Greetings Parents,
I hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend. Here are the lessons for the week.
Science
This week we will continue our discovery of the human skeletal system. For fun, quiz your child about the major bones of the body.
History
Our journey though the ancient world has taken our discussion to the gods and goddesses of Rome and the kinds of people who dwelled in the empire. This week we continue our journey by looking at the laws of Rome and her wars. There is a quiz Friday.
Math
Students will be assessed on their knowledge of multiplication and division in regard to the number six tomorrow. That does not mean that all the questions have the number six in them, but it is a focus. Following the quiz, we start to look more closely at the number seven.
Many of the students are still struggling with their multiplication and division facts. This is something that needs to be studied at home for mastery. It is similar to the phonograms. I recommend purchasing some flashcards if your child is still struggling, or, as a parent showed me, using technology. There are some apps available for smartphones and tablets that could be a great and fun resources.
Language Arts
Poem: "Merry Sunshine"
Idiom: "In hot water"
Writing and Grammar: We continue our efforts in becoming better writers by summarizing short stories, or parts of stories, and dictation. Some students are progressing very well at the art of summarizing. Many are still finding this a challenge. There are two groups who struggle. Some like to retell the whole story. This shows great comprehension skills, but it is not summarizing. Others struggle to put their remembrances of the story into words. I would recommend, a few times a week, having the student summarize what they just read about during his or her 20 minutes of nightly reading time. They don't need to do this on paper, but if they read a chapter from a book, ask them to tell you what they read about in only a few sentences. If they can't tell you anything they read, or if what they are saying doesn't make any sense, we will know we have something to work on.
For grammar, we are continuing our learning of sentence diagramming, as well as the four major types of sentences: statements, questions, commands, exclamations. If you like, quiz them to see if they have memorized them. This is something we have discussed a number of time in the classroom.
Spalding: Students will be learning new words and reviewing the rules of English word making. Most students are doing well when it comes to spelling, but as the words become more challenging the grades are slipping. If your child's grades are dropping, please be mindful of his or her study habits. For spelling words, a parent or older figure should be dictating the words to the child. He or she should then be writing them with makings Monday-Wednesday. On Thursday, the child should writing them as he or she would in a sentence. You should also here the child spelling the words aloud using the phonograms.
Literature: Pinocchio has been a blast. It is an interesting story with many events you don't see coming. It also does a great job of developing the characters in the story, especially it's central figure. It is a wonderful story for discussing virtue and the consequences connected to poor decisions. There will be an assessment tomorrow to determine student comprehension.
Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren
I hope everyone has had an enjoyable weekend. Here are the lessons for the week.
Science
This week we will continue our discovery of the human skeletal system. For fun, quiz your child about the major bones of the body.
History
Our journey though the ancient world has taken our discussion to the gods and goddesses of Rome and the kinds of people who dwelled in the empire. This week we continue our journey by looking at the laws of Rome and her wars. There is a quiz Friday.
Math
Students will be assessed on their knowledge of multiplication and division in regard to the number six tomorrow. That does not mean that all the questions have the number six in them, but it is a focus. Following the quiz, we start to look more closely at the number seven.
Many of the students are still struggling with their multiplication and division facts. This is something that needs to be studied at home for mastery. It is similar to the phonograms. I recommend purchasing some flashcards if your child is still struggling, or, as a parent showed me, using technology. There are some apps available for smartphones and tablets that could be a great and fun resources.
Language Arts
Poem: "Merry Sunshine"
Idiom: "In hot water"
Writing and Grammar: We continue our efforts in becoming better writers by summarizing short stories, or parts of stories, and dictation. Some students are progressing very well at the art of summarizing. Many are still finding this a challenge. There are two groups who struggle. Some like to retell the whole story. This shows great comprehension skills, but it is not summarizing. Others struggle to put their remembrances of the story into words. I would recommend, a few times a week, having the student summarize what they just read about during his or her 20 minutes of nightly reading time. They don't need to do this on paper, but if they read a chapter from a book, ask them to tell you what they read about in only a few sentences. If they can't tell you anything they read, or if what they are saying doesn't make any sense, we will know we have something to work on.
For grammar, we are continuing our learning of sentence diagramming, as well as the four major types of sentences: statements, questions, commands, exclamations. If you like, quiz them to see if they have memorized them. This is something we have discussed a number of time in the classroom.
Spalding: Students will be learning new words and reviewing the rules of English word making. Most students are doing well when it comes to spelling, but as the words become more challenging the grades are slipping. If your child's grades are dropping, please be mindful of his or her study habits. For spelling words, a parent or older figure should be dictating the words to the child. He or she should then be writing them with makings Monday-Wednesday. On Thursday, the child should writing them as he or she would in a sentence. You should also here the child spelling the words aloud using the phonograms.
Literature: Pinocchio has been a blast. It is an interesting story with many events you don't see coming. It also does a great job of developing the characters in the story, especially it's central figure. It is a wonderful story for discussing virtue and the consequences connected to poor decisions. There will be an assessment tomorrow to determine student comprehension.
Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren