September 6 – 10, 2016 Literacy We have now built our independent writing stamina to 20 minutes! The learners did an excellent job getting their ideas down on paper. One thing I noticed that we do need to work on is making sure we line our words up along the left margin. This week, we are going to work on implementing the station Read to Someone. The learners always love this station! Reading aloud to others help learners become more fluent. Reading aloud also offers the learners the chance to ask one another questions while reading to check for understanding. This is a BIG focus when at this station. Another thing the learners focus on is coaching each other when they come to words they do not know how to read. Science This week, the learners will be learning about fast and slow changes on Earth’s surface. They will be introduced to the process of erosion, as well as the various forces involved with erosion, such as wind, water, ice, and natural disasters. The learners will be looking at various images of landscapes effected by erosion and discussing the changes that took place. It’s important for them to understand that Earth’s surface is constantly changing and all of the changes occur at different speeds. Math The learners are doing well with using base 10 blocks to determine a three digit number. We have recently introduced using base 10 blocks to determine a four digit number. The learns have struggled with this concept. We have worked on it during WIN time, so I have seen some improvement. Please see the second page of the newsletter for an example of what to work on at home (it’s the circled problem at the bottom). You can draw out the blocks and have your child write the number that they equal. Make sure they also read the number out loud. Any four digit number will work.  September 6 – Mammoth Cave Classroom Visit (cancelled due to sick ranger) September 13 – Ms. Mahaney @ Training, Sub – Beth Cline September 16 – Book Order Due The best part of the week was coming back from my training! I certainly missed the kids and was so glad to get back to them! Coming back to a good note was also exciting! 