I would like to thank all the parents who were able to attend Open House Curriculum Night. What a great turn out.
Here is my contact information:
mlancaster@hanoverschools.org = email
geocities.com/mrl413 = website

Spelling: We will be working on the pages in our workbook that cover the “frequently misspelled words list”. They will also have 5 sentences to write on lined paper, using the spelling words. The sentences are also due on Friday. (The sentences need to be done in cursive.)

Reading: We will begin our next story in our anthology, “Titanic”, obviously, it is on the R.M.S TITANIC and the disaster that followed on that fateful evening in April of 1912.

We will also begin our first novel this week, There’s an Owl in the Shower”. It is an environmental story about a families conflict with being a logger family and the dilemma of the impact on the environment. Answering questions completely will still be my major focus this week.

The steps to answer a question are:
1. Restate the question
2. Answer the question
3. Support you answer with evidence from the story

This skill is of great importance in my classroom.

Written Language: We will continue to work through answering questions and expanding our answers. We will also work on the different types of sentences and combining sentences with conjunctions. We still have a bit more work to finish from last week on our paragraphs on “Enrique”. I have confidence that everything will start falling into place, with everyone on board doing their absolute best.


Math: I still have some work to do with place value and rounding of numbers. From what I see, this class has a solid grasp on rounding numbers. This is a great skill to have with number sense. Last week we continued with multiplication and worked on the 4 properties of multiplication. We also started preliminary discussions on factors, products, multiples and prime and composite numbers. I realize that is a lot to cover. They will not be taught in isolation. Everything in math builds on the previous day or concept. That is why it is still imperative to stay focused and participate.

DCR UPDATE: This is an independent math packet that reviews all the concepts and skills we will be using throughout the year. The children should be pacing themselves, 3-5 pages per week. I give them a weekly check on the board and they should be on pages 15 - 121 as of Friday 10/03/08. There are 3 packets, one for each term. They need to try to finish one packet each term. They do not need to go ahead. It is not a race.

Application of facts and terminology is key to success in math.

Science: I have given the children all the necessary tools to complete their animal project. We will select a final due date toady. I will send home a reminder to all as to what is expected for their final product and project. The children are very excited to do this project. I love to see the enthusiasm in their learning

We are about to begin our first long unit on Land and Water. I guess this is the best and most opportunistic time to be teaching Land and water, after the weekend of misery, with all the rain and washed away land. I will definitely use this past weekend as a teachable moment.

Social Studies: We finished our first quiz on the map of the world. We began the Northeast last Friday, by filling in the map of the region. Again we will have a map quiz on the Northeast at a later date. I am so excited to begin the Northeast, where we can also get into some discussions on government. This is a fantastic time in our country’s government, especially with the Presidential Elections coming up in November.