The Weather is Changing

Please send a jacket or coat with your child to school everyday. They will go outside for lunch recess and afternoon recess and need access to a jacket or coat everyday.

Please remember to look through the book orders that I sent home last Thursday. If you need me to keep ordered books for you (to keep secret for gifts) just let me know and I can do that for you. Book orders are due on Tuesday October 26th.

Reading
This last week we started our reading groups where I teach the children reading skills in small groups. We learned a game called "Guess the Covered Word". It really is a set of strategies that students can use to help them decode difficult words they may encounter in their reading. When they come to a word in their reading that they are not sure of they should:
1- look at the picture for a clue,
2- look at and think of the beginning sound in the word
3- make sure that any word they guess that might go in the sentence MAKES SENSE with what they are reading about,
4- think about the length of the word ( John likes to play _______. You might guess tag or tennis. The length of the word is a clue to let you know which might more likely be correct.),
5- think about the ending sound in the word
6- see if there are any little words you already know inside the bigger word you don't know.

If they will use these strategies they likely will be able to come up with the word they are struggling with. As a parent listening to your child read you can prompt them to use these clues like this. Did you look at the picture for a clue? What sound does the word begin with? What word would make sense in the sentence? That's a good guess and it will make sense in the sentence but look at how long the word is? Could it be your word? Do you see any little words you know in the big word?

You don't have to ask all of the questions each time. Give them no more that three clues then tell them the difficult word. Don't let them become frustrated with the reading. Remember the 5 finger rule: If they miss 5 words or more on a page then the book is too difficult for them. In this case you read the book to them and find an easier book for them to read to you.

Math
This week we learned about the Almost Doubles Strategy. If two numbers are next door neighbors on the number line like 3 and 4 or 8 and 9 you can find the sum of the two numbers by doubling the smaller number and adding one. You can also find the sum by doubling the larger number and subtracting one.

This week they will be looking for Doubles and Almost Doubles in subtraction problems. This will be like 16 - 8 = If you know that 8+8 = 16 then you will know the answer to this subtraction problem. If the problem is 17 - 8 = If you know that 8 + 8 = 16 and 17 is one more than that then you know that 8 + 9 = 17 so 17 - 8 = 9.

This week we will be working with skip counting, odd and even numbers and addition with three numbers. We will also explore use of the not equal sign. Children are to decide which number sentence is represented in a story problem and be able to write a story problem when given a number sentence. The story problem must end with a correct question.

We will also be measuring a scarecrow with candy corn and making a graph we derive from colored goldfish data.

Writing
Each of the students is trying to finish up the publishing of their first major story which is about a scarecrow. Come see their scarecrow stories and artwork on the bulletin board.

Vocabulary
This week we will be reading a book entitled "Grandpa's Teeth". The vocabulary words we will be working on learning are:
complain
description
mystery
suspect
conspiracy
sleuth
Please try to use these words at home and notice if your child notices them and tells you it is one of their vocabulary words.

Spelling
We will be studying the different ways that we can spell the long a sound. It can be spelled with
ai -- usually in the middle of a word
ay -- usually at the end of a word
/a/ (consonant) (silent e)-- as in name

I hope your student has been singing the song "Witches Brew" to you. It is such a fun song. This week they will each make up their own verse to the song.


We are quickly approaching the end of the first grading period and Parent/Teacher conferences which will be on Wednesday and Thursday November 10th and 11th. Please go online to schedule your own time for this conference. I am looking forward to meeting with each of you and discussing your child's strengths and needs.

I hope you have a great week. I am looking forward to seeing many of you on Friday for the Halloween parade and party. Thank you for all each of you do to help your child, our class and me. I couldn't do this job without great parent helpers.

The keyword for this week is "Jack-O-Lantern".