In math we are going to spend some extra time with estimating and money. In this unit, your child will be learning to estimate sums and differences by rounding numbers. They also use estimates to check that actual answers are reasonable, and compare numbers using the symbols greater than (>), less than (<) or equal to (=). The students will also identify and compare the values of a collection of U.S. coins and bills. It would be a wonderful time to have them counting change at home.

In reading, we just finished our 2nd unit focusing on visualization. The children loved the stories we were reading! They visualized to make sense of the stories we read by imagining sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations, and feelings. This strategy helps them to understand, remember, and enjoy reading. You can help your child visualize by stopping every so often while reading aloud and asking questions such as:

• What do you see in your mind as I read to you?
• What words did you hear in the story that helped you create that picture in your mind?

In addition to stopping and discussing the story with your child, you might:

• Ask your child to close his or her eyes as you read and get a mental picture of the story.
• Give your child the opportunity to draw what he or she visualized, and then talk about the drawing.