If your child has an iPad that they can use at school for their technology time. Please bring it to school everyday. I'm asking for you to bring it everyday because we will also use them in class.
We are reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in our class. Please engage in a conversation with your child about what's happening in the story line. They can: Retell the story Discuss the characters Make predictions about what's going to happen next. You can also ask them about: How the characters feel. Making Text-Text or Text to self or Text to world connections I read the book WESLANDIA by Paul Fleischman to the kids. It serves as a great entry point for our unit of study on the importance on natural resources. Students are starting to make clear connections about how our environment helps us to survive. Book Blurb: Enter the witty, intriguing world of Weslandia! Now that school is over, Wesley needs a summer project. He’s learned that each civilization needs a staple food crop, so he decides to sow a garden and start his own - civilization, that is. He turns over a plot of earth, and plants begin to grow. They soon tower above him and bear a curious-looking fruit. As Wesley experiments, he finds that the plant will provide food, clothing, shelter, and even recreation. It isn’t long before his neighbors and classmates develop more than an idle curiosity about Wesley - and exactly how he is spending his summer vacation. At NVLA we use word sorting as a tool to introduce new spelling words to our students. Word study is a technique that helps a child “study” the patterns, and meanings of words. They thoughtfully categorize their word sorts based on spelling patterns, concepts, rules, or other similarities. We take word study very serious. Word sorting is also a powerful way to help students make sense of their spelling words. Each week I will introduce your child to a new word sort (spelling words). Occasionally, we will study a word sort for two consecutive weeks. When this happens, it simply means that the students needed more time with that particular sort. All sorting is done in class everyday except for Tuesday. Every Wednesday-spelling sentence are due. Students should write the words and use them in a complete sentence with proper spacing and proper capitalization. Be sure to underline the spelling within the sentence. Sentences should be thoughtful and developmentally appropriate. Please note your child should practice their spelling words every night. There will be a spelling test every Friday unless we have a field trip. The spelling test will be returned on Friday in the Green Homework Folder. If you note any misspelled words please correct them and practice them. Words can show up on a test any week. In other words we don’t test and forget the words, we practice the words all year round. Sorting Schedule at School Monday- Students will receive the weekly word sort. They will define the words in a group and make sure they know the definition of each word. (Students are shown pictures of the word if they have never seen it before.) If the words are circled = select spelling words No circles on the word sort= all of the words will be tested Tuesday- No Word Study Wednesday- Students will cut & sort words Thursday- Blind Sort with Friend and games Friday- Spelling Test [Please practice nightly] Please check your child's backpack for updates on our classroom rules and information about our academic program. The Green folder is for homework only and should be brought to school daily. When you pick up your child at the end of the day make sure they have there homework folder in their backpack. The Yellow folder is for all paper work/information that should stay at home. Please empty the yellow folder out daily and bring it to school everyday. |
Student ResourcesPBS Kids
http://pbskids.org/ Brain Pop http://www.brainpop.com/ Scholastic Book Club http://clubs.scholastic.com/ Starfall http://www.starfall.com/ Parent ResourcesEducator ResourcesResources for Educators
http://www.rfeonline.com/ PBS http://www.pbs.org/teachers Simthsonian Museum http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/ AuthorCheck this page daily for updates and classroom news. Archives
May 2013
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