News for the Month of November
Mongenas/Seeger Class Newsletter
Content Corner
In Word Study, we have reviewed plural rules, nouns, possessive nouns, and adjectives.
In Reading Workshop, we have worked on many skills over the past couple of weeks, but most recently we have focused on story elements and making connections. Schema has been a big focus in Reading Workshop, where the students learned that we are constantly using our prior knowledge to help build comprehension in what we are reading. We also are working on the strategy of visualizing and creating pictures in our mind while reading. For the past couple of weeks we have focused on context clues and using the clues around a word to help us figure out a word's meaning. Next, we will begin to identifying main idea and the details.
In Writing Workshop, we continue to work on writing a paragraph with a topic sentence, details, and a concluding sentence. The students have been busy finishing their small moments personal narrative writing pieces. This piece of writing focuses on one particular event and zooming in on it in detail. For example, one could write about the first time he or she rode the Vortex. You might have gone to Kings Island for the day and done a lot of fun and cool things, but with a small moments story, the writer zooms in on the specifics of one small moment in detail...like riding the Vortex. The students will also work on editing their own paragraphs, too. We also have practiced opinion writing, where the student states both sides of an opinion, then states his/her own opinion, followed with 3 pieces of evidence to support their opinion, and lastly ending with a concluding sentence. Our opinion writing is good practice for our upcoming AIR assessment
In Math we are focused on the domain: Operations and Algebraic Thinking. Students should begin practicing their multiplication facts. We have used equal groups, skip counting, models, and arrays to help relate addition and multiplication. The facts were slowly introduced relating 2 & 4, 5 & 10, and 3 & 6. In class, students are identifying patterns, strategies, and using multiplication properties to help memorize their multiplication facts 0-10.
In Science we began our first unit on Earth's Resources. During this unit, the students are learning that Earth’s nonliving resources have specific properties and that we can use these properties to sort and compare rocks and soil. We will be discussing how Earth’s resources can be used for energy. Students will investigate both renewable and nonrenewable forms of energy. We discuss how some of Earth’s resources are limited and study the meanings of contamination and conservation. We then switch to our study of Matter and Forms of Energy. We will see how matter exists in different states, each of which has different properties.
Important Dates & Reminders
· Mon. Nov. 7 & Tue. Nov. 8th–Hearing and Vision Screening
· Wed & Thurs. Nov. 9th-10th–ELA AIR Testing
·Thurs. Nov. 10th-3rd Grade Recognition Assembly for 1st Quarter
· Fri. Nov. 11th-Veterans' Day Assembly at 2:30
· Tue. Nov. 22nd-Caring and Sharing Assembly
· Wed. Nov. 23rd-Fri. Nov. 25th– Thanksgiving Holiday– No school
Weekly Reading Log
It is the responsibility of each student to read 80 minutes each week and document that on the reading log. Many students are turning in reading logs that are not filled out properly. Some are missing the parent signature, some are missing the genre, etc. Some students are even filling out their reading log the day it is due. This is an important part of nightly homework. Please help by checking your child’s . On Friday if it is not completed I will give it back to the student to complete and return by Monday. On Monday it will be considered late and ten percent will be deducted. That is the school wide policy. Thanks for your help.
Technology
Thank You
Seed Sightings
These students have been seen spreading the seeds of LIFESKILLS.
Drew, Max G., Courage, Jaxon, & Dany have demonstrated the lifeskill of effort when practicing their orally reading fluency.
Alexander, Ayla, Akriti, Isabella, Elena, & Lucas are always cheerful and smiling! How great to be greeted in this way!
Mia, William, Vivian, Caroline, Eli, & Max H., always do a great job with their giving their personal best.
Amy C. Mongenas
3rd Grade
ELA Teacher
Indian Hill Elementary School
Email: amy.mongenas@ih.k12.oh.us
Website: http://indianhillschools.org/es/
Location: 6100 Drake Road, Cincinnati, OH
Phone: 513-272-4724
Steve Seeger
Math, Science, and Social Studies Teacher
Indian Hill Elementary School
Email: steve.seeger@ih.k12.oh.us
Website: indianhillschools.org/es/
Location: 6100 Drake Rd, Cincinnati, OH, United States
Phone: 513-272-4718