September

One of our parent night raffle winners!

Dear Kindergarten Parents,

We are off to a great start! Your child is learning so much already. Please be sure to check your child's backpack every night. Also, be sure to check TalkingPoints for updates and reminders.

Math Focus:

Module 1: Numbers to 10

Reading Focus:

● Unit 1 Module A: Readers understand that there is a relationship between illustrations and words in Where is Home Little Pip and A House for Hermit Crab.

Reading instructional Focus:

● Relating Words and Pictures in a Story

● Identifying Characters, Setting, and Events

● Using Key Details and Words to Understand a Story

● Retelling a Story Using Key Details.

● Recognizing Types of Texts

● Identifying Details about the Setting.

● Identifying Major Events in a Story.

● Comparing and Contrasting Stories

Foundation Skills Focus for Unit 1 Module A: Rhyming words, Syllables, High Frequency Words, Letter Recognition, and Initial Sounds.

Writing Focus: Students are learning to tell stories through their illustrations.

Narrative Writing:

● Students are learning how to use describing words to describe animals, characters, settings, and events. They are also learning how to tell events in order and add details to their illustrations and writing.

Social Studies Focus: Chapter 1: Learning and Working Together. Big Question: How do people best cooperate? Throughout Chapter 1, we will be learning about the importance of following rules at school, home and our community.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!

-Mrs. Erives

-Mrs. Colorado

-Mrs. Thomas

Back to school has been so much fun but we are now preparing for September!!

Math- We’re in the middle of Module 1. In this Module we are working on sums and differences

of 10. With this we will be working on several different topics, like addition word problems,

strategies for counting on,understanding of the equal sign, and addition fluency within 10.

ELA- We have started Unit 1, where we are focusing on story elements.( characters, setting,

and events). We are also learning about the similarities and differences in a story and an

informational text.

Thank you!

First Grade Teachers

Ms. Barrientos, Mrs. Falcon, Mrs. Morton

Reading

Start Unit 1 Module A Understanding Communities

· Readers understand that characters in stories have unique points of view.

· Narrative writing: Writers understand that signal words tell the sequence of events in a story

Foundational Skills

· Short vowels

· high-frequency words

Math

Module 1- Sets the foundation for students to master sums and differences to 20 using different strategies.

Science

Physical Science: Bundle 4 Selecting and Using materials in the Design Process.

Third grade has been busy at the start of our new school year! We took a few days to get to know each other and establish routines and procedures before starting our curriculum! We started learning about character traits and feelings and how these can affect a story’s sequence of events in ELA. In math we’ve already hit the ground running with multiplication and introducing some division. In Social Studies, we are learning about how we get what we need and want. Third grade is going to have a great year!

Math: This month, we are working on Module 1. In Module 1 we are focusing on Place Value, Rounding, and Algorithms for Addition and Subtraction. Topics covered this month will be: Topic B: Comparing Multi-Digit Whole Numbers (Lessons 5-6), Topic C: Rounding Multi-Digit Whole Numbers (Lessons 7-10), Topic D: Multi-Digit Whole Number Addition (Lessons 11-12), Topic E: Multi-Digit Whole Number Subtraction (Lessons 13-16), and Topic F: Addition and Subtraction Word Problems (Lessons 17-19)

Reading: We are working on Unit 1 Module A. In this module, readers will use point of view in literary text and use reasons and evidence in informational text to better understand what they read. Writers will use evidence and events to depict a person’s life. Learners will understand that researchers and scientists adopt specific habits to accomplish tasks.

Social Studies: We will be covering two Chapters, one highlighting the uniqueness of the American Government and another chapter on the Northeast Region of the United States. We will talk about what makes that region important and look at the landscape. We will start Science in October!

It has been an amazing first couple of weeks with your students. As we enjoy the last few days of summer and prepare for fall, I am sure that all of us are looking forward to some cooler temperatures.

During these first few weeks, your students have been busy learning and taking the assessments. These tests help us know how we can best help your child in Math and Reading. We will share the results of these tests with you during your parent-teacher conferences.

Our students will be learning about ecosystems and food chains in science and reading. In reading, we are reading the book Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley. The fictional story is about a boy who finds a way to save a vernal pool in Massachusetts. The story talks about the ecosystem that is supported by the vernal pool. These readings are closely related to our science this month as we continue to explore the connections between producers (plants), consumers (animals that eat the plants), and decomposers (animals and bacteria that eat the dead things).

