Multiplication

Today in class we used this video to learn about multiplying on a number line.  We will be adding other strategies which I will post later this week.

Postcards

As many of you know, we are pen pals with a third grade class from Keller Elementary School. Writing to our pen pals has opened all sorts of conversations in the classroom, which has been wonderful.  Recently we read a book about someone who collected postcards, and this morphed into a talk about how great it would be if we could receive lots of postcards.  We were pleasantly surprised when our first ones arrived just after vacation! So, if you are traveling, or know someone who is, would you please send postcards along to our classroom.  The address is 235 Wachusett Street.  We are going to see how many we can collect, as well as see which one comes the furthest distance.  Thanks in advance for your help.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!  We are off to a strong start this week.  Today we had Magnetic Monica from the Vibes program in to talk about sound.  The children performed several hands on experiments and learned many new vocabulary words.  Be sure to ask them about vibration, amplification, sound waves, and pitch.  Thank you to the PCC for providing this great introduction to our light and sound unit which we are beginning this month.

In reader’s workshop we began talking about inferring.  Last week we “read” The Snowman by Raymond Briggs.  The children helped me by supplying the words and dialogue to this wonderful wordless book.   Today we talked about how we interpret body language, and connected that to inferring meaning from clues the author gives in a story. We will be practicing taking quotes directly from the text and combining this with our own background knowledge to create a deeper understanding of the texts we read.

We began writing information texts before vacation. We will be working on adding text features to our writing as we revise and edit our work to be published this month.  Please look for a note that will come home this week about helping your child find pictures for this project.

In math we are reviewing time and measurement before moving on the perimeter.  Remember, the children should be practicing on IXL each week.  The should also spend a few minutes every day on the Xtra math website to practice facts.

In social studies we are finishing our look at the Puritans by comparing them to the Pilgrims.  We will then move into causes of the American Revolution.

As mentioned at many conferences, we are looking at revising the report cards to align them with the Common Core Standards that we are now teaching.  There is a great deal of information about this on the district website, including an invitation to attend meetings to preview the new report cards. I encourage you to come to one of the meetings and voice your thoughts regarding the report cards.

Finally, I wanted to remind you that we have outdoor recess whenever possible.  Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriate for all kinds of weather.