WRITING:

We are now moving into Narrative Writing. During this unit students will write short stories based on true events from their lives. By the end of the unit students will be able to:

• Discover small moments that matter-generating ideas

• Tiny Topics- using a notebook to remember topics for writing

• Stretching out small moments- learning to plan a story by touching each page and saying what they will write

• Writing a good beginning, middle and end

• Writing with detail: Magnifying a small moment

• Bringing characters to life by using talk, feel or actions

• Setting goals and making plans for writing time

• Using checklist to self assess and plan for next parts

• Close Reading: Looking closely at how mentor authors write and trying it

• Collaborate a partner to help make a story better (revise by listening)

• Word choice

• Revising and editing rough drafts

Conventions are a big emphasis:

• Capital at the beginning of each sentence, for the word ‘I’, and proper nouns

• Punctuation at the end of each sentence

• Quotation marks when using dialogue

MATH: Students are refining their addition and subtraction strategies, including solving story problems, and working towards accurate and efficient strategies that can be generalized to greater numbers. We will continue to focus on the mathematical practices of precision, making sense of problems, and persevering to solve them and constructing viable arguments to explain our mathematical thinking.

Over the next few weeks, we will continue on with Topic 7: More Solving Problems Involving Addition and Subtraction, then move on to Topic 8: Work with Time and Money

In each topic students will…

Topic 7

• Model word problems using equations with unknown numbers in any position

  • ? + 15 = 37

  • 76-29 = ?

• Use drawings, equations and models to solve one and two-step addition & subtraction problems.

• Make equations true: example: 24+5=28+?

Topic 8

• Solve problems with coins and dollar bills

• Tell and write time to the 5 minutes

• Say time in different ways

• Determining if an event is happening in the am or pm

Please continue to practice fact fluency using the flash cards that were sent home last fall.

HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH MATH

o Helping your child with math: Click Here

Social Studies:

This month, we are focusing on people who have made a difference in the world. February is Black History Month, so we are taking time to focus on black members of the community who brought important changes to neighborhoods and our country. Students will practice the strategy of determining importance as they research the contributions of many famous black Americans.

Curriculum Updates:

WORD WORK/SPELLING:

It is so exciting to see the progress students are making in their spelling. Please continue to do the daily practice activities with your child. The important thing is that your child learns to identify the pattern (through sorting) and transfer the pattern into their daily writing.

During Topic 4 students focused on the following:

• Using place value (tens and ones) to add and subtract

• Using an open number line to add tens and ones within 100.

• Adding 2 digit numbers using models

• Adding and breaking apart numbers using mental math and partial sums

• Modeling one and two step problems

  • Selecting the most efficient strategy to solve a math problem

In Topic 5, students will learn various strategies to subtract within 100. We will build upon previously taught addition strategies to fluently subtract within 100.

During this unit students will be focusing on the following:

• Using place value (tens and ones) to subtract

• Using an open number line to subtract tens and ones within 100.

• Subtracting 2 digit numbers using models

• Subtracting and breaking apart numbers using mental math and compensation

• Modeling one and two step problems

• Selecting the most efficient strategy to solve a math problem

Resources to help your child with math:

Helping your child with math: Click Here

Math Words and Ideas: Click Here

Investigations Game Center: Math Games

Upcoming Dates:

• October 5-7 - Return iPads AND chargers to school

• October 8 & 9 - Asynchronous Learning → Planning day for teachers

• October 12 - 16 - No School (Fall Break)

• October 19 - Return to full time in person learning

Curriculum Update:

READING:

We wrapped up our first Lucy Calkins Reading Unit, Growth Spurt, last week and are currently in a small Mini Unit Called: Readers Get to Know the Characters. We are studying characters and story elements closely.

During Reader’s Workshop students will be working on the following:

• We continue to build our stamina to be able to independently read for longer periods of time.

• Choosing Just Right Books- Books that we can read most of the words without difficulty or can use strategies to figure out the hard words

• Recording our thinking while reading

• Scooping our words together to read fluently

• Stopping, thinking, and retelling a story to check for comprehension (asking who & what questions)

• Strategies to use when words are tricky

• Identify “What is this book teaching me?”

• Studying characters actions, thoughts, feelings and personality traits

• Identifying story elements - setting, problem & solution

WRITING:

We will continue our Opinion Writing Unit this month. Students have written several letters stating an opinion with reasons and examples. They have enjoyed choosing their favorite books and characters to write reviews.

In our opinion writing unit students have focused on:

• Collaborating with a partner to plan writing

• Writing to convince our readers

• Using evidence to support our opinions

• Using precise words to describe a character

• Using transition and linking words to strengthen our writing

• Writing conventions including punctuation, capitalization and spelling

• Editing and revising using a checklist

MATH:

Last week, we wrapped up our Topic 2.

During Topic 2: Work With Equal Groups, students focused on:

• Even and odd numbers

• Using arrays to find totals

• Making arrays to solve addition problems

• Modeling problems with equations, drawings, and arrays

We will be starting our third Envision topic.

In Topic 3, students are learning various strategies to add within 100.

These strategies include:

• Add tens and ones on a hundreds chart

• Add tens and ones on an Open number line

• Break apart numbers to add

• Add using compensation

• Practice adding using strategies

HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH MATH

• Review the independent practice pages with your student

• Practice fact fluency using the flash cards that were sent home

WORD WORK/SPELLING:

Each student was given a spelling inventory to identify areas of strength and areas to work on. Students were divided into groups based on their unique needs. Each week your child will come home with a list of words based on a spelling pattern. Please practice these words with your child. The idea is that your child learns to identify the pattern (through sorting) but is also able to accurately spell the words as well.

Welcome to the 2020-2021 School Year!