Each month teachers select 1 or 2 students who exhibit good character, on task, and are invested in their own learning.  These students will have their picture on the school TV monitors.  I am pleased to show you my selections for my October Students of the Month.

Congratulations Jacob Smith and Emily Montierth!

Working with our Math Unit of Patterns All Around Us, please have your child find a picture in a magazine or newspaper of a pattern.  A tie, carpet pattern, etc.  Have them cut out the pattern and bring it in tomorrow.  Have your child put the picture in their backpack (responsibility) and they will know that they have their “homework.”

REMINDER-tomorrow is LIBRARY DAY.  Again, have your child put their Library Book in their backpack.

Today we read a story about 2 friends liking different things.  I made a diagram with them, comparing that the girl liked, the boy liked, and what they both liked.  Take a look…

This week we start a new unit in Reading-MAKING FRIENDS is our theme.

READING-Our unit title is LEARNING ABOUT FRIENDS.

We’ll talk about how friends can be friends and yet still like or do different things.

WRITING-We’ll be writing sentences!  A sentence

-has a complete thought,

-starts with a capital letter

-has spaces between the words

-punctuation at the end  (. ? ! )

WORD- like

LETTER-S  s

• As you go out for a ride, walk, or around the house, find some things that start with s.
• Practice writing our words in different colors of crayons and markers.
• Write the words on 3×5 cards and play a Memory Game.  (Write 2 sets of the words in crayons instead of markers.  Markers leak through and you can see the word from the back side.)
• Using the 3×5 cards, make a sentence.
• Can you switch around the words and make a question?

Words are I   am   Am   Can  can  We  we  The  the  like  A   a  

MATH and SCIENCE-We’ll be exploring Attributes.  Size, Shape, Color, Thickness

We’ll also be working with Patterns All Around Us.

Mrs. Smith

Today your child is bringing home a paper with 2 trees on it.  They also have a little bear.  We used the bear to place on the paper by using positional words.

Place the bear on the tree, between the trees, above the trees, near the moon, etc.

Positional Words are good descriptive vocabulary and help with MATH (Geometry) and SPACIAL RELATIONS.

Have them try it at home with their hands.

“Put your hands on you shoulders, between your legs, next to you legs, behind your back, under your legs, etc.

Have fun using Positional Words.

Mrs. Smith

I’m a little behind in posting these Birthday Students.  Here are our September and October birthday students.

Zachary-September 16                      Hussein-September 29

Jordan-October 5                             Joelle-October 13

What a lovely, gorgeous weekend!  I hope you were able to get outside and enjoy some of Michigan’s fall beauty.  Yesterday we went for a drive along Edward Hines Drive and Michigan sure was showing off with colorful leaves.

Today we begin a “Weekend Write.”  On Mondays I will have them write in their Journals about something they did over the weekend.  Most will begin with a picture and then I will encourage them to write a letter or word that will go with their picture.  As the year progresses you’ll be able to see their writing really develop.

READING-Families Change is our Unit.

Strategy Question-How can families change?  (new baby born? older sibling going to college?)

Reading Strategy-Recognizing Story Structure

Reading Skill-Making Predictions

WORDS-This is a review week.  We  we   The   the

LETTERS-This is a review week.  M  m  A  a

Beginning this week I will start the Writing Process.  Our week will look like this…

Monday -introduce writing topic

Tuesday-review topic and expand

Wednesday-Prewrite 

Thursday-Revise and Edit Prewrite

Friday-Publish Writing

MATH-Shapes, Sorting and Classifying

SCIENCE-We will continue using our 5 Senses as we explore the FALL SEASON.  To help us focus on being a Scientist, I would like each student to have a “Lab Coat”  To help make this happen, would you please send in a white T-shirt and I will turn them into “Lab Coats.”  (Used/worn shirts are fine.  🙂 )

Looking ahead…

Friday, 10/16  AM SCHOOL   11:45 Dismissal   NO SCHOOL-PM  (Teacher Professional Development)

Friday, 10/30  HALLOWEEN    We will have an All School Parade in the early afternoon-outside around the track.  Time-TBD  Students are invited to bring their costumes to school in the morning and I will help them change after lunch.  If you would like to pick up your child at 11:20 and take them home for lunch and dress them yourself, that is fine.  They would need to be back at school by 12:45.

We started a new part of Dearborn’s Literacy Program-READ TO SOMEONE.  I thought you might enjoy seeing our students Reading to Someone.

Knee to knee, shoulder to shoulder

Sharing the book

One reading and one listening

Can you find your reader?

Mrs. Smith

Thanks for sharing your children with me.  I love working with them!

Mrs. Smith

We read a story today to go along with our Non-Fiction reading of “Night Animals.”  I’m not giving you the title because I showed the students how to “sign” the title.  So, ask your child the title of today’s story.  🙂

You can also ask them about a “Field Trip” that we took today for Science.  Hint:we were using our sense of Hearing.

This week the district is giving the writing prompt to all students.  Each grade has a different topic.  The students’ writing will be assessed at beginning of the year, mid year, and end of the year.  Our topic this week was to tell/draw/write about a time when something or someone made you happy.  To get them going I played the Pharrell Williams song “Happy” with the Minions.  I thought you might enjoy seeing how my students got “happy” for their writing!

Reminder that tomorrow is a LATE START…Students come to school 1 hour later.

9:35 arrival

Regular dismissal 3:35

Tomorrow is also Library Day.  Remind students to put their Library Book in their backpack tonight.

Mrs. Smith