The Jungle Book
Mrs. Knueven's Classroom Newsletter
Upcoming Events
10/24 International Fair
10/26 Spirit Day - Dress Like Favorite Book Character
10/31 Book Fair
11/1 Book Fair
11/2 Book Fair
11/2 Donuts with Dad
11/2 Vocabulary Quiz
11/2 Spelling Quiz
11/6 Picture Retake Day
11/8 Unit 2 Math Test (tentative)
11/8 Map Skills Quiz (tentative)
Curriculum Corner
This week, we will are continuing to develop the characters of our story and the struggles and motivations they will face in our stories. We will also create a story arc so that we are ready to begin drafting next week. You will also see some new activities beginning in language arts:
Spelling: Students have been given their first spelling list. I will be running 3 different groups. Students have been placed into a group that is at their developmental spelling level based on an assessment that they took at the beginning of the year. Spelling is typically done over 1 week (list given on Monday, quiz on Friday), but we will take 2 weeks to go over this first list so students become familiar with in class activities. The Friday quiz will cover the 10 words that they have been given, plus 4 "mystery" words that follow the spelling pattern and show that they can apply what they have learned to other words.
Vocabulary: Like spelling, this will typically be done over one week, but we will take two weeks for this first unit to go over activities and expectations together. Vocabulary study will focus on prefixes, suffixes, and root words. The first unit will focus on graph (write) & ir- and non- (not).
Word Work: I am working with a new curriculum this year called MegaWords. This curriculum teaches common rules for breaking words down into syllables and has decoding, spelling, and vocabulary components. There will not be tests over these skills, but students will work in class to apply the skills to improve reading fluency and spelling skills.
Reading:
We will be finishing up our realistic fiction unit by reading The Hundred Dresses. Each student will be applying their reading strategies that we practiced during Fish In a Tree and will be reading, responding to comprehension questions, and discussing the book both independently and within a reading group. There are many parallels between the two books, so we will be spending time discussing the similarities and differences.
Indiana History:
We will begin our map skills unit this week. We will be focusing on identifying parts of a map including: continents, oceans, map key, compass rose, lines of latitude & longitude, hemispheres, and identifying Indiana and surrounding states & bodies of water (Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio River, & Lake Michigan) on a map
Science:
As many of you probably know, we have an agreement with Purdue University for our science kits. We receive a kit, use it, then send it back. We are currently in a "between kits" week, so we are focusing on our brains, growth mindset, and how they learn this week.
Math:
We will continue working on Unit 2 in math. This week, we will be focusing on problem solving, converting units of time (seconds, minutes, and hours), and multiplicative comparisons. Keep working on those multiplication facts!
STEPS to SIEW:
This year, student will be participating in a new curriculum called Second Step. At Stonegate, we will be referring to it as "Steps to Strong In Every Way." Every Friday, students will be participating in a lesson focused on social-emotional learning. This week, we will be focusing on showing compassion.