This week we have the Primary Track and Field Day on Wednesday and our class trip to the zoo on Thursday. Please make sure your child brings a hat, sunscreen, water bottle and proper footwear.
Language:
We have been focusing on answering written comprehension questions using complete sentences with details from the story. The students continue to need reminders to proof read their work for proper spelling and punctuation.
Last month the children thoroughly enjoyed the read aloud, Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing written by Judy Blume and due to popular demand we are now reading the next book in this series called Super Fudge. Many of the students have even gone to the library and borrowed their own book to follow along as I read.
Math:
Last week we completed our unit on Fractions. This week we will be starting our unit on Money. We will be adding and subtracting money amounts to $1.00, using a variety of tools (e.g., concrete materials, drawings) and strategies (e.g., counting on, estimating )
Social Studies:
The students have been working very hard on their country research projects. They should all be completed by the end of the week. Each group will be presenting their projects to the class over the next couple of weeks. Thank you for helping your child print pictures that will help to enhance the visual part of their project. The students have been so enthusiastic about their research projects. They have thoroughly enjoyed searching for the answers to many questions they had before beginning their research..
Science:
This month we will begin learning about Growth and Changes in Animals. This week we will begin our unit of study with a field trip to the Toronto zoo. We are also hoping receive butterfly larva in May. Each child will have their own to observe and record the changes over time. We will free the butterflies in June. The children will be thrilled to watch their butterflies being released into the natural environment.
Drama:
In Drama the children did a wonderful job performing their second Readers Theatre Play to one of the Kindergarten classes. Last week we broke up into three new groups and we are now working on our third and final Readers Theatre Plays. The children are thrilled to be doing another play. Everyone's confidence while performing has greatly improved and they are now using loud, clear voices with lots of expression. Some students are even trying to memorize their parts for their performance. They have also enjoyed bringing in and creating simple props for their plays.
Spelling:
We are now working on reviewing and consolidating the commonly used sight words. Very often the children know them for the weekly spelling test but some words are often spelled incorrectly in their daily writing. I strongly encourage the students to refer to the Word Wall, Word Wiz (Dictionary), and Word Cards. All student are responsible for spelling the words in/on these resources correctly.
Cursive Writing:
This month we are learning cursive writing. The students are very excited about learning all of the letters and eventually learning how to write their first and last name. Some students who have difficulty with printing are finding cursive writing easier and the neatness of their work is beginning to improve.
