September 16

Here is today's news. I am so silly! I completely forgot to staple the fluency onto the newsletter and homework - even though it was right there! I am attaching it here for those of you who really want to keep up with it and I have already put it in the students' cubbies to go home tomorrow for those of you who will let it wait until tomorrow.

We are working on the water cycle and the forms of water in science. Please let your child do some simple experiments with water.
-Put some water in a bowl near a window and see how long it takes it to evaporate. You might want to put another bowl outside and see if that water evaporates faster or slower.
-Allow your child to freeze some water and observe it melting.
Encourage them to take pictures of it and write about it.

We are learning about landforms in social studies. Let your child find one interesting fact about mountains in general, a mountain range, or an individual mountain to bring in and share with us this week. If you have any pictures of mountains from vacations or places you have lives, please send some to share.

Building Fluency
 Listening to your child read builds his/her fluency and is something you can do to help your student become a better reader. This activity will only take about 2 minutes per evening.
 Set the timer for 1 minute and let your child read without any assistance from you.
 As you listen, circle each word your child misses. However, if your child misses the word, but then corrects himself, do not circle it. When the timer goes off at the end of the minute, mark where the child stopped.  Count the total number of words that your child read and then subtract the number of words you circled.
 We want to see the number of errors go down and the number of words correct per minute (WCPM) go up.
 Your child should read the passage each night, Monday through Thursday. Celebrate with your child as you watch his fluency improve. Students will receive a grade on their fluency readings in class on Mondays. We will let you know your child’s goal and how they will be graded once we start grading procedures.
Practice reading nightly to help your child become a better reader!

Visiting Aunt Rose

My Aunt Rose invited me to spend the weekend. Aunt Rose doesn’t 12
have kids. She said I could be her kid for two days. She’s like my big sister. 29
I like to go to visit my Aunt Rose’s home. She likes to do the same 45
things I like. I like to go swimming. So does my Aunt Rose. The pool where 61
she goes also has a hot tub. I like to sit in the hot tub. So does my Aunt Rose. 84
I always bring my swimming suit when I visit. 90

If your child finishes before the 1 minute, have him/her read it again!


Please do not hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you so much for letting me work with your sweet children every day.