The Jungle Book
Mrs. Knueven's Classroom Newsletter
Upcoming Events
1/18 Vocabulary Quiz
1/18 WTW Quiz
1/21 MLK Jr. Day, No School
1/25 PTO Spirit Day - Crazy Socks
1/25 Scholastic Order
2/14 Valentine's Day
2/18 Presidents' Day - No School
2/19 Staff Development - No School
Curriculum Corner
Spelling: There will be a spelling quiz this Friday. No spelling next week due to the 4 day week.
Vocabulary: This week, we will be studying the roots and prefixes port, co-, com-, and con-. Vocabulary packet will be due Thursday and the quiz will be Friday. No vocabulary next week due to the 4 day week.
Reading:
We will be continuing work with nonfiction reading strategies this week. Topics will include making connections to text, previewing nonfiction text, and common text structures. Students will be spending time reading nonfiction in small groups so they can practice these skills with each other.
Science:
Our next science unit will cover energy and electricity. We are still waiting for our next kit to arrive, so we will be taking a break from science for the next week or two.
Math:
We have started unit 4. Unit 4 focuses heavily on multiplication strategies, including the rectangle method, partial products, and lattice. These are most likely not methods that you have seen before. There are tutorial videos on the Everyday Math website if you are interested in watching them. On the assessment, I will never tell the students that they need to use a specific method. The goal is for them to find a strategy that makes sense and be able to apply it. Many students are still not confident in their multiplication facts. I have encouraged all students to practice them at home, because fact fluency will make this unit much easier! The unit test will be sometime around January 31.
Indiana History:
We will be studying unit 1 in Indiana History for the next couple of weeks. This unit covers Indiana's geography, natural resources, and climate. We will be doing an in-class project to demonstrate knowledge of this unit instead of a test.
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 dealing with put-downs.
Valentine's Day
Instead of a traditional class party, we will be exchanging valentines and having our PTO-provided snack in the morning and will be having a Minute to Win It house competition in the afternoon. Stay tuned for a Sign Up Genius to help provide necessary materials.
Recess Attire
- We will always go outside if it is safe to do so. Dangerously cold temperatures, excessive ice, or precipitation will typically keep us in. We do not make the call until right before recess time, so please assume that we will go outside when you prepare your child for school.
- If your child is healthy enough to attend school, he/she is expected to go outside for recess unless he/she has a note from a doctor.
- If the temperature is below freezing, students are expected to have and wear a coat. Not only will they need it for recess, but I have been involved in more than one evacuation during winter months where kids without coats wished they had them.
- If your child would like to play in the snow, he/she must be prepared with full snow gear. This includes a winter coat, snow pants, snow boots (not fashion boots like Uggs), gloves or mittens, and a hat. There is nothing worse than spending the rest of the school day in cold, wet clothes, so we do not make exceptions to this rule.