Week of January 27

Second semester so much fun!  Students are really developing great questions and comments as we learn new topics.  I enjoy thinking about how far each child has come since the beginning of the year.  Here is a look at our upcoming week:

Literature: We are moving into chapter 4 of Little House in the Big Woods.  We will read about the holiday traditions of the Ingalls family and compare them to our own winter holiday traditions.  We will also be reading and coming up with the main idea of certain passages and chapters. 

Grammar: Our focus in grammar will now turn to the writing process and writing quality sentences to make quality paragraphs.  This week, we will focus on main ideas.  Students will practice coming up with words or phrases to summarize a list of words or a passage, and they will also practice finding words or sentences that do not fit with others.  We will also be introducing new Riggs words this week.

History: We will now be moving into our unit of the War of 1812.  We will begin by learning about the three main causes of the war (impressment of American sailors, conflict with Native Americans, and War Hawks convincing others to fight). Students will also learn about James and Dolley Madison and the contributions that each of them made to the country during the War of 1812.

Science: Last week students began a flip book that outlines different types of cells and how they group together to form tissues.  This week, we will be finishing that flip book.  Students will learn how tissues group together to form organs, and organs work with other body parts to form bodily systems.  On Thursday we will be reviewing and playing a game that shows how cells, tissues, organs, and systems are all connected.

Important Notes:

-This Friday, January 31^st, will be a half day with release times at 12:15 and 12:30.  This means that there will be no lunch on Friday, so send in a larger snack with your child.

-Great Hearts Day (February 14^th) is coming up in a few weeks. Please remember that students are not allowed to bring store-bought Valentine cards or candy.