Weekly Update, April 4 - 8

It's Field Trip Time!


The kids have had so much fun learning about desert animals and they can't wait for our trip!  Our field trip is this Thursday, April 7.  Please send your child to school on Thursday with a completely disposable lunch, comfortable clothes and lots of sunblock; it's going to be a hot day! 

 This week in science, guided reading and writing we are learning about the desert and Native American desert folklore.  Today the kids learned about the Sonoran Desert.  They received a really neat and detailed picture of the desert to color.  They wrote an acrostic poem on the back.


In writing, we are working on folk tales, thinking beyond the text and using text to text connections in writing.  After we read a desert folk tale each day, the kids will re-write the folk tale to their own specifications.  This should be a fun exercise for the kids!


The kids came home with Rainbow Words and they are due tomorrow.  This week in making words we are working on using environmental print independently.  We will continue to examine the tricky, or silent "r" and we will introduce "are" contractions.


The kids enjoyed the desert centers this week!  The centers for the week include:
1.  Listening - The kids listened to a neat cd, Sounds of the Desert, and then they completed a desert crossword puzzle.
2.  Social Studies - The kids played "Monsoon Mischief," a desert dice game.  Each child took a turn rolling the dice with desert pictures.  They had to share 3 facts with the group about the picture they rolled.
3.  Writing - The kids practiced their folk tale writing by writing a story about how the coyote got its tail.  They wrote their story on special coyote paper.
4.  Math - The kids practiced their math facts automaticity with addition and subtraction pages.
5.  Reading - The kids chose books to read from the bee quiet corner.

In math we are working on measurement.  We will learn about weight and capacity and the kids will also have more practice with linear measurement.  The kids will practice estimation and accurate measurement.

The kids had fun in computers today.  If you'd like to see what we did today, click on the blog posting directly below this one, "Computers, 4/4."

Have an A+ week!
Mrs. Johnston