Week of November 4th

In math this week we continue to add, subtract, count and compare. In number corner we have begun looking at fractions. Students are already able to break cookies into halves and fourths. Our calendar reflects these fractions with different objects starting with a cookie and then moving on to the sandwich. It makes reference to the number of animals and the amount they each get. We started with a whole cookie and a bear ate the whole cookie. Next we moved onto a cookie split in halves and two dogs each got a half. We are recording observations onto a chart and writing sentences to explain what is happening on our calendar. An example is; 2 dogs each got a half of the cookie. We are also looking at a clock and collecting hours for each day we are in school. Next week we will talk about the clock and how it can represent a half.

 In writing this week we talked about how we can use words we know to make our stories more readable. We also talked about the expectation that the words on our word wall should be spelled correctly and the concepts we are learning in Fundations should be reflected in our writing. The word wall has the trick words from Unit 3 on there as of now and new ones will be added each time we finish a Fundations unit. We will wrap up Unit 4 next week and then those trick words will be added to our Word Wall.

 In Reader's Workshop we are talking about characters and what characters do in stories. We are using this information to help us retell the story. I have also been introducing characters from books at students' levels to get them excited about reading. Some examples are Frog & Toad as well as Biscuit. in Science we will be wrapping up our "Changes in the Sky unit" before Thanksgiving break. We will be working on a final project to show our learning of the unit. Stay tuned to see what your child does.

 Have a wonderful weekend, Nancy