Week of 9/28/09

Hello Families,

It was wonderful seeing most of you at Open House last Wednesday. I did not write a newsletter last Friday, so I will try to give you some of the highlights of the last two weeks. First of all, we are finished with the computer testing.

In our literacy block, we finished the chapter book of the Next-Door Dogs. The main character, Sara, a girl about 10 years old, overcame her fear of dogs through an act of kindness towards her new neighbor. The children thought the ending was very satisfying. During read aloud since completing the chapter book, we have enjoyed the following picture books: "The Dog Who Had Kittens", "Two Bobbies", "McDuff Moves In", "Who Wants Arthur?", "The Bookshop Dog", and "I Am the Cat, I Am the Dog". Ask your child to tell you about these stories. In our reading groups, we are reading the Henry and Mudge series. Most children have also completed a writing piece about their own pet, or a pet they once had, or a pet they wish for. I am hoping to get these posted to our blogsite with pictures of their drawings very soon.

In math, we are learning about fact families, and how subtraction and addition are related processes. By the end of next week, the children should be ready to take the test for this first unit.

In science, we learned how seeds travel by wind, other animals, or by hitchhiking. We also examined a soaked lima bean seed to discover what is inside a seed. Some of our seeds sprouted, so we can observe new growth each day.

NEWS ABOUT HOMEWORK FOR NEXT WEEK:

Since we have only four days of school next week, we will not have a spelling test or spelling homework. Instead, I will send math homework. This will be good practice for the end of the unit test. Please assist your child with the math, and check over their answers.

Many thanks for your involvement and support.