January 2021
WLM Newsletter
Kindergarten
Kindergarten will be finishing our unit on force and motion. We had so much fun learning through the different discoveries made by students during each experiment. We will begin our next unit on weather.
Kindergarten has been working hard on opinion writing! Students are writing and sharing about things they like and things they dislike and supporting their opinion with reasons.
In math we are learning about units of measure. Students will be comparing height, weight, length, volume, and area.
1st Grade
Our first graders have been busy researching Arctic animals. We have learned about reindeer, penguins and polar bears. We will be completing our informational writing unit this week with our polar bear research.
We have been learning about graphing, collecting data and are are now learning to tell time to the hour! Next week we will being learning time to the half hour!
We are looking forward to starting our opinion writing unit next week. We sure do have lots of opinions and we can’t wait to write about them!
2nd Grade
2nd grade will begin adding and subtracting numbers within 100 with our without regrouping.
We will continue working with and understanding informational text as well as writing our own informational books. Our students are anxious to tell us all about their topics of expertise. Students will be introduced to inflections such as -er, -est and -ed.
We will dive into weather for a short period of time before returning to investigate matter in different states.
3rd Grade
Third grade will be working on fractions in math. We will compare fractions, place fractions on a number line and show equivalent fractions.
For ELA we will be working on our Poetry Unit, as well as, writing informational books in our Writer’s Workshop.
In Science, we will continue our unit on magnetism. We will investigate how magnets work, what causes magnets to attract and repel, and what magnetic force can travel through.
4th Grade
Science
Students have been learning about different landforms and practicing identifying them through Google Earth. Soon they will move into learning about the “Theory of Continental Drift” and plate tectonics.
ELA
Students have been analyzing poems and are working on picking a poem to practice and recite.
Math- Students are beginning their journey of long division!
5th Grade
Language Arts
Readers are analyzing a variety of informational texts so that they can understand the author's purpose and claims. The next step is to learn how to conduct research and take notes on topics of interest. Writer's will use these skills to create a research project.
Mathematics
Mathematicians in fifth grade have conquered 3 digit times 3 digit multiplication with decimals, as well as, long division with decimals! Next we will use our amazing math skills to tackle exponential numbers and briefly re-visit powers of ten. Watch out "Order of Operations" - we are coming for you!!
Science
We are traveling through the beautiful USA to learn the regions and geography of our country. In detail, we will examine the Appalachian Mountains and Great Lakes as well as the Rocky Mountains and many Major rivers including the Missouri, the Rio Grande, the Colorado, and the Ohio.
6th Grade
6th grade has spent December and January learning about informational text, and researching teen activism. 6th graders have chosen causes they are interested in to research and write their very own book about. They are learning how to use the internet to find unbiased and reliable information. Then, they are paraphrasing and organizing the information to be interesting and educational for their reader.
6th graders also been reading Holes by Louis Sachar and can’t wait to see if Stanley discovers the truth about Big Thumb and Camp Green Lake.
Physical Education
Welcome Back! This month, students in all grades are going to begin to focus on the Kids Heart Challenge. This is the 14th year that our school has participated in this program which is sponsored by the American Heart Association. The program incorporates basketball, dance, obstacle courses and rope jumping as heart healthy activities and encourages students to be mindful of heart health by participating in physical activities and making wise choices. Please click on this newsletter link: https://www.smore.com/q138j-kids-heart-challenge for more information regarding the program and this year’s event. We are looking forward to participating again this year!
Please contact me at ksmith@southerntioga.org If you need anything throughout the school year.
Library
Welcome back everyone!
This month students in K-3 will be learning about digital citizenship, how to be safe on the internet. We will be focusing on read-alouds that reinforce what students are learning with their grade-level teachers.
Students in 4-6 will be learning new research tools to help them with non-fiction writing. We will also practice beginner coding skills.
If you have questions or need to contact me for any reason, you can e-mail me at cwood@southerntioga.org.
Music
Happy New Year!!
This year brings lots of new ways to make music. We spent the past month reviewing key musical concepts and are now going to add to what we know!
This month...
1st grade students will be learning how we write music using du’s and du-de’s.
2nd grade students will be diving deeper into Music Town, where all of our solfege characters live and will be meeting La.
3rd grades musicians will be learning how to read music notes on a treble clef staff to prepare for recorders.
4th grade students are diving deeper into the world of ukulele.
5th and 6th grade students will be using what they know to compose and listen/compare what they hear.
Feel free to contact Ms. Thomas with any questions you may have throughout the year.
Art News
Sculpture is an important part of the art curriculum. We have finished some clay sculptures in Kindergarten, first, and third grades. Watch for these masterpieces to be coming home! The other grade levels will be creating sculpture with paper, wire, plaster, or clay in the near future!
Title I
“Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination
and expands their understanding of the world. It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. . . Even after children learn to read by themselves, it’s still important for you to read aloud together.” Quote from Reading is Fundamental
Year Book Purchase Update
Yearbook sales are only available online until February 12, 2021.
Full-Color Yearbook cost is $11.00
To Order your yearbook visit: www.inter-state.com/yearbook and enter code 52072J