February 27-March2

Reading- We will complete our On The Farm theme this week as we reread The Watermelon Contest and define the words "bounty" and "produce".  The comprehension strategy of identifying the author's purpose will also be applied in whole and small group reading this week. You can practice this strategy at home by asking your child what the author's purpose is of a book that you are reading. Was the book written to persuade, inform or entertain?

Spelling- Your child will be working with  "wr" , "kn", and  "gn" words this week.

Cougar Reading-   Last week we read various passages and practiced finding, higlighting and answering  comprehension questions through guided practice. This week we will practice these skills by reading different passages and applying our new test taking strategies to answer comprhension questions independently.

Math- In math we will complete Topic 11 and take a test on Wednesday, February 29th on Three Digit Addition and Subtraction.  Topic 12 is Geometry and that will begin  on Thursday, March 1st.

Writing-  We will learn about similies this week, a literary device that compares unlike things by using "like" or "as" , possessive pronouns and cursive letters.

Social Studies-  Your child is becoming an expert on the Plains Indians tribes. If you ask them what they've learned you will be sure to hear about the importance of the buffalo. This week we will create a tipi, compare the and contrast the eastern and western plains as well as learning about the people, customs and culture of the Plains Indians.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for February 20-24th

Reading-   This week in reading we will read the selections Rice Is Life and The Watermelon Contest as we focus on the comprehension strategy of determining an author's purpose. The acronym P.I.E. (perusade, inform and entertain) will be introduced as we determine the purpose for our stories this week.

Cougar Reading- For the next two weeks we will spend our mascot time learning the art of test taking. We will read grade level passages and learn how to answer multiple choice questions. We will practice the skills of looking back to find answers and highlighting important information. We will also learn helpful strategies such as eliminating answers that don't make sense and practice answering questions in full sentences.

Spelling-  We will learn to spell contractions this week. Test Friday, February 24th.

Math- We will continue to work on three digit addition and subtraction mentally, using models, and using paper pencil techniques.

Writing-   In writing this week we will learn about irregular verbs and practice cursive writing

Social Studies-  This week we will begin our unit on the Plains Indians. We will identify various tribes and where they lived, learn about the types of homes thay built, understand how they communicated and appreciate how the buffalo was vital to their existence.

Themes, Concepts and Objectives for the week of Feb 6-10

Reading- This week in reading we will reread  the informational story Pass It On as we analyze visual text features such as timelines, illustrations, photographs, etc. We will discuss how these text features enhance meaning and give us a deeper understanding of what we are studying.  In small group reading we will continue to read literature that is on your child's instructional level and work on skills such as vocabulary, phonics and grammar.

Spelling- "ou" and "ow" will be our pattern next week. Test Friday, February 10th.

Cougar Reading- We will continue our unit on biographies as we read about American Presidents this week. We will learn about the lives of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy this week.

Math- We will wrap up Topic 10 Place Value this week and have a math test on Wednesday, February 8 and then on Thursday will launch Topic 11 Three Digit Addition!

Writing & Social Studies- We will combine two subjects this week as we write an adventure story about traveling west in a covered wagon in the year 1842. We will also collaborate, research, write, and illustrate a big book on Pioneers.