October 15, 2013

Click on the photo to see all of the maps!

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend! We have lots of exciting things happening this week, but first, here's a recap of last week!

Math: We practiced skip counting by 2s, 5s, and 10s and worked with numbers that come before, after, and in between (to 100). Maybe you also heard all about our skip count dancing. If not, you can find the videos HERE to practice at home. We also made a Ten Frame Name, on display in the classroom. This week, we will use ten frames to determine how many more to make ten. At home, you can roll a die or flip a playing card. Then, ask your child, "How many more to make ten?" For a challenge, you can add two die together, and ask "How many more to make 20?" We will also focus on odd and even numbers this coming week. Click HERE to print a copy of Odd Todd and Even Steven to play at home!

We are continuing to use Mathletics at school twice per week. As students get more familiar with logging in quickly, they will have more time to practice their skills. You can access Mathletics at home, too, using the login and password info sent home on Curriculum Night.

Language Arts: Student used a writing prompt to compose a story in their creative writing books. We also began a mini literature unit focusing on Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are". This week, we will launch the much anticipated "Work on Writing" component to Daily 5. We will design heart maps to remind us about the writing topics that are near and dear to our hearts. For those of you using SpellingCity at home, we will be working on List #3.

Thank you for your continued support with the Home Reading program. Did you know that you can have access to your child's activity and progress on Raz-Kids? Please watch for a hard copy notice to come home on Wednesday.

Theme: Students presented their treasure maps to the class by showing us the path their pirate must take to find the treasure. Students were encouraged to use the cardinal directions, north, south, east, and west, when interpreting their maps. Please click on the photo above in order to see all of the maps!

As a culminating activity to our mapping unit, we will have a special visitor in our classroom on Wednesday, but that's all I can tell you right now...

We will begin to learn about fish and other sea creatures. For a fun treat, don't forget to check out the webcams at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. As always, click on the "Themes" page for lots of great online activities to explore at home!

(By the way, anytime you see aqua coloured font in my blog posts, it means that the text is clickable).