Writing and Grammar
Expository/Informational Writing
In this unit before break, students are going to be continuing to work with irregular verbs but they will also be learning about expository/informational writing. They will learn to recognize the different parts of informational writing such as introduction, facts, supporting details and conclusion. They will get hands on experience sorting strong and weak introductions and then learning to write their own strong introduction for the topic they choose. Next we will learn the difference between weak and strong facts before starting to write our own facts. Then we will learn to support our strong facts with details. Last we will be sorting strong versus weak conclusions before writing our own strong conclusions.
Irregular Verbs and Opinion Writing
In this unit we are taking what we know about verbs (which are action words) and adding on to it by learning about past, present and future tense verbs. We will talk about the different endings they have and then we will be working irregular verbs. Irregular verbs like go (present tense) and went (past tense). We will talk about how sometimes verbs are irregular when the word changes and we don't just change the ending. We will also be discussing and working with examples of how we change the verb tense of words like has, had, do and does.
For opinion writing we will learn how to form an opinion on a topic of their choice. Then we will work on coming up with two reasons to support their opinion. Next we will be teaching students how to write details that support their reason. When complete they will have written an opinion paragraph.
For opinion writing we will learn how to form an opinion on a topic of their choice. Then we will work on coming up with two reasons to support their opinion. Next we will be teaching students how to write details that support their reason. When complete they will have written an opinion paragraph.
Plural Nouns, Collective Nouns and Informational Writing
In grammar, we are doing a short unit on plural nouns and learning the rules on how to make nouns plural and talking about irregular nouns. Singular nouns are nouns that name one person, place or thing. Whereas plural nouns name more than one person, place or thing. For most nouns, we can just add an "s" to make it plural. However, if the word ends in a s , sh, ch, x, z, or ss, you need to add as "es" at the end of the noun. If a word ends in a consonant y, then you drop the y and add "ies." We will also be talking about irregular plural nouns, which means the word changes when it becomes plural. i.e. child becomes children, tooth becomes teeth and mouse becomes mice. See the anchor charts below. Students will also learn that collective nouns are a special group of nouns that name groups, usually of people or animals, but they can be other groups of things. This week we will start to discover all the things that are considered collective nouns. See below for some of our anchor charts and examples.
We will be continuing to work on writing our informational text on Native Americans in social studies. We will be tying this into our unit on Native Americans in social studies. Students will be writing an informational paragraph using a topic sentence, details and facts and a closing sentence.
We will be continuing to work on writing our informational text on Native Americans in social studies. We will be tying this into our unit on Native Americans in social studies. Students will be writing an informational paragraph using a topic sentence, details and facts and a closing sentence.
Friendly Letter
Our next grammar skill is a mini unit on commas in a friendly letter. This unit focuses not only on the different parts of a friendly letter but knowing where commas go. Students will learn the 5 different parts of a friendly letter (heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature) we learned this by learning a fun song, If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to head over to our class dojo and check out class stories to see us sing the song. We've also done a sample letter together from one pirate to another. We'll also continue to practice friendly letters by writing letters to our classmates.
Simple and Compound Sentences, Informational Writing
In this unit we will be focusing on the difference between simple and compound sentences. We will also be learning how you can create compound sentences by combining two simple sentences using conjunctions. To learn about conjunctions we will be introducing students to the acronym FANBOYS which stands for For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet and So. We will discuss how conjunctions help glue two sentences together. Also during this unit, we will be discussing that when joining two sentences to make a compound sentence that each individual sentences should have a subject and predicate. By identifying the subject and predicate in each sentence, as well as the conjunction used will help students identify a compound sentence.
During this unit we will also be working on informational writing. We will be doing a little pre-teaching for social studies and learning about the different Native American Regions in the United States. Students will be taking notes on these regions and they will be answering written prompts about Native Americans to not only practice their writing skills but understanding how the land influences the culture of different Native American regions.
During this unit we will also be working on informational writing. We will be doing a little pre-teaching for social studies and learning about the different Native American Regions in the United States. Students will be taking notes on these regions and they will be answering written prompts about Native Americans to not only practice their writing skills but understanding how the land influences the culture of different Native American regions.
Subject and Predicate, Narrative Writing
So far in grammar we are focusing on subject and predicate. During this unit students will learn that a complete sentence has a subject and a predicate. A subject is who or what the sentence is about, and the predicate is what the subject does or is. We have already gone over several examples in class and created an anchor chart in our notebooks. Throughout the unit students will be practicing identifying the subject and predicates in sentences. They will also be able to practice coming up with a predicate if given a subject, and practicing coming up with a subject when given a predicate.
In writing we have been learning about narrative writing and what elements make up a narrative writing. We will be discussing how narratives have characters, settings, problems, sequence of events and a solution. We started by reading a mentor text called "Jabari Jumps" to see how the author stretched out a small moment. This helped us get ready to stretch out our own small moments. We've been practicing in class making sure were using lots of details and checking to see if we have a beginning, a middle and and end.
In writing we have been learning about narrative writing and what elements make up a narrative writing. We will be discussing how narratives have characters, settings, problems, sequence of events and a solution. We started by reading a mentor text called "Jabari Jumps" to see how the author stretched out a small moment. This helped us get ready to stretch out our own small moments. We've been practicing in class making sure were using lots of details and checking to see if we have a beginning, a middle and and end.