Dear Parents,                  May 20, 2013

We are wrapping up Theme 10 with week 3! Our reading strategy this week is monitor/clarify. Part of becoming a good reader is realizing that if the story we are reading is unclear we must stop and clarify the story so that we understand. As you read with your student please practice this strategy. The comprehension skill that will help us with this is cause and effect. Remember the cause is why something happened and the effect is what happened. Our phonics focus this week is on adding –er and –est to base words. Examples include hot, hotter, hottest, cold, colder, and coldest. Our grammar focus is on comparing. Our spelling words this week will have a focus on adding –er and –est to the base word.

In math, we will continue to learn subtracting from numbers 13 through 20. (Big kid stuff!)

In social studies we will begin work on a project focusing on different countries. As part of our study on this unit, I would like to ask that the students bring in any artifact from another country to share and leave in the classroom for the next two weeks. I encourage only artifacts that will not be easily broken.

We will begin our first lesson on solid matter this Monday. We will also spend a few brief moments reviewing animals, their environments, needs, and structures as begin to prepare for our final field trip to the zoo the following week.

In religion we will focus on giving glory to God. In addition, please encourage your student to bring their rosary or the decade rosary they made during families to school for the Living Rosary on Tuesday.

Announcements for the week:

• This week it is All About…. Noah! Congratulations!
• Please remind your student to bring their library book on Tuesday so that they may check out another one.
• No school on Friday or the following Monday!

Have a fantastic week!

Miss. Manning