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Wow! What a week. 

Take a look at what we did!

Literacy

This week, the children were introduced to the elements of a fairytale. They were able to recognize that fairy tales have magic, good and evil, often begin with once upon a time, and a happily ever after. Our close reading lessons for the week focused on different versions of, Jack and the Beanstalk. We read two different versions of the classic fairytale as well as a version titled, Kate and the Beanstalk. As we read, we kept track of fairytale elements we identified in each story. The children worked as a whole class to complete these activities. At the end of the week we compared and contrasted the different versions of the story. 

Writing

To go along with the Jack and the Beanstalk theme, the children worked on a Jack and the Beanstalk writing activity. The writing activity was titled, "Me and the Beanstalk". The children turned themselves into the main character in their version of Jack and the Beanstalk. They began by planning out how they found the magic beans, where they planted them, what they found at the top of the beanstalk, etc. The children got very creative and had a lot of fun writing these stories. Their published pieces will be proudly displayed in the classroom!

***Photo coming soon****

Math 

In Math, the children started Unit 5. They made a Dice-Throw Record of facts. Using their chart they answered questions about their rolls and which sum had the most facts (7). Then, they were introduced to the Addition Facts Table. Using the Addition Facts Table, the children found the sums of several addition facts.

On Tuesday, the children were introduced to Name-Collection boxes. They used dominoes, drawings, tally marks, base-10 blocks, and addition/ subtraction facts to show equivalent names for numbers. 

On Wednesday, the children worked with fact families. They looked at a domino and identified the three numbers that went with it. Then they wrote two addition and two subtraction facts using the three numbers from their domino. They learned that the addition and subtraction facts make up a fact family.

On Thursday, the children were introduced to Fact Triangles. Using their Fact Triangles, the children practiced their addition and subtraction facts with a partner. The children also wrote addition and subtraction number models to go along with their Fact Triangles.

Today, the children worked with different subtraction fact strategies to find the difference. They used: the Addition/Subtraction Facts Table, Subtracting using a Ten Frame, and -8 and -9 Shortcuts on the Number Grid. 

Social Studies

This week, we concluded our social studies unit. The children learned about U.S. Symbols. Each child had the opportunity to research one U.S. Symbol. They used PebbleGo to research and then wrote two facts about their symbol. After researching, the children drew an illustration of their symbol on their facts sheet. 

Throughout the week, the children were able to share what they had learned with the class. We complied the slides into a slide show titled, U. S. Symbols.

                    
US Symbols from Melissa Johnson on Vimeo.

Today, the children completed the book, America the Beautiful. The book allowed the children to revisit all the facts they learned about the different symbols this week. The children really enjoyed learning about all the American Symbols and they are excited to share their knowledge with you!

A special thank you to Mary and Trent! Mary shared some photos of the Liberty Bell  from her trip last summer. Trent brought in some postcards of U.S. Symbols that his Papa brought back from Washington D.C. Thank you to both of you for sharing with the class!

Note:

-Please remember to send your child to school with their winter gear. The snow promises to continue and the playground and field are covered with snow. Please send coats, snow pants, boots, hats, and gloves. The children are not allowed to play in the snow unless they have all these items! Thank you!

Have a great weekend!