This week we will jump head first into academics. Please look at the items below - they will provide a heads-up on topics that might be challenging in the next few weeks.
Language Arts: We will with a reading in the Junior Great Book’s series Thank You Ma’m by Langston Hughes. We will be looking at how different types of questions can be used to help us comprehend challenging text. Most of the reading work this week will be completed in class, so please have your child continue to read for 20-30 minutes each night. I have asked students to take an Accelerated Reader quiz by the end of this week. This can be a chapter book or a picture book in their reading range (I will go over this in class early this week.) Thursday we will begin a thematic unit on names. This unit will have a related writing assignment on how each student got their name. We will be creating an interviewing guide in class this week, and your child will be interviewing you about their name.
We will begin working on Wordly Wise 3000. Students worked with this program last year and it will be similar in structure. There are five parts to each lesson and completing these helps students learn to use the words in a variety of ways. One of the challenges of Wordly Wise is that many words have multiple meanings and students need to master all of the meanings to truly understand the word. This website provides some great resources and games you can use to study http://www.wordlywise3000.com/games/book04.cfm
* When reading assignments are not given in class students are to read a book of their choice for 20 minutes. This is part of the homework and will be reflected in the Accelerated Reading Goals. Please make sure your child is reading for this time.
Social Studies – This week we will continue to focus on classroom climate in social studies and will be looking at what the Coonley Code truly means. In addition, we will begin a unit on geography and mapping. Friday we will walk around the Coonley block and create a draft map of all the elements we find. I will need parent volunteers for this short trip, and I need permission slips signed. Permission slips will go home on Monday.
Science – This week we will be exploring the skills that scientists use. Following this we will begin a mini unit on measuring in science.