Sunday, October 6, 2013

Weekly Crandall Chronicle

What's Happening This Week
Spelling: Our spelling pattern this week is the long e sound.  
Reading: This week we are focusing the comprehension strategy of summarizing and identifying key story elements including characters, setting, and plot. 
Writing: We are continuing to focus on writing personal narratives. The students are practicing writing "showing sentences" instead of "telling sentences." These "showing sentences" give specific details that show what the people in the story are feeling instead of simply telling the reader that the person is tired. This is a challenging skill that we will continue to work on for several weeks.  
Grammar: Our focus is identifying and correctly using common and proper nouns. 
Math: We are beginning our new unit on measurement. Lessons this week will focus on linear units of measurement, understanding the need for standard units, practicing measuring to the nearest 1/4 inch and 1/2 centimeter, and calculating perimeter.    
Science: On Friday, the students had a great time learning about seed dispersal and had the opportunity to examine several types of seeds including helicopters, parachutes, and hitchhikers. Please ask your child to tell you about these and other ways seeds spread. Last week, after learning what plants need to survive, students planted their own seeds. Once the seeds germinate, each group will take away one of the plants' needs. Students will then observe and record what happens to the plants. This week students will be learning about plant parts and how they are vital to the plants' survival. We will be focusing on cacti and the oak tree in particular. 

Weekly Reminders 
* Book orders were sent home last week. If you would like to order books, please submit your order with check to me by this Friday, or complete your online order by this Saturday. Thanks!     

Study Tip
The students have been doing well on their spelling tests each week. I can tell that aside from the practicing they do on their homework, they have been spending additional time at home studying their words. Each week, the students bring home different activities for spelling homework. These are designed to be creative and authentic tasks that encourage the children to not only learn how to spell their words, but also to use and analyze them in a variety of ways. Please remind your child to take his or her time when completing the spelling homework to ensure that the words are being spelled correctly. If they practice spelling them incorrectly, they will most likely spell them incorrectly on the Friday tests.  To help avoid this from happening, any students with homework assignments that are turned in with incorrectly spelled spelling words will stay in during a recess to practice spelling them correctly. Please remind your child that it is their responsibility to copy their spelling words correctly!

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