Phonics

We will begin Unit 7 in Fundations. Unit 7 focuses on open syllable words. Students will read and spell words with open syllables. They will also learn that y often works as a vowel in open syllables, saying the long i sound at the end of one syllable words and the long e sound at the end of multisyllabic words. Unlike previous units, unit 7 is three weeks long and will take us through to Christmas break.

Reading/Writing

We wrapped up Module 1 before Thanksgiving break and will begin Module 2 this week. Module 2 will focus on life in the West for early Americans. Students will ask and answer questions about the text, The Buffalo Are Back. Students will also understand and retell main topics and key events described in the text. 

Math

We are continuing to work on 3-digit addition this week in math. Students will practice regrouping to add 3-digit numbers. Students will also practice solving word problems involving 3-digit addition and rewrite horizontal addition problems vertically to solve.

Religion

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

Science

During Mystery Science this week, students will make hypotheses and investigate the causes of canyons.

With the short week, we will be reviewing previously learned phonics skills, completing different Thanksgiving activities, learning about the man who invented the balloons for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and designing our own balloon, and practicing addition skills in math. 

Phonics

We will continue practicing silent e words. This week we will learn how to read and spell two-syllable silent e words. The trick words for this week are right, place, and together. Our next assessment will be this Friday, 11/21.

Reading/Writing

We will be wrapping up Module 1 this week. Students will be discussing all of the things we have learned about change. Students will also experiment with a variety of sentence lengths, sequence events in a text, and determine the central message of a text.

Math

We continue to practice 3-digit addition this week. Students will use expanded form to add 3-digit numbers and add numbers in the 100s place. Students will also practice adding 10 or 100 mentally and regrouping. 

Religion

We will work through Session 8 in our Finding God textbooks, Jesus Calls Us to Love. Students will discuss the jobs of different church leaders. Students will also explain how the pope is the leader of the Catholic church and how the line of popes traces all the way back to the first apostles.

Science

During science this week, students will explore the phenomenon of flash floods and create an explanation of why these severe weather events are more or less likely in different regions. They specifically attempt to locate and explain a unique region in Texas known as Flash Flood Alley. In the activity, Find Flash Flood Alley, students develop a map to document how land and water interact across the state. Students then use that map to explain how different shapes and kinds of land increase or decrease the chances of rainfall causing a flash flood.

Phonics

We are starting a new unit in Fundations on Monday. This unit focuses on vowel-consonant-e syllable type. This type of syllable has a vowel, then a consonant, then an e (v-e). The first vowel is long and the e is silent. Examples include cape, home, and pine. The trick words for this week are only, house, and move.

Reading/Writing

We are wrapping up our first module about the changing of the seasons. This week students will identify and sequence key details in the text, Sky Tree. Students will also practice identifying and revising missing parts of an informative paragraph.

Math

We will spend Monday and Tuesday reviewing 2-digit subtraction strategies for the exam on Wednesday, 11/12. Please see your child’s home folder for ways to practice at home. We will start 3-digit addition on Thursday. 

Religion

We will be working through session 7 in our Finding God textbooks titled “God Loves You.” We will define the word miracle, and we will also discuss how spending time with God in prayer and at Mass can help us remember how much God cares for each and every one of us.

Science

In our next science lesson, students investigate the effects of rocks tumbling in a river. Based on their observations, they construct an explanation for why there is sand at a beach. In the activity, Rocking the River, students pretend to be a river and tear up pieces of construction paper to model what happens to rocks as they travel along the river.