December News

Dates to Remember

School-to-Home Connection

This month

Encourage your child to read non-fiction books at at home (they are available on RAZ and EPIC and SORA).  Ask what he/she has learned.  

Ask your child about their weather research. What is a surprising fact they have learned?

Which kind of essay does your child prefer to write: non-fiction or personal? Ask them!

Ask your child if they can show you how to divide large numbers using partial quotients or the reverse box method!

Do you remember any school research projects from when you were your child's age? Share what you remember.

Enjoy the Holiday Recess! See you next year!!

Classroom Update

Reading

This month we will continue a unit on Non-Fiction.  We will review the features of non-fiction and explore how authors use text structure to convey their information.  The children will participate in research teams to study severe weather and earth events such as:  volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and hurricanes.  They will read to find the main idea and details on a variety of sub topics including:  causes and effects, prevention and safety, first hand accounts, and how they are measured.  Each group will create a GoogleSlides show or PebbleGo Create buncee board to present to the class. 

Writing

This month the students continue their work with the five paragraph (expository) essay format as they learn the way in which personal essays are structured, and to write essays on topics they know well. We will craft personal thesis statements and transform them into persuasive thesis statements (or claims) to write persuasive essays.

Math

This month we continue to learn about the division of larger numbers. We will use the area model as well as partial quotients to solve these problems.  Look for examples in your child's homework folder.  The division of larger numbers requires the children to use and keep track of many things they have learned throughout the year (including multiplication)!  Our next unit -- decimals!

Social Studies

This month we will continue our study of Connecticut.  We will spend time learning about some key events in Connecticut's history and make a time line of these events.  We will have a special in-school "field trip" - River Dwellers - where we learn more about the history and importance of the Connecticut River!