Mental Images, Connections, and Citizenship

Language Arts
Reading
In Reading this week we will be finishing our discussions on mental images, also called visualization.  Good readers create images in their minds as they read a text.  These images help us check for understanding of a text but also aide in our ability to remember what we have just read.  Look for some excellent mental images to come home in the Tuesday Newsday folder this week.

We will then be moving on to work on connections.  Connections fall into three categories:  text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to world.  We will work this week to create text-to-self connections.  We will read and then work together to think...
What about this story reminds me of something I have done?
...something I have experienced?
...someone I know?
These connections draw us closer to the text while building comprehension   

Writing
We will be taking our work from Visualization and apply it to our writing.  We have been noticing in read the language that an author uses to create these beautiful images as we read.  Students will work this week to try their hand at the craft.  They will work on use sensory language and adjectives to help their readers create images as they read.  The pictures that you sent last week for homework will serve as our inspiration this week for writing.

Spelling
We did it!  We made it through our first Monday with new spelling words.  The groups did an excellent job of supporting one another and asking great questions.  The Spelling Homework Menu is due Thursday.  Students will need to complete 8pts. of spelling assignments.  We have only learned about 2pt. and 4pt. options on the menu, so bear with us this week.  The Spelling Menu is located in their green three ring notebook and should stay there all year long as a reference guide.

Social Studies
We have spent a good deal of time talking about how to make our classroom community successful.  We're now working on thinking about what makes someone a good citizen.  Our discussions will help students think about what others can do in our local and national communities to help make our world a better place.  We'll be talking specifically about volunteering this week.  If you or your child have volunteered for an organization, please use that experience as a springboard for discussion at the dinner or breakfast table.  

I am very thankful for your support at home!  I will begin testing each child's reading level soon using the DRA2.  I will be sending a sign-up genius sheet asking for some families to volunteer to bring their child before school, after school and on some Saturdays.  This extra time to tests kids helps me not take so much class and instruction time to administer 45+ reading assessments.  It takes a team, and I'm glad we are in this together! ~Omi Ford