Spelling Words, Open House, Picture Day, and More!
- jharwood80
- Sep 16, 2016
- 3 min read
September 16, 2016
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We have just finished our first full week! The students did a remarkable job diving into the Making Meaning, Being a Writer, and Math Expressions curricula. As you noticed, homework increased to include math each night. We had almost 100% homework completion every night! It has been impressive to see how hardworking and responsible this class is. Homework will increase a little this week with spelling.
Rules
This week we spent time looking at our rules, role playing scenarios, and using the classroom consequence (a “Stop and Think” chair). Two big rules that came up to emphasize are “Believing in yourself.” We talked about growth mindset and the importance of believing that you can get better and you can achieve. Research has shown that people who believe that they can learn and improve really do so. People who think they are “bad at math” or “bad at writing” cannot improve. The other important rule is around having safe bodies and being respectful of others. If you have the opportunity, will you talk to your child at home about what these ideas mean? Thanks!
Spelling
Yesterday students took a spelling pre-assessment. Today you will find a list of spelling words for them to practice at home over the course of the week. They will be tested on their word list next Friday, September 23, so they have a full week to study their words. They can practice writing their words over and over, write the words backwards, make shapes with the words, or you can quiz them and they can write the words -- whatever works to learn them! See attached list of ideas.
Math
This week we have been reviewing concepts about place value and numbers, including expanded notation (1,245 = 1,000 + 200 + 40 + 5). We also began to think about splitting numbers into groups of 10 or 100 (division!) or combining groups of 10 or 100 (multiplication). Now we are working on rounding numbers! Look for opportunities to think about numbers as groups of 10, 100, or 1,000.
Reading
Students have been building their stamina as independent readers. We have gotten up to 25 minutes of silent reading in the classroom! I have been meeting with students one on one to see what strategies they have as readers and what they need to work on. Please help your child find a comfy spot for reading and remind him/ her to fill out their book logs whenever they read. Thanks!
Writing
This week we started to build our writing community by brainstorming different ideas about what to write about and getting inspiration from famous authors (Judy Blume and Eloise Greenfield). Students are working on stories of their choosing. Many students are really excited about their writing and might be taking it home to keep working. This is not required, but it is inspiring to see how engaged they are! Find out what your child is working on.
Open House and Picture Day
I am looking forward to meeting you on Thursday, September 22! Your child will give you a tour of the classroom, supplies, and work. You will have the opportunity to sign up for a conference and ask me any questions that you might have! During the day is school pictures as well.
Book Orders
Book Orders are due next Friday, September 23. If you want to order online, our class code is QC3WM.
See you next week,
Jessica Harwood
P.S. Here is our class website with homework and other info: http://jharwood80.wixsite.com/mysite
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