Doesn't seem like we really had much of a fall, although the weather has been pretty mild compared to years past. With that being said, please be sure that your kiddos are dressed appropriately for outside recess each day. We will go outside as often as is weather permitting, meaning as long as it isn't raining, snowing, or below about 20 degrees with the wind chill factor. I know that morning and evening temperatures can be quite different from what it's like at 1:00 when we go outside, but it's always best to prepared!
Here's a snapshot of what's been happening inside Room 222:
MATH - Today wrapped up a unit on data analysis and computation of fractions. We will move forward into unit 8 beginning on Monday, which will be more work with adding and subtracting fractions, but will have also include multiplying and dividing as well. We are currently scheduled to test on that unit on Wednesday, January 20, so there's plenty of time for practice and review.
READING - In the past several weeks, we have focused on the skills of identifying the author's purpose, sequencing with signal words, identifying the main idea and details of a text, and discriminating between facts and opinions. We will continue to focus on main idea and details next week, and using graphic sources to aid our comprehension the following week. We are working on concluding our Battle of the Books unit as well. Our classroom battle will take place on Thursday, December 10th, which means students have until next Wednesday to finish up and/or read as many more books as possible. Please check with your student on this! I have had conversations with several kiddos about the due date because there are still several who have not yet taken a Reading Counts quiz. Students must have read two books AND passed two quizzes in order to participate in the contest on Thursday.
WRITING - Our writing muscles are getting bigger and stronger! In the past several weeks, we have completed two persuasive writing pieces, two compare and contrast writing pieces, and we are now working on an imaginative narrative piece. This is a fun one! We are writing Twisted Fairy Tales! There are some great ideas brewing already and I cannot wait to read these!
SOCIAL STUDIES - After completing our short unit over government, we have now begun to read and learn about Spanish, French, Dutch, and English colonization. We will continue this unit on colonization for the next few weeks, wrapping up with a project toward the end of the quarter.
SCIENCE - We have spent a lot of time during this semester on Life Science. We have studied ecosystems, how they change, and why they change. We are currently in a chapter focusing on adaptations that living things make in order to survive in their environment and through ecosystem changes.
As you can see from above, things have been busy! And looking forward, it's going to continue for the next few weeks until we have a break for the holidays. Some of the events that you should keep in mind are: Santa Shop, student council's Milk & Doughnut Sale, Relay for Life Change Wars, class parties and a spirit week. Please be watching for Mr. Gianfagna's editions of the Cardinal Chronicle for more specific dates for each of the above mentioned events.
Have a wonderful weekend!
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