Dear
Families of Room 23,
Next
Wednesday (February 6), we will
participate in the fifth annual Global School Play Day with the purpose of
raising awareness about the necessity of unstructured play.
- In next week’s homework packet we will send home a request for students to bring in games and toys such as: board games, dolls, Legos, blocks, trucks, cars, racetracks, playing cards, empty cardboard boxes, markers, jigsaw puzzles, social games (charades, Pictionary, etc.)
- The only restrictions: These toys may NOT require batteries or electricity. No devices. The only exception to this rule would be a board game that has an electronic timer, an electronic play kit, or similar. Play! No screens, no structure.
- If you’re interested, more information is available at the Global Play Day website: http://www.globalschoolplayday.com/
The
Interactive Art Show will be held February 6-12. Please join us for
our interactive art class Monday,
February 11 from 2:10-3:00 in the multipurpose room. You're also invited to
view the art in the evening on Wednesday, February 6, from 5:30-6:30pm.
Please
let me know if you have any questions.
Regards,
Teresa
Shern
Reading: We continue our Character
Studies unit. Students have been busy writing paragraphs about one character’s
traits and also how that character changes over time. Students are learning the
basic structure of a well-written paragraph using a topic sentence, including
evidence from the text, and writing a strong concluding sentence. We completed
our reading of Because of Winn-Dixie, by Kate DiCamillo and are now
enjoying Make Way for Dyamond Daniel, by Nikki Grimes. We’re having fun
learning this new character and comparing her to Opal from Because of
Winn-Dixie. Students are also doing similar work in book club groups. Our read
aloud of Quinny and Hopper, by Adriana Brad Schanan continues.
Writing: See above regarding writing
within our character studies. We have also returned to creative writing in
Writer’s Notebooks.
Social Studies: We began a government
simulation where students have learned about the three branches of government
and are now ready to run for office, including thinking of qualities that make
them a good candidate, creating a campaign poster, and writing and delivering a
speech. They will also write bills, debate them, and solve simulated school problems.
The next couple of weeks will be full of learning in this interactive way.
Math: Unit 4 will conclude this
week, with students taking their unit 4 assessment on measurement and geometry
on Thursday. We’re talking about polygons in terms of their classification and
also learning about perimeter and area. Students
need to continue to memorize their multiplication tables so that multiplication
facts become automatic.
Science: Students will continue the
“Weather and Climate” unit with Ms. Diamond where they go into detail about how
weather and climate effect ecosystems and the organisms within them.
Other Items: cursive, grammar, and
spelling continue.
