Ms. Hahn’s Newsletter
February 5, 2017
Reading
The class is really enjoying reading The Last Voyage of the Griffon by Wendy Caszatt-Allen. This book is written from the dog’s point of view. The students wanted to keep reading because a few of the chapters ended with cliffhangers. The students completed a worksheet about what they visualized while they were reading. Next week the students will continue reading The Last Voyage of the Griffon.
This week we finished comparing Probuditi and The Sweetest Fig. The students helped write paragraphs comparing these books. I read Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg this week. Next week I will read Zanthura by Chris Van Allsburg. The students will help write a comparison of these two books.
Math
The math focus this week was on metric measurement. The students are learning about kilograms, grams, liters, and milliliters. Please check out our class webpage for pictures of the hands on activities we did this past week. Monday and Tuesday the students will solve story problems involving metric measurements. On Wednesday we will begin our next unit on fractions. I have posted a letter about our unit on the class webpage.
Social Studies
This week the students learned about early Illinois history. The students learned about early fur trappers including La Salle. This ties in well to the book The Last Voyage of the Griffon. We even pretended to be portage our canoes (chairs) and fur bundles (backpacks). The students learned a little about the French and Indian war and how the life of the Indians changed due to more European settlers. Next week the students will learn about pioneers and wagon trains.
The students had a short quiet spots this week near the playground. It is great that we have space near our classroom to get out in nature. Next week we will go outside for phenology. The students will be looking at nature with more of a scientific lense.
Writing
Students finished their science brochures this week. The students worked on organizing the information in a logical order and including just the right amount of information. The children liked making brochures so much a few students decided to make a brochure for fun. Next week we will begin a unit on persuasive writing. The students will start by writing a persuasive speech.
Spelling
This week the students will be typing 10 spelling sentences on the computer. On Friday the students started typing their sentences on Google docs. Each student has the password and login information in the front of their assignment notebooks for Google. The children will have some class time to work on typing. I encourage the students to include a lot of details in their sentences and have interesting beginnings to their sentences.
Other Information
- Please remind your child to bring a water bottle to school daily.
- All students need a napkin for lunch and snack.
- Students can wear snow pants for warmth during outdoor activities.
Valentine’s Day Party
We will be having a party for Valentine’s Day. Your child can bring Valentines for his/her classmates. If your child chooses to pass out cards, please make one for everyone in the class. I will email a class list to the parents.
Upcoming Dates
Feb. 7- Green Assembly
Feb. 15- Farm to Table Lunch
Feb. 17- No school, Teacher inservice
Feb. 20- No school, President’s Day