January 13, 2020
Dear Parents, I hope that you had a fun-filled winter break with your families. It is refreshing to start a new year, and I am looking forward to continuing to teach your wonderful children during the remainder of our school year. They settled right back into the routine last week and worked very hard. Here is a look at the week ahead: CURRICULUM Math – Last week in math we continued our unit entitled, “Making Sense of Multiplication and Division.” Students took an assessment on Friday to show their level of understanding in solving multiplication/division word problems, as well as interpreting patterns of multiplication on a hundreds chart. We will spend one more week on this particular unit. This week, students will learn how to multiply by multiples of 10. For example, 3 x 40 = 120. They will also be solving two-step word problems that involve the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Students are writing equations with a letter (variable) to represent the unknown (9 x 8 = y) in the equation. We will have our final assessment in this unit on Friday, January 17 before moving on to a short geometry unit. Thank you for continuing to support your child in learning the multiplication facts. Reading – Students have been researching, taking notes, and drafting an informational essay on the frog (glass frog, Amazon horned frog, or water-holding frog) they chose to become an expert on. On Tuesday, they will take a mid-unit 3 assessment in which they will answer response questions about verb tenses (past, present, and future), as well as write a paragraph about a behavioral adaptation (something the frog does to help it survive) of their frog. During the remainder of the week, students will write the conclusion of their informative essay, revise their essay for spelling, capitalization, punctuation, word choice, and design an eye-catching front and back cover for their Freaky Frog book which will contain several pieces of their writing. Students have really enjoyed learning about the freaky adaptations of their frogs! Social Studies – This past week we began a new social studies unit called “Geography and Environmental Literacy.” Students participated in some hands-on activities to learn more about relative and absolute location which is one of the five themes of geography (Location, Place, Human-Environment Interaction, Movement, and Regions). Relative location describes where something is located in relation to something else whereas absolute location is very precise and uses latitude/longitude coordinates. Spelling Bee – Congratulations to Jane McNabb in our class who participated in the school-wide spelling bee this past Thursday. We are very proud of her! Way to go, Jane!! IMPORTANT DATES Monday, January 20 – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday – No School Tuesday, January 21 – School-wide Clubs – 2:45 – 3:30 pm Thursday, January 23 – STEAM with Mrs. Sollars – 12:40 – 1:25 pm Monday, January 27 – End of Quarter 2 Respectfully, Ms. Underwood
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November 25, 2019
Dear Parents, Although we have a short, two-day week coming up, I thought I would touch base via a short newsletter. I also wanted to wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy some restful and relaxing activities with your loved ones. During this season of gratitude, I want you to know how thankful I am to have the opportunity to teach your sweet children. I feel very blessed. CURRICULUM MATH – Last week in math, we began Unit 4: Making Sense of Multiplication and Division. Students solved partitive division problems (the number of objects in each group is unknown), as well as measurement division problems (the number of groups is unknown) using various strategies. Students are connecting division to multiplication and practicing using formal division terms and notation. For example, the total or product in a multiplication problem is really the dividend in a division problem. The two factors (4 x 5) in a multiplication problem are called the divisor and the quotient in a division problem. As in multiplication, one of the numbers (divisor or quotient) represents the number of equal groups and the other number represents the number of objects in the group. Students have also started taking timed multiplication tests to show fluency with their multiplication facts. Please keep studying those at home. Reading – For the next two days, students will complete the end of Unit 1 assessment for Module 2. Part I of the assessment involves them reading aloud the pourquoi tale they wrote in class. There are several categories on the reading fluency checklist such as self-correcting, reading at an appropriate speed and volume, etc. that they will be assessed upon. Students will write a new pourquoi tale using a planning graphic organizer as Part 2 of the assessment. In Unit 2, we will begin the research process as students learn more about the