September 25, 2013

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather, I certainly know I am!

We are currently on Week 5 for spelling.  Next week I will be sending out individualized lists.  If you would like to check with me to see what list your child will be bringing home please let me know. 

Although we are continuing to study the Monarch Butterfly in Science we have had very poor results with the Monarch Caterpillars in our classroom.  Apparently there is a disease that is affecting the caterpillars, and causing them to die:(  The good news is that Pendleton Farms has had good luck with their caterpillars, and we have scheduled a trip to visit their butterfly garden for October 8th in the afternoon.  Please look for a hard copy letter to come home tomorrow with more information.  The cost will be $6.00, which includes picking out a pumpkin.  If this is a hardship for anyone please let me know, no one will be excluded from going on the field trip!  

In math we are working hard on story problems.   Right now the problems we are studying are comparison word problems.  This hasn't gotten to difficult yet, but they will get more challenging as we study different kinds of word problems, and they will have to decide how to solve them.  Ask your kiddo about the CUBES strategy that we use to help us focus our thinking on how to solve a problem.  C=Circle the key numbers, U=Underline the question, B=Box any math action words, E=Evaluate what steps to take, and S=Solve the problem, and check to see if it makes sense.

Also, we have two new students in our class, so we are currently at 16 students:)

Have a great rest of your week!

September 10, 2013

If you haven't heard a lot about caterpillars and butterflies by now I'm very surprised!  Our butterfly larva came in last week, and have already more than doubled in size.  We even had a full grown caterpillar sneak a ride on one of the milkweed plants I purchased, and he has already formed a chrysalis.  We should have our first butterfly in less than a week.  Ask your kiddo what another name for larva is, hopefully they will be able to tell you caterpillars:)  Along with observing our caterpillars we have also been learning about the life cycle of the butterfly, and the body parts of the caterpillar.  We just started our communities unit in social studies this past Monday.  Hopefully in another week your kiddo will be able to tell you that there are three different types of communities, and what they are (urban, suburban, and rural).  We will formally begin guided reading groups on Thursday the 19th of September.  Until then, we are continuing to build stamina with our Daily 5 reading program, and practicing our routines for making Daily 5 choices.  I can't wait to begin  reading with your children on a daily basis - Just ask them what Mrs. Bellavia's FAVORITE thing to do is (aside from spending time with family:) 

DON'T FORGET: 

Grandparent's Day at Woodlawn Elementary is this Friday, the 13 of September.  

Grandparents (or special friends) are encouraged to visit our classroom before eating lunch at 11:50.

Any questions about how this day is organized please contact the office.