December News

We have been SO busy here in Room 16!

In Reading, we have been working on making inferences. An inference is when we use clues from the author, as well as what we know from our own experience, to figure out something that is not explicitly stated in the text. We have been using pictures, as well as quotes and actions from/of characters to practice making our inferences. So far, we are doing a GREAT job!

In Grammar, we have been practicing applying proper nouns, plural nouns, and now possessive nouns to our school work. It is hard for the students to distinguish when to make a noun plural, and when to make it possessive, but we will continue to work on and develop this skill.

In Math, we have been talking about ballpark estimates. A ball park estimate is when we are adding two numbers together, but instead of adding them together exactly, we round them both and then add them. We know that we might use ballpark estimates while shopping in a store. Our next step in math will be partial sums, which is the way the students are expected to add 2 and 3 digit numbers together. Stay tuned for more information on partial sums!

In Writing, we have wrapped up our unit on "personal narratives." We each selected our favorite story in our Writer's Notebook, or the story that is most important to us, and we worked on developing our writing into a final piece. Our stories will be publish in a book that we will keep in our classroom library. The students should be so proud of their hard work.

Lastly, in Social Studies we have been learning about Maps and Globes. Most recently, we learned about the compass rose and the four cardinal directions. We even learned a neat saying to help us remember the directions, be sure to ask your child about it! :o)