October 26 - October 30

M - P.E.  *Bring helmets
T - Music
W - Art *Return library books
Th - Media/P.E
F - Music/Art

Math - In math we will be working on solving a variety of multi-digit word problems.  The students will practice interpreting comparison language (more, fewer) and solving comparison word problems.

Reading - We will be starting Unit 2 in our Benchmark Literacy curriculum.  For the next 3 weeks we will be focusing on Character Traits and the metacognitive strategy of Visualizing.  Students will analyze characters' traits, feelings and relationships.

Word Study - We will be working on Unusual Past Tense Words.  The students will learn that not all past tense words have an -ed ending.   They will recognize that sometimes vowels change from present tense to past tense.  Examples:  keep, kept, say, said, blow, blew.

Social Studies - The class will be working with their partners to create a travel brochure about a community that we have researched.  They will describe the natural resources, climate, and physical features.

Notes:

Halloween - We will be having a small Halloween party on Friday afternoon.  The parade starts at 2:15 and you are welcome to join us in the classroom when the parade is over.  If your child's costume doesn't fit in their backpack, please send it in a separate bag.

Dreambox - This is a great resource that Shirley Hills students have access to!  If you are able to, please have your child spend some time working through the program at home.
Here is a link to the FREE app:
Our school code is:  vvkd/exzx  
Students know their usernames and passwords.

Have a great weekend!

October 19 - 23

M - Music
T - Art **Return library books today
W - Media/P.E
Th - Music/Art
F - Media

Math: The students will be working on understanding the relationship between addition and subtraction.  They will practice solving word problems with unknown partners as well as comparison problems.

Reading - We are on week 3 of Unit 1 in Benchmark Literacy.  This week we will continue to focus on identifying the main idea and details.  Every 3rd week in our curriculum, the students will work on fluency skills throughout the week.  Our class will focus on a Reader's Theater titled Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.  

Word Study - The class will practice words with -ed endings this week.  Students will practice finding the root word in words with -ed endings and learn the rules for adding -ed.

Social Studies - We begin our next unit this week - What Is the Geography of Our Community?  The class will identify and describe the physical features, climate, and natural resources of various geographic ares.  Students will use map tools: scale, grid , key, symbols, title, and compass rose.

Reminders:
* Roller skating starts in P.E. this week.  Please send in their helmet from home on P.E. days.
* Students should be working on earning 6 AR points by the end of October.  Please check with your child to make sure they are working towards this goal.
* Remember to login to Skyward Family Access and sign up for a conference time if you haven't already :)

October 12 - 16

M - Media
T - P.E.
W - No School - Teacher Workshop
Th - MEA break
F - MEA break

In Math this week, we will finish up our Unit on quadrilaterals.  The plan is to finish on Tuesday, but classifying quadrilaterals is often a tricky concept so we may spend an extra day and push the test back until the following week.

In reading we will continue to work on Main Idea and Supporting Details.  The students are beginning to type up their rough draft of their personal narrative and we will spend the next two weeks revising and editing them.

The social studies presentations are really taking off! It is so fun to hear all the interesting facts that the students are finding when doing their research :)

Notes:
* Please remember that our classroom is a peanut/nut free class.  Be mindful of that when sending in snacks for your child.
* If you are interested in helping out on October 30th for the Halloween party, please let me know.  Our schedule will only allow for about 35 minutes of party time in the classroom before the parade begins.
* No homework this week :)  If they have some extra time at home, I encouraged them to read, work through Dreambox, and practice their math facts on Math Magicians.
* If you haven't already, please sign up for a fall conference time through Family Access.

October 5-9

M - P.E
T - Music
W - Art   *Please return library books today!
Th - Media/P.E
F - Music/Art

Math - The class will be taking the test on Unit 1 (addition and subtraction) on Monday.  Their daily work packets will be coming home in the Friday folder, use them to review over the weekend if you have time.  We will start Unit 2 on Tuesday.  The students will be measuring and drawing line segments, finding the perimeter, and sorting quadrilaterals.

Word Study - We are already on our 4th Word Study unit.  The class will be reviewing words that have -ing endings (doubles, e-Drops, No Change).

Reading - Our class will be focusing on reading biographies this week.  We will identify the key features of a biography and compare and contrast the biographies of Galileo and Einstein!  We will also read a longer biography about George Washington.

Writing - We will identify a sequence of events in personal narratives.

Social Studies - Last week we practiced finding the distance and direction from Mound to other communities throughout the US.  This week the students will pick one of those communities, research and gather facts, and then create a presentation using the Keynote app.

It's been a busy week!  Enjoy the pictures :)

Sept. 28 - Oct. 2

M - Music
T - Art
W - Media/P.E.
Th - Music/Art
F - Media

* Mr. Lhotka would like library books returned the day before our checkout day.  Please have them back on Wednesday this week.  Thank you!

Here is what we will be working on this week:

Math - We will practice subtracting across zeros and discuss how addition and subtraction are related.

Reading - The class will practice identifying main idea and supporting details in text.  They will practice asking questions about a picture and text.  Students will also practice finding evidence and clues throughout a story.

Word Study - Students will add -ing to words with VCe and VVC patterns.  We will also practice recognizing base words in -ing words.

Social Studies - We will learn the cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) and intermediate directions (NW, SE, etc...).

Look for an AR report in their Friday folders next week :)

September 21 - 25

Here's what we'll be working on next week:

Math:
*Adding money amounts
*Methods for subtracting multi-digit numbers
*Subtracting across zeros

Reading:
The class will be getting their Reader Response Journals set up and will practice how to write about what they have read.  We will also discuss the features of Fiction and Non Fiction books.

Word Study: The students will practice adding -ing to words with VC (vowel consonant) and VCC patterns.

Writing:  We have introduced the Writing Process Cycle.  The students will use a story web to help understand the importance of prewriting.

Social Studies:  Students will use compass directions, practice identifying directions, and measure distances to other places.

Notes:
*Curriculum morning is Thursday the 24th at 8:00am.
*Please make sure that your child has brought their headphones to school.
*The class will be taking the NWEA math and reading tests on Wednesday and Thursday morning.
*Day 5 is on Tuesday, please make sure library books are returned.

A few pictures from this week :)

Sept. 14 - 18

We had a great first week of school!  The students did well with helping to come up with expectations in the classroom and the hallway.  Here are a few pictures from the first day:

This week we will be starting our first Word Study (similar to Spelling from last year).  We will be working on compound words this week.  In reading, we are going through our first 30 days of the curriculum.  The students will spend time on what it means to be a good listener, asking questions while reading and learning what a book talk is.  In writing, the students will get their writing folders organized and practice picking a topic to write about.

Last week in math, we started off with reviewing place value.  We will continue that this week as well as talk about different methods for addition.

In social studies, we will continue to learn about "Where In the World is Our Community".  Last week, the students learned about the equator, prime meridian, and hemispheres.  We will learn about the oceans and continents.  We will practice identifying countries on a map of North America as well.

Hope everyone has a great week!