habitat, physical features, diet, predators, and life cycle of different frogs. Science – We have completed our Earth in the Solar System unit and will begin a new unit this week on matter. Students will understand the structure and properties of solids, liquids, and gases before and after they undergo a change, as well as recognize how energy can be transferred from one object to another. Conferences – I have enjoyed talking to many of you who signed up for conferences about your child’s progress. There are a few parents who have not signed up via the sign-up genius I sent out a few weeks ago. I will be reaching out to you through email to see if we can schedule a time to talk, or you may email me at [email protected] to schedule a time. IMPORTANT DATES Wednesday, November 27 – November 29 – Thanksgiving Holidays – No School Thursday, December 5 – 12:35 – 1:30 - Third Grade Spelling Bee Respectfully, Ms. Underwood October 28, 2019
Dear Parents, It is hard to believe the first quarter will be ending on October 30. I have truly enjoyed teaching your children during these first nine weeks and look forward to the wonderful learning experiences that lie ahead! CURRICULUM Reading – Students have previously written a four-paragraph reading contract stating two reading challenges they have, as well as strategies to overcome these challenges. Students will give and receive peer feedback as they edit one another’s contract this week. They will also use the chrome books to design an eye-catching bookmark that highlights their challenges and strategies to overcome them. We recorded our audio books of Rain School and Nasreen’s Secret School this past Friday. Students will share all their work with you on Thursday as part of our end of Module 1: Overcoming Learning Challenges Near and Far celebration. Math – Students have been practicing strategies such as place value drawings and expanded method to add and subtract. This past Friday they took an assessment that involved applying these strategies to add and subtract when solving word problems. This week, during the second half of this unit, we will focus upon using the number line strategy to add/subtract, as well as using estimation skills to assess reasonable answers. Science – We kicked off our study of “Earth in the Solar System” last week with a fun read aloud about the planets. We also made a model of earth’s solar system using our different size fingerprints and paint as representations of the planets. Our field trip to Morehead Planetarium was a success, and I think students thoroughly enjoyed the two shows we viewed in the dome theater. Both programs were very informative and gave students additional facts on our solar system. READvolution – This is a partnership between Wake County Public Schools and the Carolina Hurricanes to support a community-wide literacy campaign around daily reading outside of school. Please see the info included in today’s folder. Fall/Learning Celebration – Our class will have a celebration to showcase the hard work your children have done during the Module 1 reading/writing unit. On Thursday, October 31, we would like to invite you to join us in Room 3124 (Ms. Underwood’s classroom) at 1:30 p.m. to see the amazing work your children have produced. Students would like to share their reading contracts, eye-catching bookmarks that state their personal reading challenges/strategies to overcome them, and audio books. We look forward to seeing you if you can attend. UPCOMING DATES Tuesday, October 29 – PBIS Assembly (Positive Behavior) – 11:15 – 11:45 am – You have received notification if your child will be receiving an award this quarter. Wednesday, October 30 – STEAM with Mrs. Sollars – 12:40 – 1:25 pm Wednesday, October 30 – Fall Pictures – 2:20 pm Thursday, October 31 – Fall/Learning Celebration – 1:30 pm – Ms. Underwood’s classroom – Room 3124 Friday, November 1 – Teacher Workday – No school for students Monday, November 4 – NC Check-Ins Testing (Math) – see letter in today’s folder Thursday, November 7, Friday, November 8, and Tuesday, November 12 – CogAt Testing – see letter in today’s folder Respectfully, Ms. Underwood October 21, 2019
Dear Parents, I hope you were able to relax and rest a bit this weekend. As we prepare for another week of fun learning experiences, I wanted to give you a peek at the week ahead: CURRICULUM Reading – Last week students identified two of their own reading challenges and strategies they will use to overcome these challenges. They used watercolors to paint an essay in order to understand the structure (organization) they will use to write their reading contracts. Students also drafted their introductory paragraph and proof paragraph 1 (first reading challenge and strategies to overcome it). This week, they will draft proof paragraph 2 (second reading challenge and strategies to overcome it) and the conclusion of their reading contracts. Throughout the week, students will practice fluently