Robert T. Francis

2009/2010

Resource Services Grades 4 and 5

WELCOME BACK!!!

     It has been a fantastic beginning to the new school year. The fifth graders are off and running like they never missed a beat. I am enjoying getting to know the fourth graders and am very impressed by what I have seen so far. This is going to be a great year filled with new learning and loads of fun.

                                      We are going to be working on

     Reading Fluency - read a short passage at home every night and work on expression and accuracy - poems are great for building fluency!

     Decoding unknown words - the vowels are the tricky parts - have a plan for them - there are only six syllables and once you know the rules for each one you will be able to decode almost all words!

     Reading Comprehension - do you understand and remember what you read? Use strategies to help you remember: Questioning, Predicting and Inferring, Visualizing and more. All kids can benefit from word study - Dictionaries are available at all levels and should be fun to look through. Encyclopedias are also great avenues for learning new things.

     Writing - Writing is Powerful! Encourage your children to write poetry, stories and newspaper articles.

     Mathematics - It's everywhere and we can't get by without it. Read and write numbers, tell time, count money. Please have children practice adding and subtracting mentally. It will pay off- I promise you.

     Homework - can be a challenge - prepare for it - encourage your little learners to have a home office where they can be comfortable and have the resources they need to get their work done.

     Please let us know how things are going. Stop by and let's chat about your vision for the year. Tell your children that what they are doing is important and that we are there to help them! We will never give up on them!  Thank you for your support! See you at WAPPING!

You can reach me at rfrancis@southwindsor.k12.ct.us