Humanities

We have kicked off the year with a couple of weeks of inquiry work that have proven to be challenging and rewarding for students and teachers alike. It is exciting to watch those skills taking root as the students are developing their ability to ask good, investigable (ask them to define that one for you) questions and think about how to answer those questions. While they are getting a chance to use these skills in science, we are focusing on the social sciences - geography, history, sociology, etc. - to hone those skills; skills that will prove useful time and again. Students will continue practicing these skills this week as we gear up for the assessment scheduled for next Tuesday. Please check in your child's planner daily to see if he or she has work due the next day.

Literacy

We have been taking our literacy block to zero in on reading and writing skills. The students did a nice job practicing the skills of making inferences (crucial not only in reading text, but also in reading people and situations) first with political cartoons, and then with short informational and literary texts. We also have been using this time to set some independent reading goals and allow time for free reading to progress toward those goals. After all, what better way to strengthen a skill than to practice it. Please encourage your child by talking about his or her reading at home. This week, we will be delving into short pieces of text, making claims, and finding the evidence in the text to help support those claims. Please check planners, as there will likely be some writing tasks that need to be completed outside of class.

As always, feel free to be in touch with any questions,

Ms. Fabri & Mr. Dabritz