What we have been learning...

In Reader’s Workshop this week we have been reading and learning about animals living in our environment and what they do.  This week we read three main texts; Animals in the City, Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep and Tide Pools. We continued to focus on using key details from the text (illustrations, words, and text features) to understand how animals adapt to their environment and how they use their structures to survive and thrive.  This coming week, we will use the text What Do You Do With a Tail Like This? to begin to answer the weekly question “How do animals survive in their habitats?”

In Word Study, we have been working on reading and writing words with short a word patterns (ap, ag, at).  This coming week we will continue to work on this short a word families with glued sounds (and, am, ank, an). 

Last week’s Weekly Words: scavenger, adapt, surroundings, wild, thrive, urban

Next week’s Weekly Words: predator, burrow, basic need, survive, shelter, prey

In Writer’s workshop we have been working on writing friendly letters. Students wrote letters to their K2 teacher and are now writing letters to their 6^th grade buddies.  We are continuing to work on including all the parts of a letter as well as expanding our message with information and details. 

In math, students have been working on solving addition problems with 2 unknown addends, “how many of each” problems.  They are working to use strategies to find all the possible combinations to equal a number.  Students have also been playing dot addition during which they use dot cards (showing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 dots) to make a number in different ways.  We will begin to work on solving addition story problems with 3 addends next week. 

In Science, students had a chance to observe animals in our schoolyard using their senses.  They are also beginning to learn about terrariums. Each classroom will be making a terrarium that will become a habitat for plants and other living things.

In studios, students have been writing animal riddles, building animals with clay, and sketching animals in their sketchbooks!  Students have also been building animal habitats with Legos, Kapla Blocks, and Beautiful Stuff.  Lastly, students have been making animal costumes and acting out scenes from texts.

Questions to ask your student!

- What animals did you learn about this week? What is their habitat? How do they survive and thrive in their habitat?

- How can you make the number 10?

- What is a terrarium?  How do you make one? What do you need to do to take care of your terrarium?