Writing Workshop: Small Moment Personal Narratives
In writing, students started their second 'small moment' personal narrative story. We are really homing in on capturing a tiny moment and 'exploding' it with vivid details on our pages. I introduced a few graphic organizers to help students with their writing preparation and to help generate ideas to focus on.
As part of their pre-writing routine, students are learning to tap across blank pages and tell their story aloud before writing a single word. This pre-writing process helps young authors map out a clear beginning, middle, and end while ensuring they know enough about their event to write in detail rather than rushing through the action.
Ask your child: "What small moment story are you exploding on your pages in writing right now?"
1st Grade Math: Dominoes, Fact Families, and Number Bonds
First graders focused on dominoes, fact families, and number bonds through a variety of hands-on math games. Working with dominoes, number bonds,and fact families reinforces how numbers can be composed and decomposed in multiple ways. This deepens part-whole visual understanding and builds a strong foundation for mental addition and subtraction fluency.
2nd Grade Math: Linear Measurement, 200s Chart, and Bundling
Second graders worked on linear measurements, navigating the 200s chart, and bundling numbers for multi-digit addition. Working with linear measurements and 200s charts helps students visualize number distance and place value relationships across larger numbers. Bundling numbers into tens and hundreds provides a concrete strategy for multi-digit mental math and addition efficiency.
Literature & Art Project: Leaf Characters
For our literature project, we re-read Fletcher and the Falling Leaves, a sweet story about a young fox who worries when his favorite tree loses its leaves in autumn, only to be surprised by its magical winter transformation. Afterward, students went outside to find their own perfect fall leaf, brought it back to the classroom, and transformed it into a magical leaf person, character, or animal. They finished the project by writing about their leaf creation. I have to say they turned out so cute! You can check them out on the bulletin board right outside our classroom door.
Social Studies & Civics: Everyday Change-Makers
In social studies, students watched a message from Kid President about young people solving problems by coming up with creative solutions of their own. We also read The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade to see how an everyday student can speak up and solve a big problem at school, reinforcing the idea that you don't have to be famous to make a difference. Today, students read about everyday people whose decisions made them historical change-makers.
Ask your child: "Who was the historical change-maker you researched today during our online read-alouds?"
Read-Aloud Spotlight
• I Say Ooh, You Say Aah: An interactive story that naturally encourages group participation as students respond to silly visual rules and cues throughout the read.
• Dog vs. Strawberry: A funny tale exploring a dog's curious and determined encounter with an unfamiliar garden strawberry.
• Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!: An interactive classic where the pigeon tries to persuade the audience to let him drive, prompting enthusiastic group participation as the class sets firm boundaries.
Flat Stanley Travels Update
Flat Stella and Flat Olive have returned from their exciting travels in Miami, Florida, and Needham, Massachusetts! Flat Olive enjoyed her time visiting her uncle and his 4th-grade class It appears she may have even eaten part of a student's lunch! Meanwhile, Flat Stella enjoyed some time in the weight room, spent time at the track with horses, and enjoyed a sunny day at the beach. We are so excited to see where our Flat Stanleys travel next!
• Weekly News Journal: Your child brought home their Weekly News Journal in their homework bag today. Please read the note inside the cover, review your child's writing, initial it, and send the journal back in their bag on Monday.
• Clothing Reminder: As autumn temperatures drop and wet weather sets in, please make sure your child brings a jacket, sweatshirt, or a raincoat to school every day so they stay warm and dry during outdoor recess and fresh-air breaks.
• PTA Ski & Skate Sale: The annual PTA Ski and Skate Sale is an important upcoming event that helps fund so many wonderful projects, initiatives, and events for our students. I would love to see every family from our classroom sign up to help in some form. I am doing my usual Friday night shift—a tradition I've held for many years and look forward to every November! You can sign up for a volunteer shift that works for you by clicking this sign-up link
That is all for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Peace,
Mr. Young
