Reading: This week in reading, we will be working on the mini research project. This week they will be planning for their presentation. The following are the questions they will be required to answer: 1. What did the person develop/invent, and how was it used? 2. What impact did this innovation have on society? 3. What was the legacy of this innovation? Then during their presentation, they will need the following information: 1. They will need an opening argument. 2. They will need to prove/defend their person as the most innovative/influential. This will be done through both an oral/visual presentation. 3. They will need a closing argument. The focus skills being worked on this week are ask and respond to open ended questions, making connections to real world situations or related topics before and during reading, making inferences and drawing conclusions. I will be using the following picture books to practice these skills: Ben's Dream and The Garden of Gasazi. The students will also work on these skills with their independent reading book, and I will be conferencing with them.
Book Report: Their first book report will be due on Friday, September 30. The students need to read any award winning book. Their assignment is to write an A to Z book report.
Book Report: Their first book report will be due on Friday, September 30. The students need to read any award winning book. Their assignment is to write an A to Z book report.
Math: In math we are starting unit 2. The first lesson for unit 2 looks at developing strategies for estimating. The second and third lessons will focus on addition and subtraction. We will also learn about open number sentences. On Friday, the students will work on interpreting data.
Writing: This week in writing, we will be doing a variety of activities. During writer's workshop, the students will finish their own Fortunately book. We will also be working on our mini research project during writing. The students will have to prove that their person was the most influential/innovative person. We will also be doing two quick write arguments. One will focus on wearing school uniforms, and the other one will focus on the new research about the T.V. show Sponge Bob. Researchers are saying that children under the age of 4 should not watch this show.
Science: We have been working on our weather unit. The students watched videos on storms, weather instruments, and hurricanes at the beginning of the unit. Then they learned about the layers of the atmosphere. The layers are troposphere, stratosphere, ozone layer, mesosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. The students have learned about three of the weather instruments. The wind vane tells the direction in which the wind is blowing, and the anemometer tells the speed of the wind. The barometer measures the atmospheric pressure. Last week the students learned about the three states of matter. They are gases, solids, and liquids. Through experiments, we looked at some of the properties of air. The students learned that air takes up space and is lighter than water. They also saw what happens when air molecules are heated and cooled. Another experiment showed that hot air rises. This week the students will learn about humidity and relative humidity. We will also do experiments showing how a cloud is made, the water cycle , and one that shows air pressure. The students will also go to the computer lab and do research on the clouds.
Social Studies: We will start social studies after we finish our science unit.
Spelling Unit 3:
soul smoke move clue fruits lose chose stole prove produce juice
drove Tuesday rescue continue issue ego argue cruise toll forehead
include rehearsal fourth course conducive ensue turbulent tombstone
suitable peculiar acoustic illusion camouflage surgeon colony encomienda
missionary conquistador atom
PTA REFLECTIONS: The Project turn in deadline for May Watts' students is October 7. For more information, please go to http://www.wattspta.org/. Also, information, rules, and entry forms can be downloaded at www.ptareflections.org/cs/rules and documents or contact the Reflections Chair, Amy Toepper, at amytoepper@hotmail.com
This years theme is "Diversity Means..."
Band/Orchestra: The lessons for this week are only during the school day. Before school band/orchestra begins the week of September 26th.
Important Dates:
PTA General Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
Spelling Test Wednesday, September 21
Paw Print Redemption Thursday, September 22
Book Report due on Friday, September 30