reading the excerpt of the text they chose (Rain School or Nasreen’s Secret School) in order to record an audiobook of that text as part of their End of Unit 3 assessment. Math – In our unit on addition and subtraction of whole numbers up to and including 1000, students have been practicing strategies such as using base ten blocks (both physical and virtual ones on the chrome books) and place value drawings to accurately add and subtract. This week, we will focus upon the strategy of expanded method to subtract. We are using the vocabulary word, ungroup, to explain decomposing (breaking apart) 1 ten into 10 ones or 1 hundred into 10 tens when subtracting. I sent a “Math at a Glance” document in a previous email that contains video and vocabulary support on these various strategies I am teaching in class. Science – This week we begin a new science unit entitled “Earth in the Solar System.” This is always an engaging unit with hands-on activities as students learn about four key concepts:
UPCOMNG DATES Tuesday, October 22– School-wide Club Day – 2:45 – 3:30 pm Thursday, October 24 – Field trip to Morehead Planetarium – 9:30 – 1:30 pm – Please arrive at school on time as buses will be leaving campus promptly at 9:30 am for Chapel Hill, NC. Tuesday, October 29 – PBIS Assembly – 11:15 – 11:45 am – This is our positive behavior assembly. I will notify you if your child will be receiving an award at this assembly. Wednesday, October 30 – Fall pictures Wednesday, October 30 – STEAM with Mrs. Sollars – 12:40 – 1:25 pm Thursday, October 31 – Learning/Fall Celebration - 1:30 – 2:30 pm – Please join us in the classroom to celebrate the completion of our Module 1 reading unit, Overcoming Learning Challenges Near and Far. Students have worked hard during this unit and would like to share their audiobooks, eye-catching bookmarks, and written reading contracts with you. We will enjoy some refreshments together as we celebrate. I hope you have a wonderful week! Respectfully. Ms. Underwood October 9, 2019
Dear Parents, I have been enjoying some time with my three-year-old grandson, so I apologize for the delay in sending the classroom newsletter. Listed below are some updates to keep you informed: CURRICULUM Reading – Students have been learning how to write an informative paragraph with a clearly stated focus and facts/details from the text to explain their ideas. They have been taught to organize their paragraphs as follows: introduction sentence, focus statement (main idea sentence), body sentences (explain more about the challenge and how it was overcome), and conclusion sentence. This week, we began Unit 3 in our module on Overcoming Learning Challenges by determining the gist (what the text is mostly about) and central message of a text called More Than Anything Else. This engaging book describes the challenges Booker T. Washington faced with reading. Later in the week, students will write an informative paragraph about the lesson in this book and how it is conveyed through details in the text. Math – For the past week in our graphing unit, students have been interpreting scaled picture and bar graphs. They have been learning how to answer one and two-step “how many more” and “how many less” problems using information from these graphs. We will have an assessment on this short graphing unit tomorrow. In our next unit entitled, “Stories with Addition and Subtraction,” students will learn various strategies to accurately add and subtract whole numbers up to and including 1,000. Social Studies – In our “Civics and Government” unit, students have been researching the responsibilities of the local government, using the Chrome books. We grouped these responsibilities into 4 main categories: Transportation, Safety/Security, Education, and Recreation. We have also been learning about the 3 branches of government – executive, legislative, and judicial – and even made paper bag trees with branches to represent the 3 government branches. UPCOMING DATES Thursday, October 10 - 6:00 - 8:30 pm – United Skates Spirit Night Thursday, October 17 - 5:30 - 7:00 pm - Family Night Sincerely, Ms. Underwood September 23, 2019
Dear Parents, I hope you enjoyed a relaxing weekend with your families. Listed below are the weekly updates for our classroom. