Welcome back after a nice, long holiday weekend. We hope you all enjoyed the extra time with your families, whether it was spent doing something fun or even just getting some chores done around the house!
Even though this will be a shorter week of school, we have a lot to get done. The kids are all working hard in their math books already, some picking up right where they left off in the spring, and others spending a bit of time refreshing their memories. In either case, middle kids really seem to enjoy math work sessions! We have started talking a lot about reading. Before we start our “official” reading program we like to spend some time thinking and talking about reading. We have been discussing such questions as: Why do we read? When and where do we read? What do you see people who are good readers doing? How do I select a book that is just right for me? And, where is the best place in the classroom for me to sit while I read? We have found that it is important to have these discussions in order to set the stage for a successful year of Reading Workshop.
We have started doing some writing exercises as well. We had the kids write a “memoir” about something they did over the summer. They tried to write as descriptively as possible using lots of details and “exploding the moment”. This week we will begin working on revising and making our writing better. Writers Workshop this year will include many types of writing including creative stories, memoirs, poetry, persuasive writing, and expository writing. We have also decided to start each school day with a quick activity we are calling the “daily warm-up.” Some days this will be writing or grammar related, and other days it will be a math activity to get our minds cranking and ready for the day. Please try to have your student here on time (by 8:30) each day so that they can benefit from this valuable beginning-of-the-day activity.
We have started learning about the ancient civilizations of the Mayan people. We will be doing a clay project this week related to Mayan gods. The kids are using their creativity to design a pendant that represents a particular Mayan god. Soon, we will be moving on to the Aztecs.
In the homework folder this week we would like the kids to work on a Mad Minute, continue with their reading and complete some work for an art project for Michele. She would like the kids to finish each sentence on the white worksheet sharing some ideas for an art poem about themselves.