During our reading time, students have the opportunity to read from self-selected books. However, each week we focus on a couple of different reading strategies, and students are also expected to read one of the stories in our Storytown anthology. Students have now been set up so they can access an online version of the Storytown book, which would allow them to preview stories, reread stories, and review vocabulary as needed. Students also have access to the spelling pages they have as part of their spelling packet each week. This week, we were working with Lesson 13, so next week we will be on Lesson 14.
To access the Storytown materials, go to http://www-k6.thinkcentral.com. You can find a quick link to this site on the Class Resources page under Reading. Students will need to choose our school district, our school, and then log in with their usual computer username and password.
I would love to hear how students are using the materials, and if there are any problems. If students have forgotten their computer usernames and passwords, I can give students that information to take home. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.
Special Events next week
Next week, there are several special events for our classroom. Here's a quick run-down of events:
Tuesday - Music concert at 1:10 pm.
Wednesday - Band/Orchestra concert at 1:10 pm.
Friday - Mr. Wilcoxen is taking all of the 4th grade students on a concert tour to various places around town. Students will leave at 9:00 a.m. and will return to school at 1:00 pm. The plan is to stop for lunch at the McDonald's. Students will want to bring some money to purchase a lunch that day.
How You Can Help:
This week, since students have access to the Storytown reading materials, it might be beneficial to have your student log on to review the reading materials and discuss the reading strategy we have been discussing in class. Both this week and next week our focus is on drawing conclusions as we read, as well as reading ahead to help us figure out parts or words that are confusing.
Next week:
In Reading, we will continue to practice drawing conclusions and reading ahead.
In Writing, we will continue to explore word choice.
In Math, we are working through Unit 6, which focuses on division and measuring angles.
In Science, we will begin to wrap-up our unit on the Solar System.