January News

Personal

Wow, it has been sometime since I got to my blog.  My apologies.  I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  I was very busy with family which was exactly the way I wanted it.  It was fun to come back and see all the students and get into a routine again.  As many of you know, I slipped on the ice walking into the school on our second day back, fell, and hit my knee on the curb.  I didn't break anything, except my pride, by the swelling and bruising was, at the least, spectacular!  I was put in a brace to keep my let immobile and on crutches.  Now I am in an ace wrap from my toes up to keep compression on the site and still relying somewhat on crutches.  I can only be on it 2 hours a day.  It is improving, but will take some time.  

Math

We have just finished up our unit on decimals, for now, and are working with division.  Students who are still struggling with times facts really need to work on them.  It is making the work we are doing much more difficult.

Language Arts

We have been reading short stories and articles about the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies, about Paul Revere, and about the causes of the American Revolution.  The students are learning a lot and seem to really enjoy it.  We are starting next week on reading strategies.  Each day the students will work on how to apply these strategies to their reading.  We will them learn to use the strategies while reading novels.  I am introducing a survival unit and each student will read two exciting novels in class.

We are writing New Year's Resolutions, poetry, and their own "I Have a Dream".

Social Studies

We continued our reading topics into social studies and are studying about the original 13 colonies, their way of life, who founded them, why they were founded, and their struggle for freedom. We are now going to move into our studies of the Constitution.

Science

We are learning about inherited traits.  I'm sure your student has come come with some fun traits to check to see if you have them too.  We are also tracing heredity with plants, animals, birds, etc.  It is a fun unit for them to learn why things are the way they are.

Volunteers

I want to thank all of the parents who volunteer in our class on a daily basis.  It helps me so very much as well as assisting the students with their reading abilities.  Thanks also for all of you who volunteered to go to JA Biztown with us in February.  It takes a lot of work and preparation but it very rewarding!

Misc.

School will be out on Monday January 19th for Martin Luther King Day, and Tuesday January 20th for Teacher Preparation Day.  But, we will work extra hard on the days we are here:-)