9/14-9/18: Safety Week (practicing different safety drills this week)
9/25: No School
9/30: Picture Day Can order online on our website, I can get a paper form too if you would like, just let me know!
Take-A-Break Area and Classroom Rules:
We have introduced our class to the “Take-A-Break” Area. This is an area in the classroom that will allow for students to refocus and return to participation in class activities. The “Take-A-Break” Area gives students a chance to calm down and regain self-control, not to punish. Students may be asked to go to the “Take-A-Break” Area or they may choose to go there on their own. Every one of us has a difficult time from time-to-time. We might be sad, upset, tired, or confused. When we, as adults, feel this way we often have coping skills to help us. We may: go for a run, read, listen to music, or sit in our room. The many emotions we feel on a day-to-day basis are real. We don’t want to ignore these many feelings for kids, we want to help them control them and develop skills to handle them. The “Take-A-Break” Area is to be seen as a tool. After a child visits the area, a teacher may process with him/her about his/her feelings and a possible plan for how to cope with something similar in the future. These conversations will be student led as we want students to independently develop coping skills that feel right for them. At home you could also make a “Take-A-Break” Area. In this area you might have calming tools or pictures, just like we will have here at school.
Reading:
In reading we continue our work in fiction. We are learning about the characters, both the main character and the characters around them. When we get to know the characters we understand the books we read better. We will also do some work around reading fluency. Reading fluency is how our voices sound. We will use what we know about the characters to make our voice match the character.
We are working through choosing a “just-right” book in our classroom. Many students are eager to jump into chapter books...but aren’t ready YET. Readers need to read lots and lots of just-right books to grow as a reader. When a reader struggles with many words on a page, their comprehension breaks down. When comprehension breaks down, students lose the love of reading. I am sharing all this with you to know that your child might bring a book home that is too challenging for them, or even too easy. If you see them struggling, please support them. You can do this by reading it to them and stopping to talk about the book (building in the comprehension). If it’s too easy, let them read it and feel confident about the reader they have become!
Writing:
In writing we started our realistic fiction unit last week. Students created character(s) and started to write...taking their characters on adventures. On an adventure a character might have trouble and get out of trouble (solution). You can support this writing at home by suggesting ideas. Most of our ideas come from things that happen in our real life. With a twist of “fake” added to them.
Additionally, I am sending home a fun writing bag. In this bag are different writing supplies. Find an area to keep these. We want to encourage the love of writing and it’s real purpose at home this year!
Researchers Workshop:
You will hear the students and staff refer to Science/Social Studies as Researchers Workshop. NDLC’s goal around this area is to create critical thinkers who learn how to dig into their own learning.
Each unit created will start with the teacher sharing lots and lots of information around the topic. The weeks following are developed to have the students guide their own learning by researching what they want to know more about, from the teacher topic shared the first week. In this time students will learn conversation skills, learn how to transfer the work they have learned as readers and writers, and how they can share this information with an audience.
I am so excited for the first “mini-unit.” The students are picking their own topic of interest and we are going to dig into finding information. Ask your students what they are going to research.
Math:
I will be sending our first math practice home this week. It will be a fun game to play for fact fluency!
A few photos from last week:
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