Mrs. Economou's Weekly Newsletter
Skills & Strategies for August 24th – Sept. 4th
Reading
Character Traits
Read different stories and identify the different character
traits of the main character in the stories. Create a list of
character traits to use when doing character
analysis. Compare & Contrast different characters'
traits. (We are reading Winn Dixie in our reader, which
the children may take home and reread. I am reading Bad
Beginnings to the class, also. The characters in this book
are perfect for character analysis.)
Summarizing - practice brainstorming key words from
the story, and then using them in a concise summary.
Math
Place Value & Number Forms (standard, expanded,
picture with base ten blocks and word form) to millions.
Comparing and Ordering Numbers as high as hundred
thousands and as small as hundredths.
Rounding Numbers from hundred thousands to
hundredths.
The children have a math notebook to keep track of
vocabulary and math topics for studying purposes.
Science
Nutrition
We have begun discussing nutrition. The children have a
science notebook.
Social Studies
We will discuss the landforms of NC. Learn about
latitude & longitude.
Spelling
Our spelling quiz is Friday, Sept. 4th. Everyone has the
same list this first week of school, but based on a spelling
pretest the students will take, we will have several
spelling groups depending on their ability to use phonics.
Some students need to learn prefixes and suffixes, others
need to learn spelling rules, such as when to change a "y"
to an "i". Some students will learn Latin and Greek root
words. Here are the words for our quiz next Friday:
admire
magnet
contest
method finger
custom
rally
soccer
engine
gutter
sudden
accident
mitten
intend
fabric
flatten
reseal
mammal happen cannon
Challenge Words: (Bonus words for extra credit!)
dungeon, magnify, festival, injury & thunderstorm
Volunteers:
Two moms and one grandmother
have offered to work with the
students once a week. I am
very grateful and will forward
dates and times as soon as the
school approves all volunteers
and mentors. If anyone is
interested in volunteering,
please let me know. Several
moms have offered to help at
the three parties this year. I
will give out dates and times
for those soon.
Project reminder:
Our first project, due Sept.
10th, involves a bit of research,
reading, thinking, writing and
presenting. The students
brought home a flyer explaining
how to write a "bio poem" about
someone they admire. I am
flexible on how they write their
poem. The template is designed
for students who need a
template to follow.
Journal reminder:
Students are required to
reflect on their 30 minutes of
reading each night, and write a
journal entry. I will continue to
model possible entries during
class.
Thank you for your support.