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News from 4-3
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November, 2008
We're already looking toward the holidays!
A Message from Mrs. Cote
We've been back at school for two months and it is almost the end of the first semester. I'm beginning to feel that I've got a good understanding of the students and their own styles.
Theme : Thanksgiving
Thank you:
Thank you for your support of the Sacred Heart Food Drive. The students wait excitedly every morning to see if we will add to the total number of items our class collects. This just adds to the satisfaction of knowing that they are providing people with food as we move into the holidays.
A special "thank you" to everyone who helped make our Halloween party a success. The students enjoyed the day and the special treats and activities that day. (I think they especially enjoyed seeing their teacher stick her head into a large vat of water to grab an apple!)
What We're Studying
Language Arts
This month, we will begin our first trade book, "Frindle", by Andrew Clements. It is a short, but very entertaining book about a boy who creates a new word.
The students will be doing a number of writing pieces, including writing "How-to" (explanatory) paragraphs and "Just So" stories. The boys and girls will also continue practicing note-taking and timed writing pieces to prepare them for the ELA exam in January. This month's grammar topic will be parts of speech, beginning with nouns.
Religion: In Religion, we will be learning and discussing the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes. Our "Saint" for this month will be Kateri Tekawitha, which will tie in with our study of New York's Native Americans. Each month, I try to introduce the students to a new prayer that goes along with the monthly theme. Last month, our prayer was one written by St. Francis. This month, we will be praying an Iroquois prayer of Thanksgiving, which is very similar to the prayer St. Francis wrote.
Math: This month, the students will be taking a "benchmark" test, to access how well they've mastered the early skills taught at the beginning of the year.
Moving forward, the Math curriculum for the time period of November through January will focus on advancing the concepts in the following areas: Number sense and order - Place value to 10,000 Algebra - Solving expressions, using variables and recognizing patterns Geometry - Reviewing polygons and perimeter Measurement - Measuring length, time and working with money Statistics - Using pictograms and bar graphs
Social Studies: Our study of New York State continues with a focus on New York's first people. We will then continue studying the growth of our state, introducing the Native Americans in New York (particularly the Algonquin and Haudonasaunee (Iroquois).
Science : We are now in the middle of our unit on Sun/Moon/Earth. As we move into the month, the students will be tracking the phases of the moon.
REMINDERS: (Things of importance for you and your child)
Snack:
Please continue to remind your child to pack a healthy snack!
Birthdays:
I have yet to meet a class (or teacher) that doesn't enjoy celebrating a birthday! Please feel free to send in a treat on your child's birthday. It is especially helpful if the treat is precut or divided for easy sharing, and including even simple napkins is greatly appreciated!
Native American Day Our plans for Native American Day are moving along. Thank you to Laurie Tylenda, who has taken on the task of coordinating volunteers.
The dates for this year's NYS tests are as follows:
English Language Arts - January 12 - January 16, 2009
Mathematics - March 2 - March 6, 2009
Science - Practical test - April 30, 2009 Written test - TBA (Please keep these dates in mind if you should be planning to go away at these times.)
Take time to enjoy the meaning of the holidays and we move into winter!
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