Huzarsky’s Happenings

Dear Parents,                                                   01/30/13                                                          

So many new and interesting things have been happening in Room 19 and I’m so excited to share them with you today!  Read on to learn about what your child has been doing across the curriculum.

We began a writing unit on Persuasive Essays in our writing workshop last week.  Wait until you see your child’s final essays…they are amazing!  The kids are choosing various topics of interest to them and I must say they are very convincing!  They are learning the structure of a persuasive essay by using a graphic organizer, writing a rough draft, revising and editing and finally word processing them using Microsoft Word in the Computer Lab.  Look out for the published pieces which will be going home next week…I am looking forward to reading your responses! Next up is our Poetry unit!!!  Stay tuned for more information regarding our upcoming unit of study in our writing workshop.  Writing Rules!!!

In our Reading Workshop we are focusing on the skill of inferencing.  We are currently reading various types of texts to make inferences.  We are learning to infer by using the clues the author is giving up combined with our prior knowledge.  If you put the two together…voila…you made an inference!  In conjunction with our upcoming writing unit of study we will be focusing on Poetry in our Reading Workshop.  Look out for more information regarding fun poetry activities in the upcoming few weeks!  Reading Rocks!!!

Fractions have taken us over in Room 19!  We’ve learned how to compare them, find equivalent fractions, and find fractions of a group and more.  We will be having a few quizzes throughout this unit and I will let the kids know in advance so they can study.  In addition to our regular unit of study, some of the kids are challenging themselves with our new weekly Challenge Your Mind math packets.  The kids are being encouraged to work on it when they are finished with their class work and homework.  Math Mania!!!

Science has been sensational!!! We are learning all about simple machines in both the Science Lab with Mrs. Otto and in our classroom.  In the lab we have been doing hands-on experiments by going to different stations and utilizing the six different types of simple machines to notice how they make work easier.  We went on a simple machine scavenger hunt in our classroom yesterday.  The kids had a blast while searching for everyday items in our classroom that help make work easier.  You can challenge your child by having them search through the different rooms of your home for items that contain the following simple machines: wheel and axle, lever, inclined plane, screw, pulley and wedges. We’re Science Sleuths in Room 19!!!

We’ve been exploring Explorers over the past few weeks.  We are currently working in cooperative learning groups to research a famous European explorer and create unique and colorful posters based on different aspects of their lives. 

Talent Tuesday’s has been a big hit so far in our classroom!  We have watched kids sing, dance, and show you tube clips of them playing a sport or playing a musical instrument. Please encourage your child to share their special and unique talent with us at Tuesday’s from 2:30-2:50.  Any talent is welcome and appreciated!!!

Thank you all so much for your dedication and participation in your child’s learning process.  This has been an amazing year so far and it only keeps getting better and better!  Have a fabulous weekend! J

Sincerely,

Ms. Huzarsky