Welcome Back

After a lovely two weeks off for winter break, it was nice to see everyone in the classroom again. Children shared fantastic stories about their adventures during the break; it sounds like a good time was had by all! My family and I enjoyed both relaxation (it was so nice to stay in our pajamas for a good part of the morning!) and adventure. We got our first ski/snowboarding trip of the season in and I am so excited by the fact that we are all now able to ski and ride down the mountain together as a family!

This week we got back in to the swing of our routines and started some new curricular pieces. The kids are VERY pleased to begin learning about multiplication and division. We have started by exploring the concept of both, and their relationship to each other. Early work with multiplication and division involves much work with manipulatives. Distinguishing between the operational signs (+, -, x, etc.) is also an important first step. This week, students learned how to represent multiplication problems in various ways, including the drawing of arrays. We utilized simulated real life events, such as sharing cookies for snack, to understand the idea that division is really making equal groups out of a larger number.

In both reading and writing workshops, we are exploring fiction. We read The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and analyzed the main character, Princess Elizabeth. Students learned that when they read a story we can make inferences about a character by paying attention to what that character does and says. Similarly, when we are writing, we must plan our characters mindfully, giving our readers clues about our character's traits by writing about their actions and planning dialogue carefully. Students began to develop a fictional character to give them practice with this.

This week we started a more targeted sight work spelling program. Each week, students will receive a personalized list of sight words that they need to memorize. Each day for morning work, children will do an activity involving these words. On Friday, they will be quizzed on their words. Any "passed" words will be highlighted in a personal dictionary and will be expected to be spelled correctly in their writing. Any words that have not been "passed" will remain on a child's spelling list for the following week.

Upcoming Dates

Monday, 1/17: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)

Friday, 2/11: Pasta Supper @ 5:30

Friday, 2/18: Parent/Teacher Conferences (No School for kids)

Monday, 2/21: Presidents' Day (No School)

Monday, 3/14: Spring Break begins (Classes resume on 3/28)

Have a wonderful weekend!