Mrs. Beal's Weekly Newsletter 1-7-13

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed the long winter break. I am excited to get back to school and am looking forward to a terrific new year.

 

In language arts this week we are starting a new theme: Animal Habitats. Students will be reading a nonfiction story, Nights of the Pufflings, and learning about this interesting bird and its habitat. Students will be focusing on facts and opinion and identifying topic, main idea, and details of paragraphs. Students will be practicing this skill with a focus on non-fiction text.

 

We will also be writing a new year’s academic resolution. They will be reflecting on 2012, choosing an academic area they would like to improve upon and change, and create an action plan to help them succeed. Students will also be starting a personal narrative about an event that happened over winter break following the Write From the Beginning model. This is a straight personal narrative without elements of fantasy or imaginary writing, different from their Thanksgiving writing.

 

In Math we are starting chapter 9 and will be focusing on lines, angles, and different polygons (two dimensional figures, shapes). Students will be learning about the different types of triangles and quadrilaterals. You can support these teachings by having your child identify and point out different polygons and angles they see in everyday life. Please continue to review multiplication and division facts. These are important facts to master by the end of the year.