In reading this week, students became Story Gurus! Students learned how to describe the elements of a story and how illustrations can help them to understand key details. Students read The Ugly Duckling and Lucille's Snowsuit and then discussed with partners how the illustrations helped them. Students also read a play and took turns voicing the different parts.

 Students put their new knowledge into practice creating Story Element Snowmen! Students created these graphic organizers which detail characters, setting, and problem/solution after reading Too Many Tamales, a Mexican Christmas story.

In math, students practiced solving "add to" and "take from" word problems. Students continued to develop their verbal reasoning skills by justifying their solutions and sharing their findings with the class. 

In social studies, students learned about how Christmas is celebrated in Mexico, England, and Germany. Mrs. Hiolski also had the students attend their first practice for the winter concert! There will be two Kindergarten - 1st Grade winter concert performances on Friday, December 20th: the first at  8:15 a.m. and the second at 9:45 a.m. Irving staff asks that families reserve the first performance for those who need to get to work afterward. If you are able to attend the second performance, please do so!

Next week students will present their own family's holiday traditions. I can't wait to hear about all the unique ways my students celebrate the holidays!