Language Arts: In the month of November we will be reading the book Molly's Pilgrim. We will be continuing to discuss friendships and being a good friend which we began with Frog and Toad. The story is about a young Jewish girl whose family immigrated from Russia in the early 1900's. Her family first lived in New York City and then moved to a suburb of NYC because her father finds a better job and and nicer place to live. The children at the town's school, especially one girl, make fun of Molly because she is different. It is through the children's discussion of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims, that they discover what the word pilgrim really means and that Molly truely is a pilgrim. When working with the Frog and Toad stories we concentrated on the elements of a story. Now we will begin to discuss each or the elements more in depth. In Molly's Pilgrim we will be discussing the characters and their traits. We will also discuss the feelings of the characters and how they change as the story progresses. All of these concepts are also discussed in relationship to each student's experiences in real life and how do our actions and feelings affect our relationships with friends. We will also be talking about immigration to this country and people seeing the Statue of Liberty and going to Ellis Island when they arrived in the US. We will also discuss pre-judging others and how that leads to prejudice. Math: Continue to practice the basic fact. Please keep the flashcards available and in a place where they will not be lost. We have begun the drills to assess each child's progress in learning to the facts for quick recall. We have been studying the various addition strategies. These are to be used to help a child calculate a problem. Once the fact is known and is recalled quickly (lickety-split, a snap of your fingersj) then the strategies don't need to be used. Your child is asked not to use fingers but to try and think of the answer using the strategies. Social Studies: Because of the Presidential Election and our Greenland Veteran's Day celebration,we have been discussing the Symbols of America. The next time you are visiting the building, please take the time to look at all the children's work that is hung on the walls that are outside the gym. They have done a great job! We have discussed the Constitution, the American flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Statue of Liberty, and Uncle Sam. Science: We are discussing New Plants and how they grow. We have observed seeds, both on the outside and the inside. We have also watched a seed begin to grow by planting seeds in a clear cup with a piece of absorbant paper. The children could actually see the seed begin to germinate as it does under the ground in the dirt.