me know if I have left you off the list. It wasn't intentional:)
October 28th: End of first grading period. I will send reminders of your conference time with your student's progress report.
October 28th: Halloween Party. See separate post.
I have the following chaperons. Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Hargraves, Mr. Westhoven and Mrs. Brown. Please let me know if I have left you off the list. It wasn't intentional:)
October 28th: End of first grading period. I will send reminders of your conference time with your student's progress report.
October 28th: Halloween Party. See separate post.
