A couple of notes about homework this week:
1. Math homework might be a little sporadic over the next couple of weeks. I often use my own resources and they do not always align with the sequence of the math series, meaning that the homework doesn’t always match. If math pages come home out of order or your child tells you I changed the directions to match how we learned it in class, don’t be surprised.
2. There is a special I Love a Book Day project for Wednesday night’s homework. Make sure you check the blog on Wednesday for some examples to get your creative juices flowing. 🙂
Here is this week’s challenge spelling list. Remember, the challenge spelling words are only for practice at home. There is no separate quiz, but I do love seeing students practice those words on the Monday night homework! Double Consonants (F)
For the next couple of weeks we will be focusing on identifying the main idea of an informational text. In addition to the pizza metaphor I mentioned in this week’s Fridge Notes, we will also be using a special “formula” and graphic organizer to help us break down the text and create a main idea sentence. The formula and graphic organizer utilize color-coding to help the students sort their thoughts. Blue is the topic, red it the point and green is for the supporting details. This is a very structured way to teach the concept of main idea, rather than relying on some of the traditional shortcuts that don’t always work (look at the title, check the first sentence and last sentence, etc.). Below are 2 documents that will help you practice finding the main idea with your child at home. You can use the graphic organizer with any informational text. Start small and pick one page or paragraph to focus on. I included an example graphic organizer to walk you through the format. I will also keep a copy of these documents posted under the “Resources” tab of the blog.