December 7th Newsletter

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This week in reading we are going to be working on comparing and contrasting ideas in the stories that we read. In addition, we are going to be focusing on s blends.  Examples of words with s blends include: spell, swim, and skip.  We will also be learning about past tense verbs.  Our chunk of the week this week will be -ake as in cake.  In writing this week we will be working on our foundation for opinion writing.  We will continue opinion writing throughout the remainder of this quarter.

In math, we are going to continue exploring measurement.  This week the students will be using a tape measure in order to measure objects that are not flat.  The students will be measuring different parts of their own bodies, such as their wrist, elbow, and head.  Additionally, we will be learning how to tell time to the quarter-hour and introducing timelines.  Look for Home Links 4.5, 4.7 and a subtraction practice sheet to come home this week.

In science we will be learning about African animals and the habitats that they live in.  We will be integrating writing into science by writing about grasslands as well as writing animal reports on different African animals that we will be learning about.

Special Points of Interest

• Scholastic Book Orders are due this Thursday, December 11th. We will receive the orders before winter break!  Go to: www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Online Code:  JBVLK
• Our classroom elf friend Jingles is watching our class to see who is "naughty or nice."  The kids are having fun finding our classroom elf each morning.
• The Kapco's Kids 2 Kids toy drive lasts through this Friday, December 11th.  If you are able to, please bring in a new, unwrapped toy for the Toy Drive.
• Hat day is this Friday, December 11th - donate a dollar and wear a hat to show your support.