Students just finished reading Viva New Jersey with a focus on characterization. This week they will read a nonfiction text, Saving the Rain Forests, and the focus will shift to using the text features (titles, subtitles, headings, pictures, charts, graphs, etc.) of books to aid in our understanding of what we read. This week's story also lends itself quite nicely to cause and effect relationships. We will also be searching this text for both facts and opinions. The spelling list this week has earned the unfortunate title of "Difficult Spellings". This list will require lots of at-home practice in order for students to do well. This week's study guide may be retrieved here.

Additionally, students have be introduced to QR codes as a quick and easy way to get to a particular website. Since our time together flies by so quickly each day, these have been real lifesavers to us. Ask your child to give you a brief summary for how they work.

Please remember that Wednesday, September 2, 2015, will be an early release day for students. We will dismiss at 2:25 p.m. (30 minutes early) in order for teachers to collaborate in their Professional Learning Communities. Your child's school is committed to becoming the best that it can possibly be. Please make sure your child is aware of what he or she is to do at dismissal time on this day. As always, thank you for sharing your child with me.