This Week in Room 21.....

Hello Everyone! I hope you have been enjoying the warmer weather. This kids have been thrilled to be outside for recess and lunch this week : ) We had a lovely surprise this week when we came in on Monday-- there were presents under our Christmas tree! We're not sure how they got there, but we think the elves had something to do with it : ) We have been opening one each day and reading it during carpet time.  Ask your child which books we have read so far!

                                 

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This week we have been reviewing and learning some new letter sounds. We reviewed the /ch/, /sh/ and /th/ digraphs. We also learned that sometimes a word will have a double consonant at the end as in: mitt, buzz, puff, mess and bell. The students practiced building words using letter cards with double consonants at the end. This also helped students to review many of the short vowel sounds which can be tricky to differentiate. 

In writing, we continued to talk about different techniques that writers use to make their sentences more interesting. When we add details to our writing this is called elaboration. We read the story 'Owl Moon', by Jane Yolen and examined one sentence to determine what made it interesting. We learned that the author used strong verbs to add interest to her sentence. We discussed what a verb (an action word) and brainstormed verbs we could use in our own sentences. We also worked on adding adjectives to some sentences to make them more exciting. 

In math, we continued learning to count to 100 by 1s, 5s and 10s. We also worked on representing larger numbers (above 20) using base ten blocks. The students have enjoyed playing a variety of games using our 100 Chart carpet. The students played "Switch" and "Mystery Number" and also "100 Race". Ask your child how to play these games.

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We have also been talking about graphing. What is a graph? What are the parts of a graph? How do we read graphs?

In Science, we reviewed warm and cool colours. Then we worked on a landscape drawing that uses warm and cool colours to create two versions of the same landscape-- one using cool colours and one using warm colours. Ask your child what warm and cool colours are.

In gym, we began our volleyball unit. We began by using balloons to develop students familiarity keeping the ball in the air. The students practiced keeping the balloon up using various body parts and then passing the balloon to a partner.

Important Information & Reminders:

• Continue with Home Reading. If you are finding the books to easy or to hard please let me know so that we can adjust the level. 

• Please have your child return their Spelling Booklet each Monday.

• Students are strongly encouraged to have a water bottle at school in order to eliminate the need for frequent trips to the fountain throughout the day. The BEST bottles have a FLIP TOP not a screw top. Please send one if you have not done so. Thank you!

• Please ensure your child has proper clothing for the weather. While we may not be going out for recess and lunch on really cold days there is always the possibility of an unexpected fire alarm, late busses or other events in which warm clothing is necessary. 

• Building Project - Next week we will begin a Christmas building challenge! Please send in BOTTLE CAPS from milk cartons and other containers. We could also use some cardboard, paper towel rolls and plastic containers/lids.

• TRADITIONS ASSIGNMENT- this week your child brought home a yellow paper with instructions on sharing a Family Tradition with the class. We will begin sharing this Tuesday. Your child has been assigned a day to share. Please have your child practice presenting their tradition several times before they present next week.

Upcoming Events & Dates to Remember:

Dec. 5-8 - Book Fair

Dec. 5 - Deadline for Gingerbread House Decorating Night

Dec. 10 - Deadline to donate to Christmas Hampers

Dec. 15 - Deadline to order for Dec 15 Healthy Hunger Lunch (Mucho Burrito)

Dec. 15 - Gingerbread House Decorating Night

Dec. 22 - Last Day of Classes

Dec. 23 - Jan 8 - Winter Break

Jan. 9 - Classes Resume

Feb. 3 - No School

Feb. 16-17 - Teachers Convention/No School

Feb. 20 - Family Day/No School