Foundational Skills/Phonics: This week in our phonics and spelling block, we will be learning the "Find Gold" rule, which focuses on words with a long vowel followed by two consonants—like child, find, and gold. We'll introduce this rule on Monday.

• On Tuesday, we are excited for our field trip!
• On Wednesday and Friday, we’ll learn two important heart words: "does" and "goes".
• On Thursday, students will take their end-of-year spelling assessment to show what they’ve learned and practiced throughout the year.

Thank you for your continued support!

Reading: This week in Reading, we will be exploring poetry! On Monday, students will learn the basics of a poem, including rhyme, rhythm, stanzas, and lines.

As the week continues, we’ll dive into different poetic devices:

• Onomatopoeia (words that imitate sounds)
• Similes and metaphors (comparisons that create imagery)
• Alliteration (repeated beginning sounds in words)

We’re excited to help students discover the fun and creativity in reading and understanding poetry!

Writing: This week in Writing, students will have time to finish any pieces they’ve been working on this quarter. They may choose to complete their couplet poem, haiku, or the informational paragraph for their Passion Project.

Grammar: Students have been working on important skills that build a strong foundation for using dictionaries and other reference tools. Now that they’ve mastered alphabetizing, we’ll move on to learning about guide words and the different parts of a dictionary entry.

Foundational Skills/Phonics: This week, students will learn to read -ough words with the /aw/ sound (like thought and brought) and the long ō sound (like dough and although). They’ll also work on identifying words that share the same base and understanding how their meanings are related. In addition, we’ll introduce the heart word some and review open and closed syllables.

Reading:  This week, we will read, “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp” one last time and discuss the setting and the plot. Then we will begin a new text, “Cinderlad.”

Summary: In this twist on the classic tale “Cinderella,” a young knight triumphs over his older brothers by scaling a glass mountain to win the princess’s hand in marriage.

DISCUSS with your child how the story of Cinderlad is similar to and different from Cinderella stories he or she has heard.

While reading this text, we will work on different comprehension skills each day. Our comprehension skills this week:

• Making and revising predictions
• Using context clues for vocabulary words.
• Identifying the sequence of events using time and order words.
• Identifying the point of view (first person or third person).

Writing: In writing, students will continue working on their informational paragraphs for their Passion Projects. They are using the TIDE strategy: Topic sentence, Information (fact), Detail, and Ending sentence. To build a strong 8-sentence paragraph, students will repeat the "Information + Detail" part three times, helping them clearly organize and explain facts about their topic.

Grammar: Students are continuing to practice alphabetizing words. Last week, they learned to put words in order using the first letter. This week, they'll take it a step further by using the first two letters to alphabetize more accurately. These skills help build a strong foundation for using dictionaries and other reference tools.

Foundational Skills/Phonics: This week, students will learn to read and spell words with -augh (such as caught, taught, daughter, etc.). Students will also learn about the suffixes -able and -ment.

Reading:  This week, we will continue reading the text, “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.”

Summary: Heartbroken King Shahryar has resolved to marry a different woman each day and then banish her from the kingdom forever. The clever Scheherazade manages to escape this fate by telling the king an intriguing tale about a boy named Aladdin and a genie who grants wishes.

While reading this text, we will work on a different comprehension skill each day. Our comprehension skills this week:

• Summarizing
• Inferring
• Plot & Setting

DISCUSS with your child what things he or she would wish for if any wish could be granted.

Writing: Our class will continue our poetry unit this week. Your child will finish a draft of their haiku, then revise, edit, and publish. Your child will focus on precise sensory images when writing poetry. Later in the week, students will use their writing time to write their paragraphs for their Passion Projects.

Grammar: Your child will learn to alphabetize words. We will first learn how to use the first letter of each word to put words in alphabetical order. We are building dictionary skills.

Foundational Skills/Phonics: This week, students will learn to read and spell words -oy (such as boy, joy, royal, etc.). Students will also learn about the suffixes -ly, -y, and -able.

Reading:  This week, we will continue reading the informational text, “I Pledge Allegiance.”

Summary: Many people recite the Pledge of Allegiance automatically, without thinking about the words they are saying. This selection examines each phrase of the pledge and explains its meaning.

While reading this text, we will work on a different comprehension skill each day. Our comprehension skills this week:

• Making Connections
• Compare & Contrast
• Text Features & Language Use

Then we will begin a new text, “Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp.”

Summary: Heartbroken King Shahryar has resolved to marry a different woman each day and then banish her from the kingdom forever. The clever Scheherazade manages to escape this fate by telling the king an intriguing tale about a boy named Aladdin and a genie who grants wishes.

While reading this text, we will work on a different comprehension skill each day. Our comprehension skills this week:

• recount key ideas or details from the Read Aloud selection.
• Predicting

DISCUSS with your child what things he or she would wish for if any wish could be granted.

Writing: Our class will continue our poetry unit this week. Your child will plan and draft a haiku. A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry traditionally consisting of three lines with a syllable structure of 5-7-5. It is unrhymed and often focuses on nature or a specific moment in time, aiming to capture a feeling or image. Your child will focus on precise word choice when writing poetry.

Grammar: Your child will learn to describe shades of meaning between closely related verbs (e.g., toss, throw, hurl) and closely related adjectives (e.g., thin, slender, skinny, scrawny.)

Foundational Skills/Phonics: This week, students will learn to read and spell words with -all (such as call, fall, ball, etc.), and –oi (such as boil, join, and point, etc.). Students will also learn about the suffixes –er and –or, and –ness. 

Reading:  This week, we will begin a new informational text, “I Pledge Allegiance.” 

Summary: Many people recite the Pledge of Allegiance automatically, without thinking about the words they are saying. This selection examines each phrase of the pledge and explains its meaning. 

