September 27, 2013

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Happy first week of autumn! I hope that everyone is enjoying this lovely weather. We have had quite a busy week at EHBi.

Here are some of the highlights from Week 4:

ELA: We began our reading focus on mysteries with a look at some of the key elements of this genre (crime/problem, clues, suspects, detectives, red herrings, suspense). Students are learning literature circle roles in their new guided reading groups. This week we practiced summarizing and predicting.

Math: We learned how to use different diagrams and related facts to help us solve division story problems with both unknown number of groups and unknown group size.

Science/SS: We studied the development of a mature forest, learning about its different layers and the wildlife within each. We also discussed the life cycle of the cranberry plant.

Other: We had our first Computer session during which we created life cycle Tagxedos. We also learned some grammar rules in Spanish and practiced visualizing during Enrichment.

Best wishes to all for a relaxing weekend!!

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Feeney

September 20, 2013

Greetings from Room 116!

Our classroom is now in full swing, and everyone is doing a great job of settling in. Thank you so much for your help in this regard. We are blessed to have such a supportive group of families this year. It was wonderful to see so many of you at the Open House last night.

Below is a brief recap of Week 3:

ELA: We read several nonfiction books to accompany our life cycles science unit, practicing comprehension strategies such as visualization. We also started our spelling program with a look at the short vowels “e” and “o.” During Writer’s Workshop, we wrote personal poems and autobiographies.

Math: We continued our work with multiplication concepts, focusing on the commutative property (turn-around facts) and related facts (fact families).

Science/SS: We worked in small groups to learn about the life cycles of different living things, and created posters to teach the rest of the class what we learned. We also examined the different stages of the frog life cycle through books and videos.

Other: We had our first Second Step lesson on recognizing and responding to nonverbal cues. We also learned new words in Spanish and discussed different kinds of families during Enrichment.

Best wishes to all for a fun-filled fall weekend!!

Sincerely,

 

Ms. Feeney

September 13, 2013

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Happy Friday the 13! Our second week of school has been both lucky and productive! We are working hard to internalize daily routines and classroom expectations, which will help us to maximize our time on learning. This week we set individual academic goals for ourselves. We also worked together to lay the foundation for a safe learning environment, which will help us to achieve those goals. Following is a brief review of our busy week: 

ELA: We read Chrysanthemum and worked with partners to answer questions about the story. We also wrote “I am the One” poems during Writer’s Workshop, and reviewed the “short a/i” vowel patterns in Spelling.

Math: We explored the concepts of multiplication and division, focusing on the number of groups, the size of the group, and the total (factor x factor = product).

Science/SS: We started our science unit on life cycles, learning about different plants and animals and creating informational posters. This science unit connects to the social studies unit on cranberries that we will begin next week.

Other: We heard the story Amazing Grace during Enrichment and learned number and reviewed different words in Spanish.

The EHB Open House will take place on Thursday, September 19th, from 7:00-8:00pm. I plan to hold an informal question and answer session that evening to provide a brief overview of the coming year. I will also send home a third-grade handbook, and I have posted information on our class blog for families who are unable to attend. Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney