from Gretchen

March 14, 2008

Math Workshop

We continued our temperature, time, and calendar routines, with Nick leading these activities We have started a prairie “garden” by using our play money to buy photos of prairie plants cut from seed catalogs. Students continue to do a great job with addition with regrouping. We continue our weekly timed practice for addition 0 to 18. Math facts for adding to 7, 8, and 9 continue to be the source of the greatest number of mistakes. Please focus your daily practice on these math facts because the practice makes all the difference!. Practice counting change would also be beneficial.

Book Clubs

This is what our groups worked on this week:

N-E-Ds: Dick and Jane and r/d/dr.

Stars: Who Took the Cake and long a.

Stripes: African Mother Goose and short -e/-ea.

Washingtons: How Spider Got His Thin Waist and short -e/-ea.

Lincolns: Spider stories and long -i patterns

Bald Eagles: Dr. De Soto and long -i patterns.

Science/Theme

The students worked in pairs to report on grassland animals and their conservation status. They heard the story Jubela and about poaching.

Stories

The students enjoyed Joy Adamson's book, Born Free. We plan to watch the movie next week.

Special and Noteworthy

St. Patrick's Day is Monday, so you may want to remember to have your child wear something green.

Sophie and Virginia partnered during their free choice time to make a “grassland habitat” for African animals, and Elena made one also. It is things like this that make me feel that our lessons have been effective. Their work reflected the essentials of survival for these animals, so I knew they have full comprehension of these facts, and how they are related. They chose to do it, so I know they are excited about what they have learned.

At this level, our job is to teach basic skills and basic attitudes towards learning. We endeavor to balance work on specific building blocks of learning with holistic activities. These children know a great number of discrete facts, and it is weaving them into a larger tapestry that is difficult for them. Sophie, Virginia, and Elena demonstrated that they have done this. I hope that you see the same kind of evidence at home with your children.