September Newsletter
Math
We are currently studying Topic 2 in Math entitled “Fluently Add and Subtract Multi-Digit Whole Numbers”. This topic addresses finding sums and differences, estimating sums and differences, adding whole numbers, adding greater numbers, subtracting whole numbers, subtracting greater numbers, subtracting across zeros and reasoning. As a reminder, your child will have weekly homework. This will be given on Monday and is due the following Monday.
Reading
During Reading Workshop in the month of August, students began to learn and practice how to think deeply about their reading, determine if they are truly reading “just right books” at their level that will help them grow as readers, and analyze characters’ traits while providing evidence from the text as support. This month during reading workshop, the students were reading books at their independent level. I was and will continue conferring independently with readers as well as working with kiddos in a small group format as I focus on the aforementioned skills. They will use sticky notes, graphic organizers, and record their thinking in their Reader's Journal as they annotate their text.
Our reading focus in September will be on interpreting characters. Students will focus on several strategies including finding a book they want to read, reading as if they are in the book, figuring out confusing parts, noting important things to talk about, doing the work the book is requesting, finding the flow of the book, and making movies in their mind. All of these are strategies used to read intensely. Throughout this unit the kids will learn how to make inferences about character traits, how to discuss the importance of story elements, evaluate characters’ responses and change, analyze parts of a story in relation to the whole story, and determining themes and cohesion. I could really use your support at home….please encourage your child to read. Volume matters!!
Social Studies
We are currently studying Colorado History. We began this unit by studying the geography of Colorado and how the geography of the land impacts the people/how people impact the land. As we continue, we will study the early Native American tribes that occupied our state as well as the Europeans who later settled here and positively/negatively impacted the Native Americans. Our study of Colorado truly focuses on how people impact the land and how the land impacts the people.
Writing
We are learning about the genre of opinion writing. Students are learning how to create a strong thesis statement (claim), support that statement with powerful reasons and a multitude of examples, and provide a strong concluding paragraph. So far, we are practicing our skills by writing opinion essays about important topics relating to us (for example, favorite type of ice cream, favorite genres of music, favorite restaurants, favorite type of animal, etc.). Students will be learning to be persuasive in their writing and convince others to believe in their thesis statement. As we further develop our skills in opinion writing, we will broaden our topics and begin to craft thesis statements based on bigger ideas that impact larger groups such as our community, country, our world.
Important Dates
No School Friday, September 24th
Digger Dash Friday, October 1st from 10:15-10:45 (fourth grade only)
