What a week!  We have been VERY busy in Room 13 - trying to tie up a bunch of loose ends before Winter Vacation.  For the most part, students have continued working hard - but I can definitely tell that they are getting excited for the holidays!  Let's see if we can help them stay focused and get through this final week of school!

HCAM
Michelle Murdock (with HCAM) has been doing some research on the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching, which Elmwood teachers are beginning to adopt and integrate into their classrooms.  Take a look at the video below, in which students in Rooms 13 and 16 are featured!

http://www.hcam.tv/videos/responsive-classroom-new-approach-teaching

Our Week in Review:

READING
The story from our anthology this week was There’s Nothing Like Baseball, by Angela Johnson. The children made many wonderful connections throughout this story –s ome about playing baseball/softball, some about going to different games, some about having nervous dreams (e.g. before the first day of school) and more. Ask your child to tell you about the story! 

We continued to refine our inferential thinking skills this week. Students should now be able to tell you that in order to make an inference, you take what you read and add it to what you know - and use that to "figure out" what the author is trying to say.   Keep practicing this at home!


SPELLING
This week, most students worked on spelling words with the long o (ohhhhhh) sound. Students already know that long o can be spelled using o_e (o-consonant-e), like in homeand nose. This week, we focused on other common spellings:

oa	oe	ow	old	ost
boat toast	toes foe	show below	cold mold	most post

 

GRAMMAR

We took a break from plural nouns this week and moved on to apostrophes! Apostrophes really have two purposes in the English language – to create contractions and to show belonging (possession). This week, we focused on using apostrophes to show possession.  

When showing possession, we usually add ’s   to the end of the person/thing that owns the object.

            Examples:        Billy’s hat              the dog’s paws

However, when the word/noun is already plural, we just need to add   ’   to the end (after the s).

            Examples:   two boys’ backpacks    four rabbits’ ears

When we say these words, they sound the same so it is difficult to distinguish between them – and even more difficult to determine which to use and when!  We will continue working on this skill throughout the year.  Please support your child with this when writing at home!

MATH

This week, I introduced a new algorithm for double/triple digit addition with regrouping called Partial Sums. Information about the method went home earlier this week and I hope you found it helpful. The students have really been working hard to understand and apply this new strategy and they have been doing a FANTASTIC job!! It can be tricky at first, but with consistent practice (both at home and at school), it will become second nature!!

Although I encourage students to use all kinds of math strategies (there is no one way to solve a math problem), it is important that students understand this algorithm and know how to use it effectively. This method emphasizes number sense and place value – rather than rote memorization - and it is more developmentally appropriate than “carrying."

Just in case you need a refresher, the steps are provided below:

1)  Draw a line down the middle to represent the breaking apart of the numbers (into ones and tens). Label the columns.

 

2)  Break apart each number and write what each digit “really means.”

        In the number 35, the 3 is "really" a 30 and the 5 is a 5.

3)  Add the numbers in the ones column.  Write the sum in the appropriate columns (tens and ones).

4)  Add the numbers in the tens column.  Write the sum in the appropriate columns - UNDER the sum of ones.

5)  Add your sums (ones then tens) for the final total.  Circle the answer.

Although the “carrying” strategy may seem a little easier, it is important for students to understand and utilize this strategy– especially since other mathematical concepts rely on it (in future years).  Please take the time to understand this method and practice it with your child.

 

 

Suggestion:  Ask your child to explain it to you!  People (children included) remember and understand concepts better when they teach them to others!

 

 

Heads Up: Unit 4 is just about complete and students will be assessed next week.  Partial sums will be part of the test.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We have continued on in our study of maps and globes and I think that students are really internalizing what they are learning!  Students created beautiful maps of their bedrooms from a bird’s-eye view this week …and they are great! They will be hung in the hallway for everyone to enjoy – please come by and take a look!

This week, we have really focused on learning about different kinds of maps.  Here is what we now know: 

Climate Maps are maps that describe the climate – or long-term, typical weather patterns. 

Resource/Product Maps are maps that show the products that are grown, raised, or found in an area.

Road Maps are maps that show important roads and highways in an area.

MYSTERY READER
Our Mystery Reader this week was truly a mystery!  It was someone the students had never seen/met before...and her name was ALSO Mrs. Marzilli!!  It was my mother-in-law, visiting from Rhode Island!  This Mrs. Marzilli is a reading specialist in an elementary school Warwick, RI and she has been looking forward to coming in to meet the children in our classroom.  (She was also looking forward to visiting with Nico after reading!)  Mrs. Marzilli read the story Santa's Book of Names by David M. McPhail, which was a great story about a little boy learning to read.

That's all for this week!!  I'm looking forward to one more great week in 2011.