This Weeks Reading Selection: “Patriotism”  

Summary: We can show respect for our family in many different ways.   

Essential Question: How do you show your respect for our country?  

Vocabulary Focus: The words below appear in this week’s reading selections.  

anthem           noun    a song that is important to a group of people   

environment   noun    the community around you   

exist                verb      to be real or present   

honor               verb    to show respect to people who are admired or things  

                                              that are loved    

operates         verb   functions or behaves in a particular way   

patriotism      noun     love that people feel for their country   

represent       verb   to stand for something   

salute             verb    a sign of respect by moving your right hand to your   

                                  forehead at an angle    

Phonics Focus: Your child will learn the prefixes un- and dis-   

Writing: Your child will be doing some different types of poetry.  They will write an acrostic, couplet and an “I am” poem.   

Grammar: Your child will learn how to change verbs to the past tense. For most verbs, add -ed to the end of the verb (jump→jumped, race→raced)  

Reading: We will look at different types of poetry.   

This Weeks Reading Selection: “How Animals Move” 

Summary: Animals move in many different ways, including swimming, walking sideways, jumping, waddling, and slithering.  

Essential Question: What parts of your body help you move? 

Vocabulary Focus: The words below appear in this week’s reading selections. 

downy      adjective      soft  

length      noun            the distance from the end of one thing to the other end

nectar      noun            a thick, sweet liquid  

scales      noun           small pieces of skin on bodies of animals like fish or                                            snakes  

sleek        adjective     smooth and straight in shape  

slither       verb            to move by sliding on the ground  

propel       verb            to push  

sprint        verb             to run very fast in a short distance  

webbed    adjective      having pieces of skin that connect all of the toes on                                               foot 

Phonics Focus: Your child will learn sounds and spellings for the /ow/, /aw/, and /oi/ sounds. 

HAVE your child name a word that contains each sound/spelling. 

Writing: Your child will prewrite, draft, revise, edit, and publish his or her opinion piece about whom he or she would like to invite to their class 

Grammar: Your child will learn that we can put two words together to make one shorter word called a contraction (I am→I’m, we will→we’ll, you are→you’re). We will also look at antonyms and synonyms. 

Reading: We will look at Main idea and supporting details. 

This Weeks Reading Selection: “Gecko Toes and Dragonfly Eyes” 

Summary: Some animals can taste, touch, smell, see, and hear like we do 

Essential Question: How do animals taste, touch, smell, see, or hear? 

Vocabulary Focus: The words below appear in this week’s reading selections. 

beak               noun           the hard and pointed part that covers a bird’s mouth 

 believe          verb             to accept as true  

energy           noun            something that can cause change or power 

notes              noun           specific musical sounds  

pecks             verb             strikes sharply  

resting           verb             to stop moving and sit or lie on something  

sensitive       adjective       easily affected by something happening around you  

tie                   verb             to make a knot in something so that it stays in place 

Phonics Focus: Your child will learn the /͝/ sound spelled oo, u, and _ue.

Writing: Your child will begin writing an opinion by writing a book report about his or her favorite book. He or she will complete the prewriting and drafting steps of the writing process.

Grammar: Your child will learn how to expand sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs. 

Reading: We will continue looking at the structure of non-fiction text. 

This Weeks Reading Selection: “Protective Plants” 

Summary: Some parts of plants, such as roots, spines and thorns, thick stems, thin stems, trunks, and bark, help protect plants from dangers, such as bad weather and insects.  

Essential Question: Why would plants need to protect themselves? 

Vocabulary Focus: The words below appear in this week’s reading selections. 

defend               verb             to protect  

digest                 verb             o break down food so it can be used by the body  

growth                noun            the process of developing or changing  

harm                   verb             to cause injury  

important            adjective       having a lot of meaning, worth, or value  

layers                  noun             parts that lie over or under  

respond               verb              to react to something that happened  

spines                   noun            the sharp points on an animal or a plant  

system                 noun             a group of related things that work together 

Phonics Focus: Your child will learn the /͝/ sound spelled oo, u, and _ue  

Writing: Your child will begin writing an opinion by writing a book report about his or her favorite book. He or she will complete the prewriting and drafting steps of the writing process 

Grammar: Your child will learn how to expand sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs 

Reading: We will look at the structure of non-fiction text. 

Big Idea: How do the parts of a plant help it grow?

• This week’s reading selection: "Protective Plants"
• Summary: Some parts of plants, such as roots, spines, thorns, thick stems, thin stems, trunks, and bark, help protect plants from dangers, such as bad weather and insects.
• Essential Question: Why would plants need to protect themselves?

Vocabulary:
The words below appear in this week’s reading selection.

