Newsletter

April 2024

Students learned about simple compound words. They drew illustrations for words (e.g., cup and cake), defined the words, and then put the words to make a compound word (e.g., cupcake). Students learned that the definition of the two words changes when put together. As students were trying to identify compound words discussion arose, and they knew both words have to have a meaning. One student asked, is Monday a compound word? As we learned "Mon" is not a definable word. I was proud of that student for taking a risk and seeking clarification, they taught the entire class something valuable. They were applying word attack strategies, looking for words in words to help us decode, as we learned compound words need two definable words. Compound words help improve spelling skills and vocabulary. Ask your student to identify them when they are reading to you.

As students are "stretching" their ideas, their writing pieces are growing, pictures and words are matching, capitalization is used at the beginning of a sentence, appropriate spacing, and thinking about punctuation at the end of a sentence and which is the best fit.

Students completed another narrative piece of writing about activities over Spring Break. Most recently studnets wrote an opinion piece. Their opinions of an Eric Carle book titled, The Very Quiet Cricket are posted on our classroom author and illustrator's wall!

A FEW BOOK TITLES WE'VE READ:

• One Lighthouse One Moon by Anita Lobel
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
• Throw Your Tooth on the Roof Tooth Traditions from Around the World by Selby B. Beeler
• Tell Me More about Ramadan by Bachar Karroum
• Mouse Makes Magic by Kathryn Heling