What We're Learning: Our Curricular Focus for April 3 through June 16
Language Arts:
- Word Study = phonics+spelling+vocabulary tailored to each students identified developmental spelling stage.
- Additional Word Work = weekly Dolch (high-frequency) word activities, weekly homophone pairs, seasonal words, and "tired word" exchanges.
- Reading = daily sustained silent reading of self-selected "just right" books, read to someone, listen to reading (iPad + Storyline Online or BookFlix) , whole class read alouds and "thinking about reading/ questioning" comprehension work using a mix of chapter books and picture books).
- Writing = April is poetry month, and our Writing Workshop focus is poetry using Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems by Kristin O'Connell George and Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, and assorted poetry collections as mentor texts. We will also write letters to the students at Circle of Peace School in Uganda . Our grammar focus while writing will be on compound words, synonyms, and antonyms.
- First Book Selections = In the month of April, each student will receive a copy of Getting' Through Thursday by Melrose Cooper to add to his/her personal home library as well as a copy of Emmanuel's Dream: The True Story of Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson. In May, as part of our study of the United States, each child will receive a copy of The Scrambled States of America Talent Show by Laurie Keller.
- Unit 7 = Whole Number Operations and Measurement and Data: Combinations of 10 extended to larger numbers (What must I add to 47 to get 50?); Strategies for solving addition problems with more than two addends; Using a ruler, yard stick, and meter stick to measure items in inches, centimeters, yards, and meters; Collecting data, organizing it using a line plot or graph, and interpreting the data.
- Unit 8 = Geometry and Arrays: Attributes of 2-Dimensional Shapes; Comparing Triangles, Pentagons, and Hexagons; Attributes of 3-Dimensional Shapes; Partitioning Rectangles; Equal-Groups and Array Number Stories; Exploring Mystery Shapes, Polygons, and Equal Parts.
Science:
- Matter: Solids/Liquids/Gases = investigate and understand basic properties of solids, liquids, and gases including…identification of distinguishing characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases; changes in phases of matter with the addition or removal of energy.
- Gardening = plant a variety of seedlings in our playground container garden and in our Grow Lab; observe the plants; harvest some of the herbs and taste the herbs as they are used to enhance a variety of dishes.
Social Studies:
- The United States:Then & Now = explorers; colonies; one country that grew from 13 colonies to 50 states.
- The United States: Explore our regions = focus on the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West regions including their resources, agriculture, and industry… and Individual state study and research project – students each choose a specific state to study and then share their expert knowledge with the class. The children will learn the song, Fifty Nifty United States to help them memorize the 50 states.