Dear Families,

I’ve talked to our class about their first home project which will be due the week of Oct. 13.  Our cultural subject this quarter has been botany (the study of plants).  I’ve asked each child to choose a plant to research and present.  I’ve suggested  that they use the library and the internet, or any other available research options.  Some of the younger students or early readers will probably need help from an adult.

I want them to understand what their chosen plant looks like, where it grows, what it’s life cycle is like (they’ve been learning the difference between perennial, annuals, biennials), if it’s edible or poisonous, what is smells like, etc.  If they would like to prepare a written report that is great as long as they are able to read it themselves.  If not, they just need to be prepared to tell the class about their plant.  Please encourage them to practice presenting it at home with a parent or someone else.

I am asking each student to bring some sort of visual aid to accompany their presentation.  I love to see their creativity, but if you need some suggestion here are a few options: mobile, student-made booklet, drawing, power-point, poster, photos, actual plant, shadow box (shoe-box with drawings or arranged items inside), or any other creative visual aid.  Their presentations should be about 10-15 minutes.

If you are a parent of a second or third grader please make sure your child is bringing home their spelling words every Monday to practice for the spelling test on Thursday.  Most of the students have already been doing this, but a few haven’t.  They should be writing them on an index card or other paper and studying them at home every day.

Parents of third graders should have received a paper explaining the new IXL online math program available through the school.  I sent the paper with their username and password home on Friday. This is a great program that will help prepare them for the end of year SAGE test.  Please encourage them to use IXL often at home.  We only have 3 computers available in our class and those have to be shared among 28 students.  It is crucial that the third graders become comfortable typing and using a computer in preparation for the upcoming tests.

Below is a picture of our recent plant experiment involving stems and how they draw water and nutrients to the rest of the plant.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Ms. Krista