• defend (verb) to protect
• digest (verb) to break down food so it can be used by the body
• growth (noun) the process of developing or changing
• harm (verb) to cause injury
• important (adjective) having a lot of meaning, worth, or value
• layers (noun) parts that lie over or under
• respond (verb) to react to something that happened
• spines (noun) the sharp points on an animal or a plant
• system (noun) a group of related things that work together

Phonics:     This week we will learn the silent sounds of wr, gn, and mb.

Writing: Students will begin writing an opinion by writing a book report about our weekly reading. They will complete the prewriting and drafting steps of the writing process.  

Grammar: Your child will learn how to expand sentences by adding adjectives and adverbs.

Looks like we are ready for a fun week of sounds, words, reading and writing.

With last week being a three day week, and this week being shortened with a field trip in the middle of our four-day week, we will finish up some of the skills from our current unit and start our next one.  The majority of the topics are the same as below. 

Summary: Ms. Novak and her students talk about where their families came from, including places such as Poland, China, India, Russia, Haiti, Nigeria, and Egypt. Everyone is surprised when twins Bella and Nick reveal their family is soon moving to Japan. 

Essential Question: How do people connect to the heritage of their family? 

Phonics: Focus: Your child will learn the following sounds and spellings: /s/ spelled cy; /ā/ spelled ai_, _a

High-Frequency Words: could, day, way

Writing: Your child will write a summary of “Family Roots.”

Grammar: Your child will review declarative (telling), interrogative (asking), exclamatory (strong feeling), and imperative (command) sentences. 

We have a fun week planned for literacy 🙂

This week’s reading selections: Family Roots 

Summary: Ms. Novak and her students talk about where their families came from, including places such as Poland, China, India, Russia, Haiti, Nigeria, and Egypt. Everyone is surprised when twins Bella and Nick reveal their family is soon moving to Japan. 

Essential Question: How do people connect to the heritage of their family? 

Phonics: Focus: Your child will learn the following sounds and spellings: /s/ spelled cy; /ā/ spelled ai_, _a

High-Frequency Words: could, day, way

Writing: Your child will write a summary of “Family Roots.”

Grammar: Your child will review declarative (telling), interrogative (asking), exclamatory (strong feeling), and imperative (command) sentences. 

We have a fun week planned for literacy 🙂

 DISCUSS with your child the characteristics of the place where you live.

• This week’s reading selection: Be My Neighbor
• Summary: Neighborhoods around the world share common features, but are different in many ways.
• Essential Question: How are neighborhoods around the world similar to and different from each other?
• Phonics: Focus: Your child will learn the following sounds and spellings: /ē/ spelled e. e_e, ee, _y and ea
• High-Frequency Words: : come, every, going, here, me, pretty, some, too
• Writing: Your child will be presenting their persuasive posters and starting their summary about the story, “Be My Neighbor”
• Grammar: Your child will review simple sentences and subject-verb agreement. Every sentence has two parts—a naming part and an action part, and the subject and verb must agree. (The puppy sleeps
• on the rug.)

We have a fun week planned for literacy 🙂

 DISCUSS with your child the characteristics of the place where you live.

• This week’s reading selections: The Zoo Trip. Summary: Mr. Huff’s class takes a trip to the local zoo. They use a map to help them tour the zoo.
• Essential Question: Why would a map be useful at a zoo?
• Phonics: Focus: Your child will learn the following sounds and spellings: /ō/ spelled o, o_e; /ū/ spelled u, u_e.  Have your child find words that contain these sounds/spellings in children’s books or magazines.
• High-Frequency Words: Have your child practice reading the word over.
• Writing: Your child will prewrite and draft a persuasive poster
• Grammar: Your child will capitalize the days of the week and months of the year and correctly use commas in dates (Sunday, January 1, 2017).

We have a fun week planned for literacy 🙂

 DISCUSS with your child the characteristics of the place where you live.

• Big Idea: What places make up a community? There is one Big Idea question for every three weeks of instruction. Your child should think about the ways each reading selection can answer this question.
• This week’s reading selection: City Life and Town Life Summary: The characteristics of a large city (New York City) and a small town (Alden, New York) are compared and contrasted. Essential Questions: How is living in a city different from living in a small town? How is it the same?
• Essential Questions:  How is living in a city different from living in a small town? How is it the same?

• Phonics: Your child will learn the following sounds and spellings: /ī/ spelled i, i_e; /s/ spelled ce, ci_; and /j/ spelled ge, gi_. Words to practice blending with your child include find, mild, bike, five, ice, cent, circus, circle, page, large, margin, and ginger
• High-Frequency Words: Have your child practice reading the following words: after, go, make, ride, them, walk, we, well, you.

• Writing: Your child will complete each step of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and presenting) to write an opinion statement using, “Would you rather” statements.
• Grammar: Your child will learn that names of people and proper nouns need to be capitalized (Anna, Marcus, Central Park, Empire State Building).

We have a fun week planned for literacy 🙂