Welcome back!! Is it really already January?!? Time sure does fly! I hope you all had a relaxing break and got to spend lots of time with family. I really enjoyed seeing all the students today! They all had fun stories to share about all the exciting things you did over the break. I am really looking forward to the second half of the school year!
THIS MONTH
Reading/Language Arts- We will begin a unit on non-fiction books and text features. We will learn about the table of contents, glossary, and index and read a variety of non-fiction books. We will also be looking at the difference between facts and opinions and we will discuss homophones.
Writing-Informational writing! We talked in class today about how the students are all experts on certain topics and they become teachers when they share their information with others through non-fiction writing. We are going to begin our non-fiction writing unit with how to books. We read a how to book today about making crayons. Later this week we will begin our first how to writing! We will also talk about using transition words (first, next, last, then) to sequence our writing.
Phonics-We will be reviewing long vowel spelling patterns focusing on silent e this week. After we have reviewed all the long vowel patterns we will start talking about bossy r.
Math-We started a unit today on using graphs and tables. We will learn how to create and interpret graphs. We will look at tally, bar, and picture graphs and talk about collecting data to create graphs. We will also anaylyze graphs. Later this month we will study time. We will learn how to tell time to the hour and half hour and talk about elapsed time.
Social Studies-We will study the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman. We will compare and contrast everyday life then and now and discuss her part in the underground railroad. The following website has some further information on Harriet Tubman as well as a virtual journey that takes you through the underground railroad: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bhistory/underground_railroad/index.htm
You can also look up some information on PebbleGo!
Science-Towards the end of the month and as we approach Ground Hog's Day in February we will learn about light and shadows.
IMPORTANT DATES
Tuesday, January 10-Domino's Pizza Night
Friday, January 13-Report cards come home. Please sign the signature card and return it in the yellow envelope the following Tuesday.
Monday, January 16-MLK holiday, No school
Tuesday, January 17-Chick-fil-A Night
Friday, January 20-Bingo Night! There will be a general PTA meeting beginning at 6:00 followed by a fun night of family bingo!
Your child is bringing home a copy of the January homework tonight and here is an electronic version if you need it. Download JanuaryHomework
We also have a few items on our wish list as we start up the second half of the year: clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, tissues, big pink erasers, and pencils. Thank you so much for your donations!
Thank you all for a wonderful first half of the year and for such a fun holiday party in December! I know the students had a great time! I really appreciate all that you do to support our classroom and your child. You all are a terrific group of parents and students to work with! Happy New Year!
Mrs. Sheffield :)
