Mrs. Lacomis' Class Newsletter
A Look Back At October
Reading
-Plurals: add "s" to most words to make them plural
-Word Families: a word pattern/chunk that you know that can help you read and write words. You can add a letter or letter cluster before or after the chunk to make a word (i.e., if you know "an", you know can, spanish, plan)
-We've learned short "a" and short "i" word families including: at, an, ap, ad, ag, in, ip, ish, ick, ig.
-Read alouds included Caps for Sale, In 1492, Thundercake, and Stellaluna.
-Some reading mini lessons used along with these titles: Venn Diagram used for comparing and contrasting, sequencing story events, how characters change throughout a story, using the context of a sentence to figure out the meaning of unknown words.
Writing
-Conventions of writing
-Easy to Read Writing Checklist (see BEE Binder)
-Examine the difference between readable and unreadable writing
-Strategically spell words in their writing by: stretching out the sounds, using the word wall, and applying word study principles we've learned
-Rereading!! All good writers reread their writing to make sure it sounds right and makes sense
-Appropriate use of punctuation (. ! ?)
-Stretch a story across 3 pages: first sketch a beginning, middle, and end. Next add the words. We've done mini lessons on making sure all of the details from the illustrations are incorporated in the text.
-Rate your Writing Checklist: The children use this rubric during Writers Workshop to rate their own writing. They've been working very hard on 4 star writing! See the below picture.
Math
-Build and draw 2-D shapes
-Compose and decompose 2-D shapes
-Filling an outline with more and fewer shapes
-Sorting shapes by rules
-Making a shape poster and categorizing shapes by their attributes
-Comparing and describing shapes (I.e., shapes that have 3 vertices, shapes that have 4 sides)
-New math vocabulary: vertex (corner), vertices (corners), quadrilateral (shape with 4 sides)
-Refer to the following games in the hard cover math book at home: Guess My Rule, Three Towers, Tens Go Fish, Make 10, Five-in-a-Row, Make a Train, Ten Turns
Social Studies
-The children have worked together to brainstorm, design, and create a new playground for the park.
-A couple of weeks ago the children were presented with a problem...litter in the park. They worked in teams to problem solve. Some solutions included garbage cans, recycling bins, security cameras, park rules, no littering signs, and Park Rangers monitoring the park.
-See the video below for our Park Dedication Ceremony with special guest, Ms. Rocco! And what's a ceremony without a bit of drama? The tripod fell but that didn't stop us from a great ceremony!
Brain Breaks
Friday Funday
*Caps for Sale-mustaches
*In 1492-Columbus telescopes
*Stellaluna-bats
New Canaan Fire Department
Halloween
Reminders
-Please send one snack only. The only beverage allowed in the classroom is water.
-Veteran's Day "support the Troops" bags are due. There will be a school wide assembly for Veteran's Day on Monday, November 11th. Please have your child wear red, white, and blue on this day.
-Report cards will be distributed on Wednesday, November 27th. The report card envelope will contain a conference date reminder. Please sign the front of the envelope and return the empty envelope to school.
Thanksgiving Break
Wednesday, Nov 27, 2013, 12:30 PM
South School, New Canaan, CT
Mrs. Lacomis' Class
Email: joanna.lacomis@ncps-k12.org
Website: www.newcanaan.k12.org
Location: 8 Farm Rd, New Canaan, CT
Phone: 203-594-4300