Math: This week we
will begin our unit on Addition Strategies.
We will teach the students strategies for math facts using a research
based philosophy written by an Australian company, Origo. In RRISD we believe students learn best by
using thinking strategies instead of memorizing procedures for
computations. According to James
Burnett, Calvin Irons and Allan Turton, the authors of The Book of Facts: Addition, “Research shows that the most
effective way for students to learn the basic facts is to arrange the facts
into clusters. Each cluster is based on
a thinking strategy that students can use to help them learn all of facts in
that cluster (Fuston, 2003; Thornton, 1990).”
We begin our unit by teaching cluster facts that “count on 1” so
students master the concept and develop a deeper understanding and thinking
strategy. Students who master the
concepts of “count on” strategies will be given enrichment opportunities to
develop their thinking further and apply their knowledge to problem solving
situations.
Reading
Workshop: This week in our reading workshop we will start the week off
by reading Molly's
Pilgrim and talk about pilgrims and our heritage. A
special note will go home in theTuesday folder explaining about a special research project to be
completed at home. We will continue our unit on researching with non fiction literature.
The
children had so much fun learning about spiders, bats and pumpkins and this
week we will start our research on Thanksgiving and spend this week writing
facts about Thanksgiving, the Mayflower, and the Pilgrims. Next
week we will complete our research and begin using the facts collected from our
research to make a Thanksgiving book.
Writing Workshop: This week, we will begin our Research
Unit. We will look at different
Expository texts. We will learn that
when we write Expository texts, we become teachers, therefore, we have to write
our facts in a way that is understandable for our readers. We will be researching Thanksgiving.
Science: Students will
be given opportunities to predict, explore, and describe whether a magnet
attracts or repels various objects.
Students will explore the poles of magnets to experience attraction and
repulsion. Students should understand
that a magnet has energy that can be used to push or pull different objects.
The student knows that force, motion, and
energy are related and are a part of everyday life.
Reminders:
*Please
remember to send a healthy snack every day. Snack time is @ 9:30am.
*Make sure
your child wears tennis shoes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
*Library
day is Tuesday.
*Please
remember to send back your child’s orange folder and homework bag every day.
Dates to
remember:
November
2: Harvest Festival
November
13: Family Skate Night
November
27-29: Thanksgiving Holidays
December
4: Early Release Day
December
5: Family Art Night
December
9-13: Book Fair
December
23: Winter Break Begins
Thank you!
*Paula Scafe
*Hisae Ikejiri
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