Welcome to my Classroom!

It is the purpose of this page to advise parents on what is happening in the school and classroom, and to provide resources to assist with the learning process. Look for new and upcoming news monthly, as I will try my best to update this site on a regular basis.

First time here? Read my bio. You can use the links below to navigate this page's content with greater ease. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at cfleming@kingstonhill.org.

Sections: Current Assignments • Current Schedules and Events • Upcoming Field Trips • Books We Are Reading • What's New in the Homeroom • Wish List

Visit the Picture Galleries to see KHA students in action.

Current Assignments

There will be standing monthly assignments in addition to regularly assigned homework. These will include a monthly book report, specifics to be assigned at the beginning of each month, and two summaries of news articles. Also, all KHA students are expected to read each night for 20-30 minutes; and they should be practicing math facts. Homework in math and reading will be assigned by your child's individual teacher, and homework in science, social studies, and writing will be assigned by me.

November's book report is due on or before November 30. Students are to read a tall tale - this will most likely be a short story from a collection or a picture book. They have been given a worksheet and map to complete. They may write on the worksheet or use it as a template to write or type on separate paper.

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Current Schedules and Events

Please refer to the Family Flier for current information.

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Upcoming Field Trips

This fall we went apple picking with other 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade classes.

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Books We Are Reading

Over the past several weeks we have been reading folk tales and myths. We are focusing on American tall tales and have read about John Henry, Paul Bunyan, Stormalong, Davy Crockett, and Sally Ann Thunder Ann Whirlwind. We are discussing elements of tall tales and contrasting these folktales to others that we've read. The November book report will be on a tall tale. Students will also work on writing their own tall tale.

Next month, as we get into our unit on early North America and European exploration of the continent, I will read Morning Girl, by Michael Dorris. It is the story of a Taino girl and her family just before the arrival of Columbus. It is a beautiful portrayal of an idyllic culture and has a subtle, yet stunning ending. I will also begin to offer silent reading periods just after lunch on some days.

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What's New in the Homeroom

We finished our introductory unit in the Rocks and Minerals unit and have (FINALLY) started working with real rocks and minerals. We are examining properties and performing tests on rocks to help identify rocks according to hardness.

In social studies, we are finishing our preliminary unit on maps. Students have completed brochures on states of each student's choosing and are sharing them with the class. We are moving into a new unit on the first people to inhabit this continent and how their communities developed. We will follow that with a look at the explorers from other lands, who invaded and settled their new communities in North America. Social studies also encompasses current events and 2^nd Step Social Skills.

We have been working hard on becoming strong writers. We have competed one personal narrative and are working on our second. Students are working on expanding details, using rich language, and adding emotion and purpose to their writing. It is thrilling to see how much these students have grown in such a short period of time!

We are also fortunate to have art instruction once a week, integrated art/academic activities, and Spanish class once a week.

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Wishlist

At this time, we do not have any special requests. Please keep checking though!

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