Busy Wednesday

 There was A LOT of learning going on in Room 16 today!

In Science...
Today we began our study on Matter! We started this exciting unit off by discussing what it means to sort things. We defined sort as, "grouping items according to what they have in common." From there, the students broke off into groups where they worked together to sort buttons. Some of the different ways the buttons were sorted were by: color, shape, size, holes in buttons, and texture of the buttons. Be sure to ask your child how they sorted their buttons!

In Word Work...
We learned about ABC order. ABC order is when you list words in alphabetical order. We practiced listing words on our slate, and then manipulating words into ABC order on the Smartboard. For your child's homework tonight, they are to list their 10 spelling words in ABC order. They know their homework sheet is double sided, so don't let them pull a fast one on you! :o)

In Reading...
We reviewed what a "just right" book is. We know that if we have trouble with over five words on a page, then it is too hard. This is where the "Five Finger Rule" comes in handy! We also reviewed Fiction vs. Non-Fiction. We know that Fiction is "fake" or did not happen, and Non-Fiction is real, or based on facts. I challenged the students to read the opposite genre of what they usually read. Ask your child what they read during Reading Workshop today!

In Math...
We practiced using calculators and skip counting on calculators. Be sure to have your child show you how to do it at home! Additionally we talked about "equivalent numbers." Your child should know that equivalent numbers are numbers that equal the same sum, even though they are not the same (e.g. 4+6, 5+5, 2+8 are all equivalent numbers because they all equal 10!).

As I said, we had QUITE the busy day! Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.