 What's New in Mrs. Thomas' Room
During Reading Workshop, we are currently reading books by Chris Van Allsburg. He is one of my favorite authors because his stories really make you think. If you would like to check out more about him, www.chrisvanallsburg.com
In Writing Workshop, we have started our personal narrative unit. Students are asked to think of people that matter, places that matter, or objects that matter. We make lists for each of these and then decide which topic we want to write a small moment.
The best way you can encourage your child to write is:
Make it real. Your child needs to do real writing. Encourage the child to write to relatives and friends.
Suggest note-taking. Encourage your child to take notes on trips or outings and to describe what (s)he saw. This could include a description of nature walks, a baseball game, a car trip, or other events that lend themselves to note-taking.
Brainstorm. Talk with your child as much as possible about his/her impressions and encourage the child to describe people and events to you.
Encourage keeping a journal. This is excellent writing practice as well as a good outlet for venting feelings.
Write together. Have your child help you with letters,even such routine ones as ordering items from an advertisement or writing to a business firm. This helps the child to see firsthand that writing is important to adults and truly useful.
Use games. There are numerous games and puzzles that help a child to increase vocabulary and make the child more fluent in speaking and writing. Remember, building a vocabulary builds confidence. Try crossword puzzles, word games, anagrams and cryptograms designed especially forchildren.
Suggest making lists. Most children like to make lists just as they like to count. Making lists is good practiceand helps a child to become more organize. It's also good practice to make listsof things to do, schoolwork, dates for tests, social events, and otherreminders.
Encourage copying. If a child likes a particular song, suggest learning the words by writing them down--replaying the song on your stereo/tape player or jotting down the words whenever the song is played on a radio program. Also encourage copying favorite poems or quotations from books and plays.
Social Studies/Science: This past week we began our simple machines with a science experiment in Mr. Emmons' lab. We will focus on 6 simple machine categories: lever, pulley, wheels and axels, inclined plane, wedge, and screw. Use the website below to find simple machines in various parts of a house. The two underneath it relate to our astronomy unit.
Math: We are currently finishing up our first unit and will be taking our first unit assessment. Please see the packet I handed out a back to school night for more information of additional activities you can do with your child throughout each unit.
Great websites to check out are:
www.funbrain.com/numbers.html. This site includes 17 original games based on soccer, car racing and much more Other games include Math Baseball, where a child can score runs with correct answers and Operation Order, where students can build pyramids with their knowledge of algebra.
www.AAAmath.com. Customized by grade level and topic, AAA Math features explanations of various mathematical topics, practice problems and fun,
challenging games.
www.coolmath.com. This fully interactive site and allows the user to sharpen basic math skills, play games and explore new math concepts.
www.figurethis.org. Created by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, this site helps families enjoy mathematics outside school through a
with a series of fun challenges.
For your convience, I have added a Scholastic Book Club link for easy ordering. Happy Reading!
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