Happy Monday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I hope you had time to preview Trimester One Report Cards. I will see everyone in February for our second trimester conferences. I am available to answer any questions you may have.
In Reading and Writing Workshop we have begun a Realistic Fiction Unit. This week we have identified which books constitute being realistic fiction or not.  Realistic has been identified as what could really happen. We then extended our conversations into identifying the problems and solutions for our character. We used a chart to help us sort out the components of the books, which we will then use as a structure to help us with writing. The areas talked about were title, setting, characters, problem and solution. Please try to incorporate the same conversations at home with your child when they are reading.
In Math, we have begun learning the quarter hour. Remember telling time by the five minute increment is exactly the same as counting nickels. I try to incorporate as much repetitive experiences to such difficult  concepts. We have been counting by fives for a while. I just put the same skill onto the clock. We are presently learning how to tell time to the quarter hour. Please help your child recognize quarter hour on an analog clock only. They can also review half hour as well. Enjoy the pictures of the students sharing their SPCA information at Town Meeting.

In our Solar System study we learned all about the moon. Ask your child about the moon. The full moon was this past week. It was the beaver moon. It was named after the beavers actively preparing for winter. Please watch our Human Body voice thread project we completed.