August News

Dear Parents,

We have gotten off to a very nice beginning this year. The students have been positive and enthusiastic about this new year so far. This makes my job so much fun! So, thank you for instilling that love of learning in your child.

This newsletter will provide you with some information regarding the curriculum your children will be learning this year. My goal is to update information on a monthly basis. This is also a place to help you guide discussion with your child in regards to school. As a parent myself, I know that sometimes the answers we get from our inquiries is one word at best! I'm sure you can fill in the questions to these detailed answers. "Yes." "Fine." "Nothing." :-)

Therefore, the students and I will be providing a few questions each week to help you discuss what your child is learning in class.

My reading group is beginning the year with a brief introductory study of Greek & Roman Myths. Students are learning about nature and hero tales. We will soon move into legends, folktales, and fables. Our objective is to learn a bit about the beginnings of story and discuss the lessons that are to be learned from these tales. We are also working on new vocabulary and fluency. Students are reading these stories independently, followed by whole class discussions.

Math began with a analyzing a variety of data including chocolate, birthdays and raisins in a box. Our first unit of study is analyzing number patterns. Concepts include; rectangular arrays, prime and composite numbers, square numbers, and prime factorization. We will move into estimation and computation later this month. Students will take timed tests a few times a week for a while. Please have your child practice their multiplication facts. It is important for students to know their facts in order learn more difficult concepts as the year progresses. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Science class began with brainstorming and identifying safety rules that we will follow throughout the year. Students will be learning the scientific process through a variety of experiments. Some of the experiments involve Newton's three laws. We will then move into a Models and Design Unit of study, which will incorporate Newton's Laws. However, the main science focus this quarter includes inquiry, hypothesis, testing, and analysis. Each student is also building science vocabulary within their notebook. The notes students take in science class can always be used on tests & quizzes, so I am encouraging good note-taking skills.

If you have any questions, please feel free to blog here, or email me at scook@amphi.com.

Regards,
Suzi Cook