Math
During the first week of school, we'll be doing community building activities so we won't be diving right into math instruction until the second week of school. Our first unit of math is all about multiplicative thinking. We'll begin with a study of multiplication and division, focusing in particular on models, strategies, and multiplicative comparisons. In Module 1, students use open number lines, arrays, and ratio tables. They also solve multiplication and division story problems and participate in their first math forum. In Module 2, they use the area model to investigate factors and multiples and prime and composite numbers. They also review strategies for finding single-digit multiplication facts. Module 3 has them working with factors and products as well as multiplicative comparisons and equations. Module 4 extends the idea of multiplicative comparison into the arena of measurement, as students develop deeper understandings of the relative sizes of metric units for length, mass, and liquid volume.
If your child doesn't yet know multiplication facts, this is a good thing to encourage practicing at home. I'll provide students with access to a few programs that can help such as i-Ready and MobyMax.
Reading
During the first week of school, we'll spend a lot of time reading for enjoyment and using stories to help us build community in our classroom. Our curriculum will begin in the second week of school, and we'll be studying narrative fiction and fairy tales.
Our areas of focus will include:
Comprehension:
Making predictions about what we read
Identifying and describing characters, setting, and plot sequence
Grammar:
nouns, adjectives, personal pronouns
Vocabulary:
Synonyms
Writing
During the first few weeks of class, we will learn about what our Writing Workshop will look like. We'll also be doing some baseline writing activities with narratives, informational, and argumentative writing so that I can see our students' strengths and areas for growth.
Social Studies
We'll spend a few weeks learning about the many different cultures that come together in our classroom. Students will interview their families and create a slideshow presentation to teach about their own culture.
During the first week of school, we'll be doing community building activities so we won't be diving right into math instruction until the second week of school. Our first unit of math is all about multiplicative thinking. We'll begin with a study of multiplication and division, focusing in particular on models, strategies, and multiplicative comparisons. In Module 1, students use open number lines, arrays, and ratio tables. They also solve multiplication and division story problems and participate in their first math forum. In Module 2, they use the area model to investigate factors and multiples and prime and composite numbers. They also review strategies for finding single-digit multiplication facts. Module 3 has them working with factors and products as well as multiplicative comparisons and equations. Module 4 extends the idea of multiplicative comparison into the arena of measurement, as students develop deeper understandings of the relative sizes of metric units for length, mass, and liquid volume.
If your child doesn't yet know multiplication facts, this is a good thing to encourage practicing at home. I'll provide students with access to a few programs that can help such as i-Ready and MobyMax.
Reading
During the first week of school, we'll spend a lot of time reading for enjoyment and using stories to help us build community in our classroom. Our curriculum will begin in the second week of school, and we'll be studying narrative fiction and fairy tales.
Our areas of focus will include:
Comprehension:
Making predictions about what we read
Identifying and describing characters, setting, and plot sequence
Grammar:
nouns, adjectives, personal pronouns
Vocabulary:
Synonyms
Writing
During the first few weeks of class, we will learn about what our Writing Workshop will look like. We'll also be doing some baseline writing activities with narratives, informational, and argumentative writing so that I can see our students' strengths and areas for growth.
Social Studies
We'll spend a few weeks learning about the many different cultures that come together in our classroom. Students will interview their families and create a slideshow presentation to teach about their own culture.