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Language Arts - Mrs. Matthews

Course Description

 8:15am-9:45am

Posts

Super Kids 3/08/19

Hello Families, 
Due to the snow days last week and the shortened week this week we are extending last weeks lessons into this week. We will also be completing sight word and reading assessments in preparation for teacher conferences. 

Parent Teacher Conferences 3/21 - 3/22

Hello Parents! 
As we move into the week before Spring Break we will be preparing for parent teacher conferences. Conferences will be held on Thursday March 21st and Friday March 22nd.  If you were unable to sign up for conferences, but would like to attend, please email Mrs. Bratt and she will do her best to find you a spot. I look forward to seeing you all again soon!
 
Mrs. Bratt's email: [email protected]

Clubs and Weather update for 3/13/19

 

From Rochelle Goforth: 

Dear Westgate Community,

Due to the predicted inclement weather and unsafe road conditions, all after school clubs and activities have been cancelled for Wednesday, March 13th, 2019.  Please stay safe and thank you for your understanding.  

We will send out any additional updates as needed.

Thank you!

Super Kids 3/11/19

This week we are wrapping up our first book critique by going back over our writing and adding any final touches. This is a simple introduction to the editing step of the writing process. We will celebrate on Friday with a publishing party! Our reading buddies from the 3/4 pod will join us so that we can share our book recommendations with them.

Super Kids 3/4/19

This week we continue our reading and writing adventure as reading critics. We will study our choice of books using story maps to identify details such as characters, setting, problem, and solution. We will then organize our thoughts and  write opinion pieces by retelling and rating our books. 

Super Kids 2/25/19

This week we will continue writing opinion pieces. We will integrate reading over the next several weeks by reading and writing book reviews. 
 
Supporting your students at home
continue practicing sight words at home
read with your atudent and ask them and ask them to rate the story. Have them back up their opinion with details from the book. 

IMPORTANT: Kindness Week 2/11-2/14

We have a lot going on this week so here are a few important reminders:

February 11th-13th is Kindness week! We will be doing Kindness activities all week!

February 13th is Hundreds day! Children are welcome to dress up like they are 100 years old!

We will be providing a 100’s day snack that day, but if your child has allergies or wants to opt out, you can still have them bring their own snack.

February 13th 6pm - 8pm Family Dance! 

February 14th is Valentines day! NO CHILDREN ARE ALLOWED TO BRING VALENTINES!!! Instead, Westgate makes Kindness cards and delivers them to businesses in our community. We will be taking a field trip to the bus barn to pass our kindness cards out! Permission slips should have been sent home in Friday Folders last week. We should be back in time for normal pick up for half day students. I will be reaching out to chaperones this week!

February 15th- NO SCHOOL: Teacher professional Development

February 18th- NO SCHOOL: Presidents day

February 21st- Field trip to Childrens WOW! Museum. Permission slips coming as soon as we have approval of buses. Half day pickup will be later (more information will be on the permission slip).

Super Kids 2/11/19

Hello! 
This week we will continue using what we have learned about the parts of speech to add to our opinion pieces. We will use specific "criteria" to formulate and support our opinions and make decisions. 
 
You can support your student at home by practicing the list of sight words sent home during conferences, reading with your student daily, and asking your student to verbally express their opinion and giving reasons why. 

Super Kids 2/4/19

Hello! 
This week we will use what we have learned about the parts of speech to begin writing opinion pieces. We will learn about "criteria" and how we use criteria to formulate opinions and make decisions. 
Students will read and spell words ending in /er/ and /ed/ such as after, never, better, winter, summer, rested, twisted, planted, printed, acted.
 
You can support your student at home by practicing the list of sight words sent home during conferences, reading with your student daily, and asking your student to verbally express their opinion and giving reasons why. 

Super Kids 1/28/19

Hello! 
This week we are continuing to look at parts of speech in our reading and writing. In previous weeks we have discovered the art of using adjectives to make our writing more interesting. We are continuing to learn about nouns and verbs this week. 
We are using what we know about non-fiction writing to express our opinions backed by research. Students will begin expressing their opinions through writing each day. 
 

Super Kids 1/21/19

Hello!
This week we are continuing to focus on building stamina and knowing when to use each of our reading strategies. We are identifying adjectives and verbs in our reading and transferring that knowledge to our writing. Students will brainstorm interesting adjectives and verbs to make their writing more interesting and expand their vocabulary. We will continue our focus on sentence structure and penmanship. 

Tomorrow is Class Picture Day 1/18/19

Hello Parents,

Just a quick reminder that tomorrow is Class Picture Day. Order forms were sent home on Monday and I have only had 2 students return their order to me. I will be sending home an extra order form with students today so please check your student’s backpack. I have also attached a scan of the directions to order online if necessary.

Kindergarten will be first to have their picture taken so please be sure to arrive to school on time and send the order form with your student.

Thank you so much!

Mrs. Matthews

 

 

Super Kids 1/14/19

Hello and welcome back! 
I am really excited to be back and I hope the kids are too. This week we will be reviewing routines and procedures for reader's and writer's workshop. We will rebuild our stamina after a long holiday break and introduce new reading groups. 

Super Kids 12/10/2018

Hello Parents, 
This week we continue examining non-fiction text features. We learn how to use these features to learn more about our world. This skill will also support us as we prepare to wrap up our Non-Fiction unit before Winter Break. We will be using what we know about non-fiction text features to learn about a subject, organize out thoughts, and write a 5 page book about this subject. Students are expected to have detailed illustrations with labels, begin each sentence with a capital letter, finger space between words, and proper punctuation. Students will write anywhere from 1-3 sentences per page to be successful. I can't wait to see the remarkable writing pieces students create. I will share the end product with you at conferences!
Our Spelling Words for the week are:
bubble, little, candle, pickle, do, have, show, how, me, a
Please be sure to practice reading and writing them at home. 
Thanks!
Mrs. Matthews

Super Kids 12/3/2018

Hello Parents,
This week we are continuing to learn about non-fiction text features including heading, labels, and table of contents. We will grow our reading stamina with a reading goal of 20 minutes! 
Students need more time with words beginning and ending in /ng/ so we will be examining these words in new ways this week. Please practice reading, spelling, and writing the spelling words below:
king, sing, thing, hang, bang, sang, long, song, hung sung. 
 
In writing we are continuing to focus on writing to teach others about the world. We have learned that we are experts at the many things we do each day. Talk with your students about what they are experts at and have them teach you (brushing teeth, lining up, getting dressed, feeding pets). Students will practice strategies to organize their facts, consider their audience, and add details to their writing.