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. CURRICULUM Math – Last week we observed some of the multiplication patterns for the 2’s and 5’s by tossing a ball of yarn within the circle to create multiplication circles. Students discovered that the multiplication facts for the 2’s are always even products (the answer in a multiplication problem) and that the products for the 5’s facts always have a 0 or a 5 in the ones place. This week we will find the missing factor. Factors are the numbers being multiplied (one represents the equal groups and the other represents the number in each group). Students will use pop cubes to model multiplication problems to determine if the groups or the number in the groups is the missing factor. Once this info is determined, they will write an equation and solve for the missing factor. We will have an assessment by the end of the week. Reading – Students have been enjoying learning how children in various countries across the world access books in our text called My Librarian is a Camel. On Friday, each student chose a country (Finland, Thailand, or Zimbabwe) and began reading an excerpt from My Librarian is a Camel with their group to determine the gist (what the text is mostly about) to become an expert on their respective country. This week students will practice determining the main idea and explain how key details support it and draft an informative paragraph about their country. Students will take a mid-unit assessment on Wednesday in which they will answer questions and identify the main idea of an informational text. Science – Last week, students learned about the functions of the muscular system. They created a model of the arm using dowel rods, paper clips, a rubber band, and rubber tubing to represent the bones, joint, muscles, and tendons within the arm. This week, we will learn about the largest organ of the human body, our skin, and wrap up our human body unit by the end of the week with a short assessment. UPCOMING DATES Thursday, September 26 – Vision Screening – If your child wears glasses, please make sure he/she brings his/her glasses on this date. Monday, September 30 – Teacher Workday – No school for students Sincerely, Ms. Underwood September 16, 2019
Dear Parents, I hope you enjoyed the beautiful weekend by doing some fun activities with your family. I had a fun time at my grandson’s third birthday party. Listed below is some helpful information for the week ahead: CURRICULUM Reading – Students will complete an end of Unit 1 assessment on Monday in which they will be expected to write short constructed responses to answer questions about the text. We have practiced quite a bit in class using our RACE bookmark to organize the writing. R = Restate the question, A = Answer the question, C = Cite evidence from the text, E = Explain how the evidence supports your answer. In Unit 2 of our “Overcoming Learning Challenges” module, students will practice determining the main idea and explaining how key details support the main idea using an engaging text called My Librarian is a Camel. Math – Students will continue building fluency with the 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s multiplication facts. They are conceptually understanding multiplication by applying strategies such as equal groups drawings, repeated addition, skip counting, and drawing arrays when problem solving. Continue to help your child become fluent with these facts by practicing at home using flashcards. Science – We had fun last week trying to do everyday tasks without the use of some of the joints in our fingers. Students understood firsthand the important role the joints play in helping us to bend and complete activities such as writing, cutting, etc. Students also made a robotic finger in a Mystery Science activity to reinforce the functions of bones, joints, tendons, and muscles. BOG – The Beginning of Grade test in reading will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, September 17. Please make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and eats a nutritious breakfast. We have done a practice activity in class, so students do not need to be stressed about the test. Please have your child leave smart watches and other pieces of technology at home on the testing day. September Homework – The due date for homework is October 1. I accidentally stated September 30 on the assignment which is a teacher workday. UPCOMING DATES Monday, September 16 – Friday, September 20 – Dragonfire Fundraiser Thursday, September 19 – 12:40 – 1:25 p.m. – STEAM activity with Mrs. Sollars Thursday, September 19 – 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Open House for K – 5th grades Thursday, September 19 - 6:30 p.m. – PTA general meeting for all parents Sincerely, Ms. Underwood Dear Parents,
I hope you have enjoyed the beautiful Labor Day weekend and had time to do some fun activities with your families. I was very glad to have an extra day to rest, rejuvenate, and prepare for the coming week. It was a pleasure getting to know your sweet children last week. We engaged in several ice-breaker and problem-solving activities as we began to build community within our classroom. I am extremely excited about the new school year and look forward to helping your children grow socially, emotionally, and academically. I just wanted you to know that we had a fantastic first week of school. Enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend! I look forward to seeing your children tomorrow. Respectfully, Ms. Underwood |
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January 2020
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