Wednesday, October 24, 2012

October 18, 2012

            Continue the great work in reading with your child from 30 minutes each day and recording it in their RAH folders.  In reading we’re working on predicting, determining the most important events or details, sequencing, and retelling stories.


            If you don’t have computer access for you child, please work on flashcard practice.  Second graders need to know their addition facts through 10 + 10 (or 20’s) and subtraction facts through 20’s.  Third graders need to know addition, subtraction, and multiplication facts through 10’s (11’s and 12’s would be nice, too!) 

            Please continue to have your child use Xtra Math and SumDog.  If you need the passwords, please let me know. 

       Family Writing:  Read a short story or choose a chapter book you’ve read or heard.  Fill in the summary outline.  Write in complete sentences.  I may ask you to retell your story orally, too, without your summary outline.  Can you do it?! 

          If your child is writing on his/her own, look over the summary with your child when he/she is finished.  See if you and your child can add some details to make the story more clear and vivid.

            Family writing is always due the Tuesday after it is assigned, Tuesday, October 30.

            In science, we’re winding up our matter unit.  Students are practicing the inquiry method by writing a measurable question (Will an ice cube melt faster on a metal or Styrofoam surface?), a hypothesis (I think the ice will melt faster on a metal surface because the metal absorbs the temperature around it.—This channeled  quite a discussion!), a procedure, data collection, and an analysis.
                                                                                                  
            Students have been learning about elections and the presidency.  Any discussion of candidates in your home would be helpful.  We’re not getting into that at school!