Literacy
Students have been learning new skills and strategies to help them become better readers! We have a Café Menu in our classroom, which provides student with a menu of items to help with their reading comprehension, accuracy, fluency, & expanding vocabulary. Some comprehension strategies we have learned to help us understand what we read are: Check for Understanding, Back Up & Reread, Predicting, Making a Connection, & Visualizing. Some accuracy strategies we have learned to help us read the words correctly are: Cross Checking, Stretching and Blending, and Skip a Word and then Go Back. In order to expand our vocabulary to help us know, find, and use interesting words we have been Paying Attention to New Words and Using them when we Talk and when we Write. A few of the words we have learned already are – worry, humorous, wilted, & miserable.
We have also been building our independent reading stamina so that we can read for 45 uninterrupted minutes by the end of October! We are already up to 18 minutes!
The students in Room 117 have been busy learning some “college words.” We are learning about metacognition and how important it is for us to think while we read, and we have been learning how to activate our schema to help us make connections while reading!
Students have been learning new skills and strategies to help them become better readers! We have a Café Menu in our classroom, which provides student with a menu of items to help with their reading comprehension, accuracy, fluency, & expanding vocabulary. Some comprehension strategies we have learned to help us understand what we read are: Check for Understanding, Back Up & Reread, Predicting, Making a Connection, & Visualizing. Some accuracy strategies we have learned to help us read the words correctly are: Cross Checking, Stretching and Blending, and Skip a Word and then Go Back. In order to expand our vocabulary to help us know, find, and use interesting words we have been Paying Attention to New Words and Using them when we Talk and when we Write. A few of the words we have learned already are – worry, humorous, wilted, & miserable.
We have also been building our independent reading stamina so that we can read for 45 uninterrupted minutes by the end of October! We are already up to 18 minutes!
The students in Room 117 have been busy learning some “college words.” We are learning about metacognition and how important it is for us to think while we read, and we have been learning how to activate our schema to help us make connections while reading!
Writing
In writing we will continue practicing how to zoom in on a small moment. We think about things that we have done over the course of a whole day, then pick one of those things and zoom in to just one activity. When writing these stories we have been double checking to make sure we are starting our sentences with a capital letter, putting spaces between our words, spelling our sight words correctly, and ending our sentences with punctuation! We will also be focusing on how to add juicy details to make our stories more interesting for our readers.
In writing we will continue practicing how to zoom in on a small moment. We think about things that we have done over the course of a whole day, then pick one of those things and zoom in to just one activity. When writing these stories we have been double checking to make sure we are starting our sentences with a capital letter, putting spaces between our words, spelling our sight words correctly, and ending our sentences with punctuation! We will also be focusing on how to add juicy details to make our stories more interesting for our readers.
Phonics
During phonics we have each been working on our own individualized sorts based on our needs. We work in groups and then on our own to complete the sorts and do other activities to help support our reading and writing!
During phonics we have each been working on our own individualized sorts based on our needs. We work in groups and then on our own to complete the sorts and do other activities to help support our reading and writing!
Math
We have been learning about number bonds to help us with our addition and subtraction. Number bonds are made up of three circles and show a part-part-whole relationship. We then turned our number bonds into addition sentences (part + part = whole). Now we are working on different strategies to help us add so that we have a whole tool belt of strategies and can choose the one that works best for each of us! These strategies include: starting with the bigger number in an addition sentence and counting on, using a ten frame, drawing a picture, using our fingers, using a number line, using cubes, and using mental math. We will then use the same strategies to help us with subtraction towards the end of the quarter.
We have been learning about number bonds to help us with our addition and subtraction. Number bonds are made up of three circles and show a part-part-whole relationship. We then turned our number bonds into addition sentences (part + part = whole). Now we are working on different strategies to help us add so that we have a whole tool belt of strategies and can choose the one that works best for each of us! These strategies include: starting with the bigger number in an addition sentence and counting on, using a ten frame, drawing a picture, using our fingers, using a number line, using cubes, and using mental math. We will then use the same strategies to help us with subtraction towards the end of the quarter.
STEM
In our STEM units we have been learning all about money, needs & wants, and the life cycles of various animals and plants.
Money: We have been learning the names and values of coins and how to count money. Also, we learned why people need money.
Needs & Wants: We discussed the various needs and wants of people. Our basic needs include: shelter, food, & clothing. One of our wants that we kept talking about was pets. We then discussed if we wanted a pet and purchased one what the needs & wants of that pet would be.
Life Cycles: Animals: We started off talking about the life cycles of ladybugs. Then we started learning about the life cycle of a chicken. We will be finishing our quarter by being engineers and building chicken coops that will support a chicken in each of it's various stages of the life cycle!
Plants: We will finish up the unit by talking about plant life cycles. We will explore the parts of a flower and plant our own seeds. We will then discuss the life cycle of two specific plants: a pumpkin & an apple!
In our STEM units we have been learning all about money, needs & wants, and the life cycles of various animals and plants.
Money: We have been learning the names and values of coins and how to count money. Also, we learned why people need money.
Needs & Wants: We discussed the various needs and wants of people. Our basic needs include: shelter, food, & clothing. One of our wants that we kept talking about was pets. We then discussed if we wanted a pet and purchased one what the needs & wants of that pet would be.
Life Cycles: Animals: We started off talking about the life cycles of ladybugs. Then we started learning about the life cycle of a chicken. We will be finishing our quarter by being engineers and building chicken coops that will support a chicken in each of it's various stages of the life cycle!
Plants: We will finish up the unit by talking about plant life cycles. We will explore the parts of a flower and plant our own seeds. We will then discuss the life cycle of two specific plants: a pumpkin & an apple!