Website: stjamesschoolah.org/author/ccastladi Miss Castaldi’s Classroom News The Week of November 11th, 2016 Email: ccastaldi@stjamesschoolah.org Website: stjamesschoolah.org/author/ccastladi Our Learning… Reminders Reading-  Students had such a fun time learning about character traits.  Students learned how authors use rich description and dialogue in the text to show a character’s personality traits and physical traits.  Students even had the chance of examining their own character traits to create a “character trait silhouette.”  We also learned how mood is created with the an author's word choice.  Students learned that mood impacts a reader’s emotional response to a story.  They were particularly excited to hear one of my childhood stories and decide what the mood of the story was. Math- In math this week, students began their unit on multiplication. They learned about two strategies that they can utilize when trying to solve a multiplication problem. The first strategy that they learned was using hands on models. Students were able to understand how to represent a total amount within equal groups. The second strategy they learned this week was to use repeated addition. They were able to see how addition and multiplication are related and ultimately, it they know how to do addition they actually already know how to multiply! ELA- This week in English, students continue to work on the writing process. They were able to use either their narrative or persuasive graphic organizer to write their first draft. Students added in more descriptive details as they were writing their drafts. Next week, we will be focusing on revising and editing! In word study, students concluded their first prefixes unit. They worked on creating more words with the given prefixes and also practiced their prefix meanings through games. We will be back to our normal Word Study routine next week. Social Studies- In social studies this week, students continued researching their tribes in their groups. They found interesting information through various texts on food, clothing, housing, history, music, dance, and religion. The students enjoyed learning more about their tribe’s culture! Religion- This week in religion, students learned about ways that we can serve in God’s Kingdom. They reflected on small acts of kindness that they do every day and how that affects others. Students also learned about the accomplishments of St. Benedict and St. Scholastica and how we still feel their influence today. Thank you for attending conferences this week and discussing your child’s growth this trimester. Thank you so much for your time and support! Our class is collecting canned fruit for the St. Vincent De Paul food drive. Any contributions are greatly appreciated! Special Lunch is on Friday. If you did not order, please pack your child a lunch as Quest hot lunch will be unavailable. On Friday, students are encouraged to wear a RED top with their uniform bottoms. We will be wearing RED to celebrate Cardinal Cupich. We have Reconciliation with Fr. Matt on Tuesday, November 15th. Please practice the Act of Contrition With you child in preparation of this day. Our Learning Our Learning Upcoming Monday 11/14 Reading Log Due Thursday 11/17 Session 7 Religion Quiz Friday 11/18 Wear RED in honor of Cardinal Cupich; Word Study Test; Simple Solutions Quiz; & Special Lunch