January 11, 2013

Reading and Language Arts   Next week we will be reading Jamaica Louise James. It is a story about a girl who loves to draw and paint. To surprise her grandmother on her birthday, she hangs her artwork up at the subway station where her grandmother works.

Comprehension Strategies: Evaluate; Making inferences; Sequence; Predict
Vocabulary Words: booth, station, token, plaque, subway, neighborhood, broke, miss, hospital, collection
High Frequency Words:  believe, lady, whole
Grammar Skills:  Nouns that change spelling in the plural
Phonics:  Vowel pairs ee, ea; Endings -tion, -ture

Reading Logs   Please continue to log minutes with your child for January.  The Six Flags Read to Succeed reading log went home today. Please log your child's reading in this one too. To participate, your child needs to read for a total of 6 hours or 360 minutes. This log must be returned to school by February 22, 2013 in order to receive a free ticket to Six Flags theme park. 

Math  We will have a test on Chapter 11, Count Money, Monday. Then we will begin Chapter 12, Use Money. Students will compare the total values of collections of coins, solve problems by using the strategies act it out and predict and test, and add and subtract money amounts.

Flash Cards  Students should be working hard to memorize their addition and subtraction facts. To check memorization of these facts, we are taking timed tests. Once your child passes a set of facts, they will move to the next level.  Look in your child's planner to find out what facts they should be working on at home. Here is a website you can try:  

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/thats_a_fact/english_K_3.html 

Science  We will continue with the unit on Living Things. We will start Lesson 2, What do Animals Need? Students will observe the needs of animals, identify and describe the basic needs of animals and understand that animals' needs depend on their size and type.

Important Dates & Announcements


Wed, Jan 16 - Field Trip to the Darien Fire Station
Mon, Jan 21 - No School - Martin Luther King's Birthday
Tue, Jan 22 - Report cards go home
Fri, Jan 25 - Wear your PJ's to school - Reading Reward Day
Wed, Jan 30 - Early Dismissal - School Improvement Day
Mon, Feb 18 - No School- President's Day
Fri, Feg 22 - Six Flags Reading Log due
Tues, Feb 26 - Early Dismissal - School Improvement Day