This past weekend, after hiking up the west bluff at Devil's Lake with my girls, we played on the beach (my kids actually swam) and soaked up some sunshine. It was hard to believe, then, that October was just a few days away. But, now, as the temperatures are dropping, the rain is coming and the wind is blowing, I believe it! Next weekend, instead of playing on a beach, I think we'll be in sweatshirts, apple picking!
Here are some classroom updates and information...
READER'S WORKSHOP
The kids are really loving our book Stone Fox. Ask them to give you a summary! We are nearing the end but I am trying to stretch it out as I don't really want the story to end.
We have really been focusing on comprehension strategies as we read. As we read Stone Fox we do a lot of questioning and thinking about what the author is trying to convey. We sometimes have to dig a little deeper and read between the lines in order to answer some tough questions. Kids are working in their reading partnerships to discuss their books as well, using these comprehension strategies to build deeper conversations about their own texts.
WRITER'S WORKSHOP
We continue to write true stories like a story-teller and not a reporter. We are learning ways to add more details, to make our stories come to life through our word choice and dialogue and how to really stretch out the heart of our stories. We have learned a lot from other authors and we continue to learn from all of the writers in our classroom!
MATH
This week, we are learning about elapsed time, which can be a difficult concept. One that would be great to work on at home! We introduced our sunrise/sunset project. Once a week we will record the time the sun rose and the time the sun set for that day. We will then calculate the length of the day and graph it. As the year goes on the kids will see how the length of the day gets shorter and then longer after the winter solstice. We will also take our Unit 1 math assessment.
MAPS TESTING FOR MATH WILL BE ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 AT 1:30!
SOCIAL STUDIES
The kids are learning about where each of the 7 continents are, as well as the 4 major oceans. We've discussed the equator and the hemispheres. All of this in relation to where we live in the world.
SCIENCE
We are exploring balances by measuring different objects with nonstandard units of measurement. We will measure solids using grams in the coming days.