Week of January 11-15

Dear parents,

BRRR! Winter weather has returned to Michigan! This week students have been spending more time inside for recess. Please continue to send the appropriate winter clothing school and mark your child's things with his or her name!

In reading the week we have been practicing a new strategy for reading called Visualizing. Students have learned when they listen to a book or read to themselves they can visual a story when the book doesn't have pictures. We practiced with a poem called "Balloon Man." The students listened to the story two times and shared with a partner "the pictures in their heads."  After sharing they drew a picture of what they visualized during Balloon Man.  We will continue using this new strategy for the next few weeks.

In writing, we have been working hard on our Writing for Readers unit. I introduced students to personal word walls. The word wall goes into their writing folder, on it are all the popcorn words this year. We also add words to the personal word wall during conferences in writing. Students are now responsible for being able to write the popcorn words correctly during writing time.

In math this week we are wrapping up Unit 4. We have worked hard this week on doubles facts, adding to make ten and adding three numbers in one number sentence.  We noticed when adding three numbers to add numbers that made 10 together first then add the third number (3+7+4). We reveiewed strategies: using a number grid, using a number line, using a picture, or a fact to help solve a problem with three numbers. There will be a home link to practice adding three numbers tonight!
We will have a Unit 4 math test on Friday.

In Science we have watched our experiments with liquids and solids evaporate over the last several days. We dissolved rock salt into a solution with water and waited for the water to evaporate and leave behind the salt. This was an exciting experiment to watch. We also discussed how water evaporates outside and how solids can change shape with heat and cold.

We will be talking about and reading about Martin Luther King day this week and making a Martin Luther King project. I was surprised by how much the children remembered about MLK from our lessons in the fall about how laws that are unfair can change!

We are ending the first semester this Friday, January 15th. There is no school on January 18, in observance of Martin Luther King day!

Have a good week!
Mrs. Scheck