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Happy Holidays!

Newsletter for December 19, 2008

Announcements

December 20 - January 4: Holiday Break--No School

Tuesday, January 6: Chapter 11 Math Test

Tuesday, January 6: "Alexander" Field Trip form due

Thursday, January 8: Science Project Proposal due (Optional project)

Friday, January 9: January Book Orders due

Tuesday, January 13: Field Trip to see the play "Alexander and the... Bad Day"

Monday, February 2: Science Project due

Animal Theme Projects

I really enjoyed all the wonderful stories and animals our class created! Your child’s grading sheet is in today's Friday Folder. I will be making copies of everyone’s stories and binding them into a book so that our class can enjoy them all year. Your child’s animal will be returned later on in the year. Thank you for helping your child with this project!

Science Fair Project

The Science Fair project is OPTIONAL. A Science Fair Student Handbook is in your child’s Friday Folder. Please read the attached letter for project requirements. Over the next two weeks, I would like you to help your child choose a topic that interests him or her. This assignment will probably take a little bit of research (you might want to make a trip to the library or do some surfing on the internet). Please have your child choose a topic where he/she will understand the concept and be able to present it in his/her own words. After he/she has chosen a topic, help your child fill out one of the proposal sheets in the Student Handbook. A proposal will be due Thursday, January 8. I will approve the proposal and/or offer suggestions for improvement, and your child may begin his or her project. Please do not start the project until I have approved a proposal. A science board will be sent home once the proposal is accepted. A donation of $1 for the board is appreciated. Thank you for your help and support with this project!

Below are the project requirements from the school:

The project must include a three-sided display that gives an overview of the science topic under investigation. Students must only use the board provided by the school.
It will have a title, a summary of the most important information, and pictures, graphs, charts, and/or drawings to show what was done and what was learned.
The project must also include an experiment, model, demonstration, collection, or invention that is exhibited ON THE TABLE in front of the display. The project must fit within the size of the board.
Each student will be required to give a short oral presentation about the project explaining what was done and what was learned as a result of the investigation.
Student projects may not use electrical outlets.

Mathematics

Beginning on January 5, students will finish up Chapter 11 with a lesson on solving problems by making a table. On Tuesday, the class will take the Chapter 11 math test.

On Wednesday, we will begin Chapter 12 – Use Place Values to Subtract. We will learn how to use a hundred chart and count back by tens to subtract, subtract a one-digit number from a two-digit number with and without regrouping, and practice regrouping with 10 to 14.

Language Arts

Upcoming Story: Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann

After the holiday break, we will be reading a humorous fictional story about a police officer who loves to give safety tips to school children, but nobody ever listens—until he brings a dog named Gloria. We’ll also talk about Officer Buckle’s safety tips. Below are some easy ways you can help your child practice reading skills.

Extra practice (You can do these activities after the story is read in class on Tuesday):

Draw It: Have your child imagine that Officer Buckle and Gloria came to his or her school to talk about safety. Ask your child to draw a picture of the two of them presenting a safety tip. Under the drawing, help your child write the tip as a caption.
Talk About It: Besides “Safety Tip #101: Always Stick with Your Buddy,” what are some other important safety tips in Officer Buckle and Gloria? Ask your child to name two or three. Talk about why these are good safety tips. For example, why is it important to look both ways before crossing the street?