As the holiday season continues, I hope that you and yours will enjoy good health and joyful times together. As for room 13, we have many adventures to share together during the month of December!

We are beginning our studies of the Southeast. We will learn about the geography, climate, economy and history of the region. . If you have visited a region of the U.S. and have some photos to share, let me know when we are studying that area and we'd be very grateful to have a visit from you. In the meanwhile, you can best help your child with this unit by reviewing on a regular basis, having casual conversations about what s/he is learning, and by visiting the website that is supported by the publisher. Just click on the picture of our book!

In science, we are continuing our study of animals. Your child will soon chose an animal to research and will use both books and the internet. S/he will learn to assemble this information to make a Power Point presentation. Don't worry! Both the research and the presentation will be done at school. Don't forget that you can help your child with regular reviews and by using the links from the publisher. Just click on the picture of our book!!

In Language Arts, the children are honing their personal narrative skills. They have learned to write interesting leads, include different types of sentences, and appeal to the readers’ senses. The children are enthusiastic readers and are enjoying our classroom library, choosing books for independent reading. Our class is in the middle of our second round of Literature Circles. The children really enjoy it! I wish you could hear their discussions. They are beginning to make important connections to what they read: text to text, text to world, or text to self. Your child should be able to explain this to you.

In math, we are continuing to explore multiplication and will soon begin division. I am very excited about our online tools that will allow your child more opportunities to practice at any computer. The program also provides parents with an ongoing evaluation of the student’s progress. There are also resource pages that explain each math concept as it is taught in class. Your child took home a letter from me last week with a username and password to access this program. Please let me know if you need a new copy of this information. Also, at this time, it is very important for your child to become proficient with multiplication facts. You can use the Fact Dash website that I have linked to this website. Just go to my homepage and click on Mathematics.

Please accept my very best wishes for a Happy Holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Let me know through e-mail, by phone, or a note if there is anything I can do to help make this a good year for your child. Thank-you for your continued support. Happy Holidays to you and yours!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Malone