Our third trimester is in full swing! We have so much going on right now in the classroom it would make your head spin! As the weather gets nicer and the sun is up longer it is tempting to push the bedtimes back. Please try to maintain a bedtime and healthy mealtime routine as much as possible. I notice when those heads get droopy!
Earth Day Movie
We'll be walking to the Lake with our buddies and a few other classes on April 22. Please return the permission slip and $6.00 as soon as possible. (Permission slip went home on Thursday.)
Reading
We read A Picture Book of Martin Luther King this week. The reading strategy that we focused on was identifying the main idea and supporting details. This is a difficult concept and most of the students needed help identifying which ideas were the most important and which ideas supported the idea.
I am reading a biography of Malcolm X out loud to the students. We learned that Malcolm X's childhood was very different from Martin Luther King's.
Writing
We continue to work on our autobiographies. Like in reading, we are focusing on a main idea and details in our writing.
Math
Fractions! We love fractions! We spent a good deal of time exploring fractions this week and talking about the whole. We also reviewed multiplication arrays and we keep practicing those facts. I'm sure you noticed on the homework calendar that the students will be expected to answer 75 mixed addition facts in five minutes by the end of the month. Practice!
Science
Caterpillars arrived! We will be studying the Painted Lady caterpillar and butterfly for the next few weeks. We will take what we learned last year and build on it this year as we focus on making detailed observations. We will also be learning about the frog's life cycle through various books and activities.
Peaceful Problem Solvers
As a school and as a class we are working on solving problems peacefully. That means trying to talk things out, ignoring inappropriate behavior, walking away, laughing, and getting an adult when you've tried everything else. Take a minute to talk to your child about what they would do if someone cut in front of them in line or if they got teased on the playground.