We are off to a great start this Monday morning. The class spent our math time learning about the basics of division. This is a hard concept and confuses some, especially after just learning the foundations of multiplication. However, once the students understand that multiplication and division can be used together as inverse operations, their little minds start to thrive.
The class will continue to work with non-fiction text this week during reading. We will be learning about how technology has changed many sports by allowing equipment to improve to protect athletes. For example, the football helmet was just an old piece of leather, and now it has special padding and provisions to protect the heads of those playing the sport.
In social studies we will continue to learn about economics and how money is used and earned. Specifically this week, the students will be learning about the differences between goods and services, consumers and producers, and how they play a role in our economy.
A couple of weeks ago we started rotating classes during our 30 minute math MTSS time to meet the needs of all students. This rotation time allows for students to revisit or extend concepts previously learned in third grade. I am excited to announce that today we will start this same concept with reading. Our team has gone through all the MAP assessment scores and determined that our lowest area for comprehension is when we read informational text. Each of the 6 teachers will be addressing informational text during the next several weeks and working on deepening the understanding for each student. Within those six classes we are also breaking out specific skills as well. For example, there are several students who need a deeper understanding of phonemic awareness and how letters work together to form words. Another group will be working on developing their fluency when reading, and a third group will work on specific vocabulary development. These groups have been formed reflecting the MAP scores and in some cases we have test more specific skills (like the phonics, and fluency). During this 30 minute time frame you can know that your child will be getting what they need to fill in cracks or strengthen their overall reading and comprehension skills.