Discovering in the Rain

Jan 24th
Continent Study: South America

We are continuing to learn about the continent of South America! So far we’ve explored information on different landmarks and people from the continent. Students are beginning to learn about many different South American animals and will watch a fun video presentation on the South American jungle and the animals that live there. Please let me know if you are interested in coming in to teach our students something about South America! We’d love to have you in our class. 

Readers Workshop This week in readers we focused on making connections to new things we are learning in our nonfiction books. Students drew on their own experiences to talk and write about what they were reminded of while reading. They then discussed how that helped them understand a little bit more about their topic. Talk to your student about the connections they’re making by asking what they think of when they read a new fact!

Writers Workshop

In writers workshop this week we continued to strengthen our opinion writing by adding more reasons and examples to support our opinions. Students have been working hard to persuade their readers by making sure their opinion is clearly stated, has at least three supporting reasons and examples, and has a conclusion to restate their opinion. Our class also worked on adding transition words to our writing like and, also and because to make our writing flow more smoothly.

We imagined our writing like an oreo. The outsides are opinions, that we state in the beginning and again at the end. The middle is the best part, with all the examples and details that support our opinion.
Practice this at home with your student – ask about their opinions and make sure they give you reasons to support their stance!

Student of the Week:

Solene has been extra focused on her work and actively engaged in many different lessons, from math to geography to reading! She has been a collaborative learner during work time, often choosing to tackle works as a team with her fellow classmates. Solene has especially been challenging herself in reading by taking risks to read more difficult words and books. Way to go Solene – keep up the hard work!!!