Reading/Writing
This week, students began a new reading and writing unit in which we focused on Non-fiction reading and informational writing. The first thing we did to explore these units was familiarize ourselves with the many different types of non-fiction reading we encounter in our daily lives. Whether it's by reading a textbook, recipe, street sign, or set of instructions, students determined many different forms of NF texts throughout their day, and it's important for them to recognize this so they can use this type of reading as a mentor text when doing their own informational writing.. We also went over the five different types of text structures found within NF text (description, cause/effect, problem/solution, compare/contrast and chronological) and worked on identifying these formats in our own reading and writing.
Inquiry
This week, students began their new PYP unit which focuses on How The World Works. During the next few months, students will look at how people use scientific knowledge to respond to a changing Earth, and more specifically, explore the topic of natural disasters. This unit will be an inquiry into the causes of global change, human responses to change, and finally, how we take action. During our first week, students had a provocation in which they explored the contents of an emergency backpack and began gathering background information on the unit by breaking down the theme and central central idea into kid friendly language.
Homework
Please note that over the Thanksgiving holiday break, students will not be coming home with a new list of vocabulary words to study from. However, they will still have a reading log due Tuesday morning, upon their return to school. Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and be surrounded by loved ones, enjoy your time together!
Upcoming Dates
- Wednesday, November 27th- Friday, November 29th- Thanksgiving Break: NO SCHOOL
- Monday, December 2nd- Staff Development: NO SCHOOL
- Tuesday, December 3rd- Reading Logs Due/ No Vocabulary Test
- Tuesday, December 3rd- Picture Re-takes
- Friday, December 26th- Pajama Spirit Day