Updates

Hello Owl Families,

Here are the updates and in-depth explanations that were mentioned in the newsletter sent home Friday January 8.

Homework notebooks will resume next week.  We will be adding another component to our homework each week.  Xtramath will now be an expectation to complete each week.  I will be looking to make sure they have logged on at least once during the week and done a practice.  Please look for a letter to be sent home on how to access Xtramath.  Your child's password will be taped on the inside cover of their homework notebook.  Thank you for your participation!

I have had some parents ask about the math worksheets that have been coming home each week and why they are not finished and yet still sent home.  These sheets are done during our math workshop time.  During this time, students are expected to do these sheets during their independent work time.  My philosophy during this time is that these sheets are meant for the children to apply and practice what was taught in the lesson and unfinished work is OKAY.  It is not about completion, but application.  Hopefully this clears up questions you may have regarding these sheets.

Math: Your child is learning about place value and numbers to 100.  In this program, children begin by counting tens: 10, 20, 30, 40, and so on.  They use a 10 x 10 grid to help them "see" the relationship between the tens digit in a decade number and the number of tens it has. (See picture below).

Soon, children will link 2-digit numbers to tens and extra ones.  They will learn that a 2-digit number, such as 46, is made up of tens and ones, such as 40 and 6.  Next, children will use what they know about adding 1-digit numbers to add 2-digit numbers (3+4=7, so 30+40=70).  Finally, they will learning to regroup and count on to find a total (see picture below for an example).

Right now, your child may enjoy counting by tens for you.  They may also enjoy using household items to make groups of ten and extra ones, and then telling you the total number.

To help children "see" the tens and ones in 2-digit numbers, we use special drawings of 10-sticks to show tens, and circles to show ones.  These images help children learn place value.  Below are the numbers 27 and 52 shown with 10-sticks and ones.

10-sticks and circles will also be used later to help children solve addition problems that require regrouping.  When there are enough circles to make a new ten, they are circled and then added like a 10-stick.  The problem below shoes 38+5.

Reading:  Each month for the rest of the year we will focus on a very specific comprehension strategy.  This month we are focusing on connections.  Readers make connections all the time when they read, so we will continue to apply this strategy throughout the rest of the year.  Making connections means that a reader connects their background knowledge (known as "schema") to the text they are reading.  The purpose of this strategy is that readers comprehend better when they actively think about and apply their knowledge of the book's topic, their own experiences and the world around them.

How to help your child use this strategy:  Ask these questions:
*What does the book remind you of?
*What do you know about the book's topic?
*Does this book remind you of another book?

Thank you again for your support inside and outside the classroom!  Please let me know if you have any questions! :)