Your children were such experts on their insects! I was so impressed by the project
presentations, and ability of each student to field questions. We easily discussed each insect for 10
minutes. When the presentations were
completed, we looked at my insect collections for a final time and were amazed
by how many insects we could identify.
It was a magnificent ending to our studies of insects. I also really enjoyed discussing your child’s
strengths and challenges during conferences. We will now get back into our normal school
routine. Here is an in-depth look at our
week:
Language Arts: We will begin to read Little House in the Big
Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder this week. We will first focus on the setting (where and
when the story takes place). The students will begin working in their lap
books, which will allow them to soak in even more of the story elements,
details and background information. Reading groups will also start back up on
Tuesday, January 14th. I encourage you
to ask your child about the book each day when he or she comes home from
school. You can ask specifically about
the setting and characters this week.
Grammar/ Riggs: We will start our grammar studies back up
with a look at the subject and predicate of a sentence. The simple subject is the subject noun by
itself, while the simple predicate is the verb.
We will also discuss the complete subject (the subject noun and all the
words that modify it) and the complete predicate (the verb and all the words
that modify it). New Riggs words will
also be introduced this week. We will
not test words introduced before the break.
History: Last week we learned about the end of the
Revolutionary War and the farmers who had been paid with paper money while at
war but were not able to use that money when they returned home. This was the cause of Shay’s Rebellion, which
we will be summarizing on Monday. This
week, the kids will also be split up into colonies to form their own laws,
which will cause our class “union” to become unstable due to differing rules.
This will help the students understand the necessity of and the process
involved in making the Constitution. We
will discuss the word “compromise” and how the colonies had to compromise when
they came together for the Constitutional Convention. On Friday, the students will be participating
in a reader’s theater.
Science: This quarter in science we will study cells, the
digestive system and healthy eating. We
will begin the week by reviewing the scientific method and putting the steps
into the correct order. From there we
will learn how all living things are made of cells and how scientists study
cells. At the end of the week we will
learn a bit about Anton Van Leeuwenhoek, commonly known as the “Father of
Microbiology,” and how he was able to see cells using a microscope.
Important Notes:
-Mark your calendar!
We do not have school on Monday, January 20.
-We will have a half day on Friday, January 31.\
I hope you enjoy your week!
Ms. Norris
