September 2022 Classroom News
Norman Binkley's Monthly Grade Level Update
Pre-K News
PreK is off to a great start this year! We have been learning all the essentials for how to be effective students in school who are safe, responsible and kind. The children have done a great job being safe and responsible with hand washing. We are learning to be safe and kind as we walk quietly in a line in the hall. The children are becoming responsible to write their names on the daily sign in sheet and to keep paint neatly on the painting paper. In fact, our PreK rooms are now busting with color as the children have created some beautiful works of art.
It is such a pleasure to have these marvelous children in PreK this year who are so responsible, safe and kind! We have two more weeks of learning the school essentials and we will dive into a tree study mid-September!
Your Partners in PreK Education,
Dr. Eck and Mrs. Aluoch
Kindergarten News
Hello amazing kindergarten families! It has been an awesome August as we have adjusted to kindergarten and begun laying the foundation for the rest of the school year. The first few weeks were spent learning expectations and procedures and then we started working on counting skills, prewriting skills, and understanding our five senses. Below you will see all of the exciting things that we will be learning and doing in September-
ELA
· using evidence from a text to support our answers
· identify the essential meaning of a text
· adding details to our illustrations and labeling with letters
· practicing foundational skills of reading and writing
Math
· answering “how many?” when given a group of objects
· matching a number with a group of objects
· writing numbers up to 10
Social Studies
· using position words (left, right, top, bottom)
· knowing our birthdays
· identifying our family traditions
Science
· discussing our five senses
· understanding states of matter
Talk with your students about these things at home and hopefully they will share all that they have learned. Maybe they will show you their counting, how they can use position words, or how they use their five senses to understand the world around them!
It has truly been a joy to get to know your students in the time we have had together. We have loved getting to know each and every one of them and we appreciate your support in their education. Please let us know if there are any ever questions or concerns. Thank you again for letting us be a part of your child’s education!
Love,
The Kindergarten Team
1st Grade News
Hello sweet 1st grade families!
Our year has gotten off to a wonderful start, and we are so proud of how hard these kids are working. THANK YOU for your involvement in your child’s education. This is a partnership, and we truly could not do this without your continued support. As always, if there is anything we can do to support you and your child, please let us know.
Just a quick synopsis of all the things we will be working on this year:
In ELA we are learning about the wonderful world of books AND how those books can change lives around the world. We are reading stories about how people get books around the world, and how those books change the characters lives. We are really focusing on the elements of a story and retelling. So, as you read with your child, ask them questions about the Characters, Setting, Problem, and Resolution of the story and maybe even have them retell the story to you! This will help grow their reading comprehension!
In math, we are working on adding and subtracting fluently as well as collecting, organizing, and reading data. Math is so fun because it so easily connects to our everyday life. As much as you are able, have your child count things with you. (Ingredients as you are cooking, toys as they put them away, etc…) This will help your child develop number sense as they see math translating to their real life!
If you have any further questions about our learning, please reach out! We are so excited to learn and grow together this year!
Warmly,
The 1st grade team
2nd Grade News
Hello 2nd Grade Families!
Our second graders have been doing such a great job during the month of August and we are so proud of their hard work!
ELA: We are learning about the change that happens in the world. We look at factors that affect change in our lives. Students will get a sense of the world around them as they observe change through the cycle of the four seasons – winter, springs, summer, and fall. Students will investigate the cause of those changes. This month, we will be reading “A Little Yellow Leaf” and “A Color of His Own” and discover changes we see in nature.
Math: We will start September off by finishing our Data and Graphs unit and looking into Tape diagrams. Students will learn how to use tape diagrams to solve “How many more/less” problems and finding unknown numbers in equations.
Science: We are learning about soils and discovering that soil contains both inorganic and organic material.
Social Studies: We are learning about the different types of maps are the various landforms such as lakes, valleys, mountains, waterfalls, volcanos, and rivers.
It has been such a joy getting to know your children and having them in our classes. Thank you for all you do in helping your child be the best they can be!
3rd Grade News
Hello third grade families! We had a wonderful month of August back to school and have kicked this year off to a wonderful start! We have a wonderful group of third graders this year and can’t wait to see all the things that they will learn and accomplish this year! We are excited for all the things that the month of September has in store for us!
ELA- In ELA (English Language Arts), we have started module 1 of our ELA curriculum called Wit and Wisdom. We have been learning all about how artists explore the sea, and later this month will learn about how scientists explore the sea. We will be reading many interesting books and poems related to the sea, as well as looking at various art that artists have made to represent the sea.
Social Studies- We will be starting our Social Studies Weekly curriculum that covers geography, economics, and early history. Specifically, we are learning about primary and secondary sources, the different world time zones, and the north and south poles.
Math- In 3rd Grade Math, we’re moving from learning all about bar graphs and picture graphs into learning about multiplication. We’ll be representing and solving multiplication problems that involve equal groups. Understanding multiplication uses equal groups. We’ll be creating models, diagrams, arrays to show how we solved multiplication problems.
Science- In Science, we’ve been learning about what a scientist is and keeping a Science notebook. We’ll be discussing the scientific method and doing research to investigate different observations or questions that we have. We’ll begin learning all about the physical properties of matter & the 3 states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas.)
It is such a joy to have your third graders with us, they make us laugh and are a great group of kids to get to work with. Have a great September!
Love, The Third Grade Team
4th Grade News
We've had a great first month of school! We've been working hard and learning amazing things in 4th grade.
ELA: We focused on the meaning of a great literal heart and took a wild ride through the body’s circulatory system through reading The Circulatory Story. The story helped us learn about figurative language, text features, and writing informational essays. Next, we'll focus on the meaning of a great figurative heart. We will read Love That Dog and other poems to help us learn more about literary devices, writing summaries, and informative essays.
Math: In math, we’ve been working hard to learn about fractions. This month, we’ll begin to focus on equivalent fractions and comparing fractions. At home, students can practice multiplication facts. Knowing math facts fluently will help students as we begin to focus on more complex skills.
Science: In science, we’ve been learning all about energy! Students have been conducting experiments to learn how energy is converted from potential energy to kinetic energy. Next, students will learn about how light is reflected and refracted.
Social Studies: We started the year off by learning about primary sources and features of a map. We then learned about The French and Indian War and the ways it set the stage for the American Revolution, which is what we will dive into next.
5th Grade News
Math
We have started our school year in math learning about volume. Students learn to call the amount of space an object takes up volume. Students have found the volume of right rectangular prisms and solid figures composed of two right rectangular prisms.
Try it at home! Find the volume of these figures (shown to the left) with your child.
Just a reminder, students are responsible for completing math homework Monday through Thursday.
Science
We have spent the first month of school learning about the Engineering and Design Process and how it has contributed to space technology. We have learned about the Hubble Telescope and the work that went into creating the new James Webb Telescope. Yay, space!
ELA
Students continue to learn about culture and how stories impact us in ELA. We have been studying the Nez Perce tribe and Westward Expansion from different perspectives
Social Studies
In social studies, we are learning about the U.S. Civil War, Reconstruction, and the impact on people groups and the economy.
Counselors
The school counseling team has begun teaching bi-weekly classroom lessons to all students! In September, students are learning about having the courage to cope with difficult feelings. They are also learning how to be “emotion detectives” and look for clues to figure out how people are feeling (body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice). In addition to classroom lessons, school counselors are available for individual counseling, small groups, and check-ins with all students who need a little extra support. We have started distributing weekly food bags for students in need who have returned the completed form. If you would like to add your student to the list, please contact Mrs. Rollins or Mrs. Jacobs. We are looking forward to an amazing school year!