Carroll's Corner
megan.carroll@lz95.org
Important Dates
Jan. 13 - Pennies for Patients Fundraiser Begins
Jan. 16 - MAP Math Test and PTO Roller Skating Party
Jan. 17 - Institute Day - No School
Jan. 20 - Martin Luther King Day - No School
Jan. 21 - MAP Reading Test
*The students will be MAP testing over the course of the next two weeks so please make sure they get a good nights sleep and a healthy breakfast.
Curriculum Update
Math
We are still focusing on multiplication in math. At this point the students have learned many different strategies on how to find the answer to a multiplication problem including: repeated addition, skip counting, creating equal groups, and drawing an array. We have also been learning different tricks for each individual fact. For example, this week I taught the students a zero trick for finding the answer to their 10’s, and the 11’s trick to find the answer to their 11’s facts. Please ask your child to teach you how to use each trick! At this point, with all the strategies and tricks the students have learned it is extremely important for them to start to memorize their facts (0-12). As part of daily homework, I expect each child to practice for about 10-15 minutes each night using flashcards, games, or different websites. In the classroom, we sometimes use a wonderful website called timestables.com for practice. It is a really easy way for your child to practice on their own. If you are looking for more suggestions on how to have your child practice, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
Social Studies
This week we started our unit on Government. Through the course of the next few weeks the students will learn about why the Government was created, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Branches of Government, and their roles and responsibilities of being a citizen. We are in the process of learning a complete list of vocabulary words that will be stored in their Social Studies Notebook. The have been encouraged to start study these words because they will have a quiz on them in the near future. I have also put all of these words on Spelling City for them to practice at home.
Reading
In reading, we have spent time exploring the text structure main idea and details, and how to identify them in our reading. I have stressed that when looking for the main idea in the passage, the students must continue to ask themselves “What is the text mostly about?” or “What is this author trying to teach me?” Once the students are able to find the answer to these questions, they will then be able to find the words or phrases that will tell more about or describe the main idea. Please know this is a skill that takes some time to learn by all students, and we will continue to practice using it throughout the duration of the school year.
Next week, we will spend some time talking about the difference between facts and opinions to better help us understand find main ideas and details. The students should be able to tell you that a fact is a true statement that can be proven, and an opinion states how someone thinks or feels.
Writing
In writing, we have been spending a lot of time learning how to write using proper paragraph format. In our learning over the course of the next month we will begin to focus on writing longer essays. We will begin with writing 3 paragraph essays, and eventually turning when the students are ready the hopes to move into writing 5 paragraph essays. Our first long essay will be a Narrative called a “Meaningful Memory.” There will be a lot of modeling from me so the students have good examples on how to create their own, but I truly think the students will be prepared for our next steps in the process.
Fundraiser
PTO Information
Hey Seth Paine families! Let's get our school community together for some friend time and fun after our long winter break! Come to the Roller skating event on Thursday, January 16th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at Bella Bouncies Skate on Grand. This is a fun time to skate with family and friends. This year, we are offering a pizza meal deal for $2.50 so you don't even need to make dinner! A percentage of admissions fees goes directly back to Seth Paine. Help us reach our goal of 100 skaters so we can get 50% of the admissions to go back to our school!!! Siblings, other family members and friends are welcome! There will be a prize for the class with the greatest attendance percentage! See the attached flier for more details! And remember the students do NOT have school on Friday, so it's a great way to kick off the long weekend! Sign up in advance is not required, but it will help us staff the event properly. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b45afa72ca6f49-roller
Thank you so much for considering.
Sincerely,
Seth Paine PTO
Contact Information
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Megan Carroll
Phone: 847-540-4769
Email: megan.carroll@lz95.org
Twitter: @D95Carroll