September 23-28 Weekly Highlights

This week we will read the informational text called Whose Habitat Is It?, a passage from the news magazine, Time for Kids.  The comprehension strategy will be identifying the main idea and supporting details.  The main idea of a passage is often stated in a sentence within the passage or sometimes students need to infer. It helps readers understand the most important idea about what is being read. The other sentences of the passage include pieces of information that tell more about the most important idea. These are called the supporting details.

Understanding the general idea of a text can be tricky for beginning, emerging, or even advanced readers. It can require time, brain power, and hard work to determine the main idea of a passage. Learning how to use the main idea and supporting details is an essential piece to a reader’s success in comprehending text. We will practice this strategy by first identifying the topic, then the most important idea about the topic, which is usually a sentence.  Next, we identify the details, facts, and bits of information about the main idea as the supporting details.

The spelling words come from Unit 1, Week 3, Whose Habitat Is It?  These words follow the long a spelling pattern.  As always, fun practice and the list of words are at spellingcity.com.  Students also have the pre-test from Monday and should practice the words they have not mastered for the Friday spelling test.

We are continuing chapter 1 in GOMath, which is addition and subtraction within 1,000.  Students learn many different strategies to find the sum and difference.  They learn to estimate first to see if their answer is reasonable and they have a multitude of strategies to choose from to help them solve the equation. 

We will spend all week on the science topic of Natural Resources.  The vocabulary words are on the blog (posted on 9-22) and students will also have a Summary Sheet ,which can be used as a study guide.  At this point, the chapter test will be Tuesday, October 2 (subject to change).

REMINDER: Frankenmuth Fundraiser forms are due Monday, September 24.