Close Readers

This past week we began an integrated unit of study that combines social studies and literacy. The students began to closely read and analyze Judith St. George's book So You Think You Want to Be President to gather evidence about the character traits of presidents. Next we will follow the election process as students use familiar  books to "nominate" fictional characters whom they believe possess the traits of a leader. They will be writing opinion pieces to convince the "voters" of why their character would be fit for the important role of president. This interactive unit will have students reading closely, writing persuasive arguments, learning about the election process, and public speaking. Stay tuned for more information as the unit unfolds over the next two weeks.

We wrapped up Unit 1 of our math unit on efficient strategies for addition and subtraction and students were able to show all that they have learned in a post-assessment. This week we will be reflecting on those assessments and you will see both the pre/post assessments coming home. We like to provide you both so that you can celebrate the growth that your mathematician has made throughout the unit. They may not have mastered all of the skills around addition and subtraction yet, but everyone is able to see how far they have come since the start of the school year. We also use the post assessment reflection to set goals for upcoming practice within other units.

This week we will begin Unit 2. The concepts that we will cover throughout this unit are aimed to introduce students to multiplication by providing them with hands on opportunities to build off of the understandings they have around addition. Click here for more information about the content that will be covered during this unit.

Next Monday we will be having our annual Fall Harvest "Crafter" Morning. A notice went home in your child's homework folder today. We'd love to have parent volunteers sign up to run a craft/activity. If you have an idea please let us know. If you'd like to help but aren't sure what to do, just let us know on the form and we'll provide you with an activity. We look forward to a fun and spirited celebration.