Phonics

We will begin Unit 9, which focuses on the other r-controlled vowels. Students will practice spelling words with er, ir, and ur, and they will learn the trick words picture, learn, and earth. We will work on reading grade-level decodable texts fluently and will also use spelling option procedures to help determine the correct spelling of the /er/ sound in different words.

Reading/Writing

This week in Wit and Wisdom we will continue working with the text Plains Indians. Students will use the table of contents and other nonfiction text features to help them find information. They will identify the main topic and relevant details and practice choosing the most important information for a paragraph. In their writing, students will use irregular plural nouns and learn to define important terms such as plains, tipis, tribes, fertile, and nomadic.

Math

We will continue working on 3-digit subtraction. Students will practice subtracting 3-digit numbers and rewriting horizontal problems vertically so they can line them up according to place value to solve them accurately. They will also write number sentences to solve word problems using 3-digit subtraction. Our 3-digit subtraction test will be next week on Friday, 1/23.

Religion

This week in Religion, we will begin Session 2 in our reconciliation books. Students will discuss God’s forgiveness and learn how Jesus heals our souls. We will also read the Resurrection story and discuss the three Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation) and how they welcome us fully into God’s family, the church.

Social Studies

We will continue our economics unit by exploring the question, “How are goods made and brought to us?” We’ll learn about important natural resources and how they help our economy grow. Students will create a process diagram and a flowchart to show the steps of how natural resources are turned into the goods we use every day and how those goods travel from their source to the people who buy them.

Phonics

We will begin Unit 8 in phonics this week. Unit 8 focuses on the r-controlled vowels ar and or. Because this unit is only one week long, students will take a phonics test on Friday. The trick words for this unit are world, answer, and different.

Reading/Writing

In Wit & Wisdom, students will continue to learn about the American West. They will write an informative paragraph explaining how people’s actions impacted the American West, make connections between important vocabulary terms, and discuss what life was like for American Indians during this time.

Math

In math, we will be starting our next chapter, which focuses on 3-digit subtraction. Students will learn how to regroup tens for ones and hundreds for tens and apply related addition and subtraction facts to solve problems.

Religion

In religion this week, we will begin our Reconciliation preparation. Students will practice reciting the Act of Contrition with support and learn that God created us to live in friendship with Him. We will discuss how Adam and Eve lost the gift of God’s grace, explore the impact of Original Sin, and define the meanings of reconciliation and sin in age-appropriate ways.

Social Studies

We will begin our next chapter in social studies, which focuses on Economics. Students will explore the question, “How do people use our environment?” They will learn to distinguish between things that come from nature and those made by people, analyze how people live in different environments, and describe how natural resources are used for food, clothing, and shelter. We will also discuss the causes and effects of land, water, and air pollution.

Phonics

We’re aiming to wrap up our unit on open-syllable words. Although we’re scheduled for an assessment on Thursday or Friday, the holiday buzz makes it unlikely that the results would reflect their true understanding. Instead, we’ll act as if we’re preparing for a test and continue practicing open-syllable words, along with our trick words: change, large, eight, city, family, every—and our new ones: carry, something, different.  Please avoid mentioning to students that we are skipping the assessment. 🙂

Reading/Writing

We will take a break from our module on the America West and spend a bit more time this week with our Christmas around the World celebrations, as well as extra Christmas/holiday books. 

Math

We will spend time reviewing addition and subtraction strategies this week. We will also be playing different Christmas themed math games to review previous learned math skills. We will begin our next chapter on 3-digit subtraction after Christmas break.

Religion

We will continue to discuss Advent and complete different Advent activities and how we can prepare for the birth of Jesus.

Phonics

We are continuing to work with words with open syllables. Our trick words for this week are city, every, and family. We will be working with prefixes and determining if the prefix is an open or closed syllable. We will also be using prefixes to determine the meaning of unknown words. Students will also read and spell words where y is a vowel and spells  the long /e/ sound and the long /i/ sound.

Reading/Writing

We will continue to learn about the American West as we describe connections between people, plants, and animals using topic-specific vocabulary. Students will gather evidence from the text to complete an organizer about the impact of people on the environment of the American West.

Math

We will wrap up our chapter on 3-digit addition with a test on Wednesday. We will spend the first part of the week  reviewing different 3-digit addition strategies.

Religion

We are continuing to discuss the season of Advent and how we can prepare our hearts to receive Jesus at Christmas.

Science

During science this week, we will be learning about different holidays from around the world.