Immersion in Non-Fiction!

This week, our first full week in November, we began our nonfiction studies!
We are:

• reading nonfiction books during reader's workshop
• researching landforms and bodies of water using info bits on the RMCS webpage
• reading about types of landforms and bodies of water with a variety of literature
• recording our learning with a variety of tools ie: research papers, labeled drawings, bulleted lists, and definitions.
• sharing nonfiction and fiction facts about ourselves in our morning meeting with a question/answer format to figure out which of the statements are fact or fiction.  

During this upcoming week, we will publish this work with postcards, google slides, models, info books and posters.  

This week we enjoyed visitors:

• Miss Megan taught us about the benefits of kale and we enjoyed a dino kale smoothie.  Our students recorded the recipe to bring home.
• We appreciated time to eat together with family and friends at our harvest feast.
• Mrs. Wheeler joined us for our weekly guidance lesson; our focus was about defining public and private then how that relates to our bodies.
• Miss Lauren, Miss Megan and Mr. Foley have been with us one day a week during math time.  They are juniors at St. Michael's College.  

During math time this week we:

• learned to add single and double digits using strategies including the hundreds chart and an open number line.
• practiced our open number line with a spillover strategy into the new decade with addition equations like 38+7.
• introduced string problems with single and double-digit numbers.  
• practiced skills in our students books, our Do The Math packets and our math menus.  All of these items you probably have seen come home in their folders.
• practiced reading time to the hour and half hour on multiple timepieces.

Please look for an email with your conference time.  Let me know if you received it and if it works for you and your family with a quick reply to the email.  

Thank you for all you do,

Jen Belisle

A Week to Celebrate!

Here we are making ghost, pumpkin & Frankenstein slime!

This is such a fun time of year!  Thank you to all of you for supporting our fun on Halloween this week.

Friday we celebrated National Author's Day with our narrative writing celebration!  Here we are reading our stories:

 

  

   

 

We learned about six different patterns in leaves and what types of animals use leaves for food based on the observable patterns with our Hands-On Nature teachers: Mrs. Knoth and Mrs. Almassalkhi!

We completed our read aloud titled The Elevator Family.  

We spend about 30 minutes during the week on a program called Typing Quest.  This program helps us to become strong, accurate, efficient typists.  This skill will assist in all areas of composition as well as research to begin the list.  

Our math focus is about adding 10's and 1's to any number.  We are moving around the hundred chart as well as an open number line to problem solve.  We taught the break apart strategy and how to use landmark numbers when adding two and single digit numbers.  

Ask your child about their word study skill each week & the title(s) of books they enjoy reading at school.  

Please send back the green note about conferences.  If you prefer a time outside of those listed, please let me know.  

Thank you!
Jen Belisle