October News

October is here and we are settling well into our routines. I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful group of hard workers this year! We would like to congratulate Kareem and Ibrahim for winning Student of the Month for September (off to a great start). Both boys exhibited a strong work ethic by setting goals for themselves and achieving them Great things are happening in our classroom at Davis!

Language

This month our morning class is beginning to learn about Writer's Workshop. We have begun to establish a strong foundation for writing by learning how to properly edit, capitalize proper nouns and sentences, and use proper punctuation. Now it is time to turn on our imaginations and create stories for out writing portfolio. Ask you child about Writer's Workshop and what their portfolio is. We are also continuing our exploration of story elements and text features.

Our afternoon class is working equally hard in exploring language and grammar skills. We have also increased our stamina for daily writing. The grade sixes are beginning their first novel of the year "My teacher is an alien." Ask your child what Science Fiction is. We will be learning how to properly conduct Literature Circles whilst we read this novel so that we can include as many novel studies this year as we can.


You can support your child at home with literacy by having them read daily to you and asking questions before, during, and after reading. For more information about click or visit the following websites:

http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/learning-disabilities/types/reading/reading-strategies/
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/learning-disabilities/helping-children-with-learning-disabilities.htm
http://www.readingrockets.org/article/reading-tips-parents

These sites contain a wealth of information and strategies to assist a child with learning difficulties.

Math

This month we will be transitioning from our Patterning work to Numeracy skills. I believe that daily practice of basic facts (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) is essential for success in Math. I also believe that anyone can learn with practice. Here are a number of online links which can help you support your child at home:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/maths/
http://www.primaryinteractive.co.uk/maths.htm
http://www.crickweb.co.uk/ks2numeracy.html
http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/
http://www.brainpopjr.com/math/numbersense/

Grade 6s only:   http://www.coolmath.com/algebra/09-solving-quadratics/index.html