Mrs. Toritto - 3-1

The year is just flying by!  As we enter the month of March, we have many busy days ahead.  This is just an overview of what we will be working on.  Please check your child's agenda for more specific dates and details!

In math we will continue working on using addition and subtraction patterns.  Then we will start using all of the operations to find the perimeter of different shapes.  It is still very important for the children to practice their facts and have them memorized.  This makes everything easier!

In social studies we will begin a new unit about how inventions have helped communities to grow.  We will begin by learning about inventions that led to the growth of cities.  Then we will learn about some every day inventions that have impacted our lives. 

Our Antarctica unit was very "cool"!   I hope that the children shared some of the interesting facts that they learned about this amazing continent.  Watch out for the work coming home over the next few weeks.  They learned a lot.  We will briefly return to using details to find the theme for a story.  Then we will shift our reading focus to using the structure of a passage to find details and learn from informational text.  We have been working on these skills throughout the year and our Antarctica unit gave us many opportunities to read and write about informational text, but these will be more in depth lessons about the actual process of reading and writing these types of texts.  

Throughout March, one focus in religion will be Lent.  We will have ongoing discussions about the symbols of Lent and will also spend time learning about the Stations of the Cross.  The children will be encouraged not just to give up something, but to also add things to their lives to help bring them closer to Jesus during this special time. In addition to this, we will learn about what it means to be a part of a parish and how people are called to share their talents through ministries and vocations. 

I hope that you all have a great month.  Spring is just around the corner!

Mrs. Toritto