We are also asking parents to please help their students read at home. The students should read for about 20 minutes every day. They can read to a sibling, a friend, or you. This reading will help them with their fluency and their comprehension skills. Together we can help your students improve their overall reading skills.

In math, we are learning about multiplying and dividing numbers with decimals. Your students have also converted metric measurements, such as 100 cm into 1,000 mm. We encourage you to work with your students on multiplication tables because these skills will help solve these equations.

This month's writing assignment is for your students to write a short story about a character who cares about his or her surroundings. The students need to describe the actions the character takes to show his or her understanding of the environment. Their story must have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and include narrative techniques and develop their characters.

In social studies, we will be studying early life in North America. We will talk about the American Indians and the early explorers that came to North America. We will talk about how these events changed the world.

Important Study Participation Invitation:

As part of our ongoing efforts to improve the educational experience for all students, Mr. Struzik is conducting a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of a new reading intervention method, the Picture Word Induction Model (PWIM). This intervention is already being used in our classrooms, and with your child’s participation in this study, we can gain

valuable insights into what aspects are working well and what areas may need improvement. This will help us develop an even more robust reading intervention.

If you are interested in learning more about this study or would like your child to participate, please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Struzik at the school, via Talking Points, or by email at struzik.gene@usd443.org. Your involvement is crucial, and we greatly appreciate your support.

Overall this will be a fantastic month of learning for your child. We are looking forward to being a part of this journey. We look forward to meeting you all during the parent-teacher conferences.

Kindergarten: In kindergarten we are getting to know each other. We usually do a focus song each week or every other week that the children will sing for at least a week. Every Thursday we are planning on doing a Listening Thursday in which the students watch a music performance and they evaluate it and identify the music elements: tempo, dynamics, pitch, and what emotion it makes them feel. We are working on understanding steady beat. We do a lot of singing and movement in kindergarten.

1st grade: In first grade we will do a focus song each week or every other week that the children will sing for at least a week. Every Thursday we are planning on doing a Listening Thursday in which the students watch a music performance and they evaluate it and identify the music elements: tempo, dynamics, pitch, and what emotion it makes them feel. The students will do a lot of movement and singing. They also do a lot of Academic Discourse in which they discuss their answer with a partner.

3rd grade: In third grade we will plan on doing a focus song each week or every other week that the children will sing for at least a week. Every Thursday we are planning on doing a Listening Thursday in which the students watch a music performance and they evaluate it and identify the music elements: tempo, dynamics, pitch, what emotion it makes them feel, whether it’s an orchestra, concert band, choir, solo, or other performance, and what style/genre the music is. At least one or two times a week they work on sight-reading rhythm cards and have transitioned from using ta’s and ti-ti’s to using the number system counting out rhythms. They will be randomly using instruments to go with activities.

4th grade: In fourth grade we will plan on doing a focus song each week or every other week that the children will sing for at least a week. Every Thursday we are planning on doing a Listening Thursday in which the students watch a music performance and they evaluate it and identify the music elements: tempo, dynamics, pitch, what emotion it makes them feel, whether it’s an orchestra, concert band, choir, solo, or other performance, and what style/genre the music is. At least one or two times a week they work on sight-reading rhythm cards using the number system counting out rhythms. They will start working on identifying notes on the treble clef staff. They will be randomly using instruments to go with activities

The school year is off to a great start in the library! Our theme this year is “Reading Is Fun” – our goal is to share everyone’s love of reading with our students to make them readers for life. The Northwest Staff is going to share pictures of themselves reading for fun at home to help students understand that reading isn’t JUST for academics and school. Please help us by sharing your love of reading with your children every day, even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Even older students love to be read to.

By now, all your students (except Kindergarten) should have visited the library and checked out at least one book. Take the time to talk to your kids about what they are reading from the school library, and maybe even read a few pages with them. In library class, we are going over procedures, checking out books, and learning about book care. The older classes are practicing shelving and learning where all the different books are in the library.

The District was able to give us a significant amount of money to purchase new books for the library last year, and the shelves are literally groaning with beautiful, brand new, exciting books for every level of reader. Mrs. Groth and Mrs. McDaniel are excited to work with students and share their love of reading with each and every one of them! Stop in any time and see what’s happening in the library!