NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER- what's coming for our class!

Dear Families,

            It has been a pleasure getting to know you all through conferences.  If you would like more time than we had allotted for conferences, feel free to contact me at any time to ask more questions or check on your child’s progress.  Thank you for your support!  J

Lifeskills: This month we are featuring the life skill of Responsibility.  Learning about life skills and practicing them adds to our positive learning environment at school.  We will be talking about what it means to be responsible during our class meet and greet time.

Writing: This month we will be finishing our work on a piece called Classroom Monsters and then we will continue exploring the writing trait of Organization with a narrative story.  A piece of writing that is strong in organization should meet the following criteria:

• Has a beginning, middle, and end
• Indicates paragraphing with noticeable indentions
• Has an interesting lead that hooks the reader
• Has sequence/transition words such as first, then, after that . . . etc.
• Has an ending that doesn’t leave the reader hanging

In class this month, we will focus deeply on writing a personal narrative that tells the story of something that has happened to us.  As part of their homework, students are working on either an essay that includes information from an interview with a veteran or a letter to a veteran.  Students have written directions for this project in their homework folder.  Ask your child about it if you have not already seen the project directions.  Please check in with your child often about their progress on this project.  The Veteran’s Day project is due on Monday, November 21^st.  I will be out of town Nov. 21 and 22^nd and there will be a guest teacher in our classroom, but we will share these pieces the following Monday when I return.  One final note: handwriting and spelling are still a bit of a sticking point- please encourage careful, best effort writing across all subject areas.

Math: Topics this month will be learning the concepts behind the multiplication algorithm (many students know it but not why it works, vocabulary needed, or what it looks like visually with base-ten blocks), practicing it, and applying multiplication in real world settings.  We will also get into understanding division concepts for basic facts, begin to work with division problems that are close to memorized math facts, and learn how to interpret the amount that is left over (the remainder).  We will work further with problem solving strategies.  Please keep reinforcing the practicing of basic math facts at home.  I need to have all students MASTERING their multiplication table facts by the holiday break in December.  This is vital to success in math this year.  Kids who are not fluent in their multiplication facts will struggle with new concepts. Students should be working on them at home nightly.  There are great websites that make practicing fun through games.  My hope is that even the busiest of parents can find time to work with their kids if they practice the facts orally when driving to and from after school activities.  Weekly math tutoring for math facts is very successful as long as students are practicing their facts at home.  J  Your child is working with a parent to quiz and improve their fluency with their math facts and the parents are reporting gains from most students.  Please check with your child to find out which ones they are working on and work on them at home.  Thank you to our math “moms”!  You are a tremendous help to our class! 

Reading: Book Reports are due Monday, November 7^th and we will be doing presentations all next week!  Check in with your child about the progress in finishing their book, poster, and mystery box of 5 to 7 objects.   In class, determining importance is the reading strategy that we are focusing on the next 6 weeks.  We’ve talked that what’s important to remember when reading is like the noodles strained in the colander when making spaghetti.  The water is the information or details that aren’t important.  We’ve also talked about the fact that sometimes some of the most interesting tidbits are details that aren’t “most important.” We are continuing our High Five Book Club in class.  The challenge to the students is to read 500 pages by the end of this trimester, Dec 2nd.  Each time they finish a book; they complete a summary of the book and turn it in.  They receive a star shaped hole-punch in their High Five Book Club card and once they reach the goal, they receive a prize.  Check with your child about their progress toward this goal. 

Social Studies: Soon we will be learning about Coastal and Plateau Northwest Indians of our state.  Students will be exploring all sorts of resources to deepen their understanding of these cultures.  As part of our learning about Northwest Indians, students will be creating a possibles bag.  A possibles bag was a bag that Native Americans or early explorers wore to carry items that might be needed in their travels.  Some items carried might be a compass, dried meat, twine, candle, etc.  Directions and a pattern for this project will be coming home the week after Thanksgiving and will be due mid January.  This project is a great way to spend some time one on one with your student in our class.

Science:  We will be finishing up our focus on rocks and minerals this month.  We’ve been exploring the properties of rocks and minerals. The kids will be learning about the rock cycle, fossils, and erosion.  The kids have shown amazing gains in their understanding!  They will take a post-test later this month.  I will let you know the date.

Other Classroom/School Helps:  Collecting BOXTOPS is an easy way to earn money for the school from the things you already buy.  Remember to check packages and clip off the BOX TOP coupon.  They are on everything from diapers to Kleenex to food boxes.  November’s Boxtops for Education Challenge will be starting in a few days.  Collections will continue by classroom this month.  The class with the most boxtops for the month of November will win a prize- can you help our class win?  J  Please be sure to include your child’s name and Mrs. Allen or Room 209 when sending in your boxtops.  Thanks for your great help in October!  J

 The school year is really speeding along!  This time of year is filled with excitement and distractions as the holidays approach.  Can’t believe I’m already seeing Christmas stuff in the stores!  Please encourage your child to concentrate on learning in school.  I also appreciate your efforts to help your child complete homework on time with their BEST effort.  It is making a HUGE difference in class.  The children who complete their work have a clearer understanding of the next day’s lessons and are more confident.  This is a very special class-they are all such sweethearts!  We are beginning to really hit our stride!  I hope you have a safe and a wonderful week!