Week of September 8-11

I hope that everyone has a very nice Labor Day weekend.  Once we return from the long weekend, we'll pick up right where we left off.  We are still working on rounding and comparing/ordering numbers in math.  Those students who have mastered the skills will continue to work on enrichment activities.  In reading, we started our first guided reading groups.  Students are either reading The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson, Loser by Jerry Spinelli, Rules by Cynthia Lord, or The Jacket by Andrew Clements.  We are working on the reading strategies of predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing.  We will spend time on context clues, plot, and character traits.  In writing, we are building a strong foundation of the Six Traits so that we can delve into each a little deeper as the year continues.  This week, we'll be working a lot on word choice.  We have started our first science unit on rocks and landforms.  Our focus this week will be learning about what materials make up rocks.  Enjoy your holiday weekend!