The first couple of months always go by quickly, but I can't tell you what happened to October! I feel like we blinked and now it's the last week of the month! Here's an update on the happenings in room 12.
In math we have solidified at least one way that we feel comfortable adding three-digit numbers. Some students like to use base-ten blocks, while others break numbers apart into place value. Additionally, students are using number lines and even using the U.S. Algorithm. Whew! That's a handful of strategies! We are beginning our unit on subtraction and as we delve deeper into this, I am seeing students transfer their addition skills nicely. I couldn't be more pleased.
In writing students have been writing everyday. Some students have a goal to write at least one half of a page while others are writing a page or more! We began the year with negative feelings about writing and now I have to ask them to out their pencils down so we can move forward in the day! What a difference! Students are learning what good writers do in order to capture a reader's attention. In order to do this, they are learning to focus on single moments in time that last no longer than 10 minutes. We even focused on an object in the classroom and wrote from the perspective of that object. That journal entry sure was fun to read! Ask your student about it. Additionally, students are learning to use showing in their writing rather than telling. This is a skill we will continue to refine throughout the year.
During reading, students have been diving into non-fiction texts about volcanoes, snakes, the Civil Rights Movement and more. The content couldn't be more vast, yet the reading strategies we are practicing are focused and deliberate. We are learning how to comprehend difficult text through monitoring our thinking, asking questions, using our background knowledge, and inferring. We are making progress everyday!
Here's to another month of learning!
Mrs. Bergantz
In math we have solidified at least one way that we feel comfortable adding three-digit numbers. Some students like to use base-ten blocks, while others break numbers apart into place value. Additionally, students are using number lines and even using the U.S. Algorithm. Whew! That's a handful of strategies! We are beginning our unit on subtraction and as we delve deeper into this, I am seeing students transfer their addition skills nicely. I couldn't be more pleased.
In writing students have been writing everyday. Some students have a goal to write at least one half of a page while others are writing a page or more! We began the year with negative feelings about writing and now I have to ask them to out their pencils down so we can move forward in the day! What a difference! Students are learning what good writers do in order to capture a reader's attention. In order to do this, they are learning to focus on single moments in time that last no longer than 10 minutes. We even focused on an object in the classroom and wrote from the perspective of that object. That journal entry sure was fun to read! Ask your student about it. Additionally, students are learning to use showing in their writing rather than telling. This is a skill we will continue to refine throughout the year.
During reading, students have been diving into non-fiction texts about volcanoes, snakes, the Civil Rights Movement and more. The content couldn't be more vast, yet the reading strategies we are practicing are focused and deliberate. We are learning how to comprehend difficult text through monitoring our thinking, asking questions, using our background knowledge, and inferring. We are making progress everyday!
Here's to another month of learning!
Mrs. Bergantz