Dear Families,

We had a very good first full week of school.  We are still getting to know each other, but have started some academic work in math, reading, and writing.  In math we have been working on place value, adding, and rounding.  In reading, we’ve been learning to pick just right books, and in writing we’ve had the opportunity to free write and make up characters.

Next week we will start homework.  Students will be expected to read Monday – Thursday for 20 minutes per day and to fill out a reading log.  They have seen this modeled in class and practiced on their own.  It requires students to complete a summary (1-2 sentences) and response (1-2 sentences) to their reading.  In addition to reading, students will be asked to work on Dreambox for 20 minutes per night.  Dreambox is an online math program.  Students will have logged in and tried this in class, so there shouldn’t be any issues.  Homework can be very stressful, don’t let it be!  Feel free to read with or to your child.  It’s okay for your child to dictate their reading log to you.  Complete the Dreambox activities together.  If homework becomes a struggle, let me know and I’ll make adjustments for you.

I have a twitter handle: @JosephCheney151  I’ve posted classroom pictures to my twitter account and I’m working on linking my twitter account to this blog by the end of next week.

In a previous post I mentioned spelling.  The Lighthouse 4th grade teachers are considering a new approach to spelling that may be more vocabulary based.  We are not yet ready to roll that out, so spelling will not be starting next week.

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Cheney