While reading this text, we will work on a different comprehension skill each day. Our comprehension skills this week:  

• Asking and Answering Questions 

• Making Connections 

• Vocabulary 

• Main Idea and details 

Writing: Our class will continue our poetry unit this week. Your child will finish a two-line poem (a couplet). Then we will plan and draft a haiku. 

Grammar: Your child will learn that a compound sentence is formed by using a comma and a conjunction to combine two related sentences. 

Foundational Skills/Phonics: Last week students learned about compound words, synonyms, antonyms, and multiple-meaning words. This week students will learn about homophones, prefixes dis, un, non, & re. Students will also learn to read and spell words with -aw (such as saw, crawl, straw, etc.)

Reading:  This week we will continue the informational text, “United States Citizenship.”

Summary of “United States Citizenship”: The history of citizenship in the United States is long and complicated. Today, U.S. citizens enjoy many rights and have some important responsibilities.

While reading this text, we will work on different comprehension skills each day.

Our comprehension skills this week:

• Stopping to clarify when we are confused.
• Vocabulary
• Main Idea & Details
• Compare & Contrast
• Author’s Purpose & Point of View

DISCUSS with your child why voting is both a right and a responsibility.

Writing: Your child will edit their letter with a partner and begin the final draft. Then students will learn how to address an envelope. I hope to have most students’ letters ready to mail by Friday, March 21. If you have not returned the page with the address of the person your child is writing to, please do soon as soon as possible.

Foundational Skills/Phonics: Students will learn to read and spell the patterns -ow (cow, wow, brow, etc.) and -ou (out, cloud, south, etc.).

Reading:  This week we will finish the fantasy text, “Winston and George.”

Summary of Winston & George: Winston the crocodile and George the crocodile bird are friends and partners; however, George has a bad habit of playing pranks. One day George plays a trick that puts his friend—and their friendship—at serious risk.

While reading this text we will work on a different comprehension skill each day.

Our comprehension skills this week:

• Cause & Effect
• Make inferences
• Identify story elements

DISCUSS with your child some characteristics of a good friendship and partnership.

Writing: Your child will learn the parts of a friendly letter and begin writing a personal letter to a friend or relative. He or she will focus on using language that is appropriate for the audience and purpose of the letter.

Foundational Skills/Phonics: Students will continue to learn to read and spell words with long vowels this week. Students will learn the long o pattern -oa (oak, boat, croak, etc.). Then students will learn the long u pattern (few, blew, knew, etc.). At the end of the week, students will learn the heart word, “where.” 

Reading:  This week we will finish the text informational text, “Where’s the Honey, Honey?” and begin another informational text, “Busy Bees.” 

Busy Bees Summary: Bees are hard-working insects that are found all over the world. Their jobs include pollinating plants, making honey, and doing all of the chores required to maintain a hive. 

While reading this text we will work on a different comprehension skill each day.  

Our comprehension skills this week:  

• Author’s Purpose 

• Clarifying 

• Summarizing 

• Classifying and Categorizing 

DISCUSS with your child the similarities between the ways bees living in a hive work together and the ways family members living in the same house work together. 

Writing: Your child will publish their action tale by typing it up.  

Grammar: Your child will also learn about contractions again. A contraction is a shortened form of two words, in which an apostrophe takes the place of some letters. Examples include “can’t,” “we’ve,” and “I’ll.” Ask your child to name several contractions, and then to identify the two words that form each contraction.   

Foundational Skills/Phonics: This week, students will learn to read and spell words with long vowels. Students will learn the long i pattern -y (my, by, dry, etc.). Then students will learn the long o pattern –ow (snow, flow, etc.). At the end of the week, students will learn the heart word, “there.”

Reading:  This week our focal text is the Informational text, “Where’s the Honey, Honey?”

Summary: In eastern Africa, the honeyguide bird and Boran people cooperate to find and harvest beehives. Signaling with whistles and tail feathers, the honeyguide leads the way to a hive packed with food. Essential Questions: Why do honeyguides and people work together? Why is this partnership important?

While reading this text we will work on a different comprehension skill each day.

Our comprehension skills this week:

• Sequencing
• Asking and Answering Questions
• Author’s Purpose
• Main Idea & Details

DISCUSS with your child some other partnerships that benefit both people and animals.

Writing: Your child will self-edit and partner edit the draft of their action tale.

ASK your child to tell you about their action tale including the story’s main character, setting, and important events.

Grammar: Your child will also learn about contractions. A contraction is a shortened form of two words, in which an apostrophe takes the place of some letters. Examples include “can’t,” “we’ve,” and “I’ll.” Ask your child to name several contractions, and then identify the two words that form each contraction.  

Foundational Skills/Phonics: Students will learn to read and spell words with soft c and g this week. Soft C sounds like a /s/ and Soft G sounds like /j/.

Examples of soft C include: “ice,” “cell,” or “cider.” Examples of Soft G include: “gem,” “germ,” or “age.”

Reading:  This week our focal text is the informational text, “Flower Power.”

Summary: From seed to blossom to seed again, a flower grows and makes new flowers. In addition to adding beauty to the world, flowers provide oxygen and food that people and animals need.

While reading this text we will work on a different comprehension skill each day.

Our comprehension skills this week:

• Clarifying
• Visualizing
• Vocabulary

DISCUSS with your child some of the ways flowers are useful to people and animals.

Writing: Your child will finish writing the draft of the action tale.

ASK your child to tell you about their action tale including the story’s main character, setting, and important events.

Grammar: Your child will also learn about adverbs. Adverbs describe a verb by telling how (slowly), when (soon), or where (nearby) an action occurs.