Learning From a Mentor Text
This week writers of How-To books spent time studying a mentor How-To text with the purpose of emulating features to lift the level of their writing. After studying a mentor text writers noticed, named, and tried out what they discovered. These brainy scholars noticed that the mentor text had a title that tells what the book is all about. They also noticed that the mentor text told their reader a list of things that were needed to follow the How-To steps. The most important thing they discovered was that the mentor text spoke directly to the reader by using the word “you” when teaching how to do something.

Number Bonds
Students have really been blowing us away with all of their counting and adding magic! This week, students added a new tool to their tool belt called number bonds. We love number bonds because they provide a mental picture that a number can be divided into “pieces”. While practicing number bonds, students even noticed that they also work for subtraction!

Rockin’ the Rainforest
This week, Kindergarteners were so excited to learn all about the four layers of the rainforest: emergent, canopy, understory, and forest floor. Students could not wait to share all that they know about critters in these regions, and loved learning about a few they had never heard of before. Kindergarten students considered animals’ needs and were able to sort them into layers they may live in based on what they know!

Important Dates:
January 31st – 100th Day of School
February 14th – Valentine’s Day Bingo, Book Fair and Bake Sale
February 19th-20th – February Break (No School)