This Week...

February 24- February 28, 2014

Reading:  This week, we read a Time for Kids article about research in Antarctica.  Students focused on the author’s craft and text structure to understand vocabulary.  We learned that the same words can have different meanings, depending on the sentence structure.  Students continued to practice going back to the text to find support for their ideas. Reading Logs are due Monday, March 3. (100 minutes)

Math:  On Monday, students participated in a lesson on ratios and proportions.  They used their knowledge of multiplication to complete the proportion and solve for the missing piece.  They also worked hard solving various number stories.  Explaining what they did to solve the problem and why they took the steps they did was a main focus.  At the end of the week, students interpreted different line graphs.  Xtra Math practice is due Monday, March 3. (3 sessions)  If applicable: for students still on addition and subtraction, fact tests and graphs are due Monday, March 3.

Social Studies:  We discussed how Illinois became a state by focusing on particular countries and important individuals.  Students also watched a video on Abraham Lincoln and discussed his importance in our state.  Students created Lincoln collages based on significant events in his life.  In the LMC, students began a mini research project about an important Illinois topic using World Book Online.

Writing:  In writing, students completed their response to literature essays!  They used an editing checklist to make final changes.  Next week, students will share these essays with the class.  They also took their February writing words test and practiced using homophones.  In grammar, students identified and applied irregular verb forms in the past tense.

Cursive/Spelling:  Today, we had our week 22 test.  In cursive, students wrote the uppercase “R” and “B”.

Miscellaneous:  I.S.A.T. testing begins on Tuesday!  Students will not have any formal homework on the testing days.  Please refrain from scheduling appointments during the testing window, as it is important that your child is present for testing.  I hope you have a wonderful weekend and as always, please let me know if you have any questions!

This Week...

February 18- February 21, 2014

Reading:  This week, we focused on a Time for Kids article entitled, “Washington Weed Whackers”.  Students learned about the alien species, spartina, which was destroying the ecosystem of the west coast.  In this article, students practiced the compare/contrast skill.  They also worked on going back to the text to find support for claims.  In our extended response passages, students practiced finding main ideas in the text and connecting them to their own prior knowledge.  Students also worked on identifying “Aha Moments” in the book Something Might Happen.  This signpost helped students make inferences and determine the theme of the story. Reading Logs are due Monday, February 24. (100 minutes)

Math:  We learned about probability, or the likelihood of something occurring.  Students practiced writing probability in fraction form.  Extended responses were also practiced.  Students did a wonderful job sharing various strategies with classmates and explaining their thinking through writing.  Students explored drawing pictures and number models to solve problems.   Xtra Math practice is due Monday, February 24. (3 sessions)  If applicable: for students still on addition and subtraction, fact tests and graphs are due Monday, February 24.

Social Studies:  We were very excited to start our next social studies unit: Illinois!  We started off discussing the land of Illinois, including bordering rivers and states.  State symbols were also discussed.  Students had the opportunity to study the climate of certain cities across the state: Springfield, Rockford, and Cairo.  After graphing the average monthly temperatures for each city, students discovered that the colder cities are in the northern part of the state, while the warmer cities are in southern Illinois.

Writing:  In writing, students developed leads for their response to literature essays.  Students began their leads with a question or exciting detail to grab the reader’s attention.   They also began revising sections of their rough drafts to include showing details and text support.  In grammar, students identified correct helping verbs in the past and present tenses.

Cursive/Spelling:  Today, we had our week 21 test.  In cursive, students wrote the uppercase “W” and “D”.

Miscellaneous:  I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend!  The February writing words test will be next Thursday, February 27.  The test will be cumulative, and include October, November, and January words.  A list containing all the words went home today.  An informational letter about the upcoming ISAT tests also went home today.  Please let me know if you have any questions…have a terrific weekend!

This Week...

February 10- February 14, 2014

Reading:  Drawing conclusions was the skill we focused on this week.  As we read various selections, students practiced finding clues in the story and using their prior knowledge to draw conclusions.  Multiple meaning words, like “beamed” were discussed within the context of the stories.  Students paid attention to context clues to determine the correct meaning.  They also read fables and figured out the moral of each story.  The second comprehension signpost was introduced: the “aha” moment!  Students learned that when a character suddenly realizes something or understands a new idea, the reader needs to stop and ask: How might this change the story?  Students practiced applying this signpost to the short story: The Happy Lion.           Reading Logs are due Tuesday, February 18. (100 minutes)

Math:  Students practiced reading fractions and using pictures to represent them.  They also differentiated between different transformations: translations, reflections, and rotations.   Extended response word problems were another focus of the week.  Students practiced using various strategies to solve word problems.  Then, they worked on explaining what they did, and why they did it.  Being able to explain their thinking process was helpful to students.  Xtra Math practice is due Tuesday, February 18. (3 sessions)  If applicable: for students still on addition and subtraction, fact tests and graphs are due Tuesday, February 18.

Science:  Students revised their original models of how light enters the classroom and what happens when it hits certain objects.  They also determined important concepts from the unit and developed their own personalized flashcards.  Students took their unit light test today.  Next week, we will begin our next social studies unit: Illinois!

Writing:  In writing, students continued working on their response to literature rough drafts.  They spent time highlighting important details in My Name is Maria Isabel that supported their chosen character traits.  In grammar, students identified correct linking verbs in the past and present tenses.

Cursive/Spelling:  Today, we had our week 20 test.  In cursive, students wrote the uppercase “Y”, “G”, and “X”.

Miscellaneous:  Thank you to everyone who helped make our Valentine’s Day party possible!  The students really enjoyed the celebration!  The West states and capitals information went home this week.  Students will have about a month to learn this region.  Before spring break, we will have a test over the West.  Just a reminder, students do not have school on Monday due to President’s Day.  Enjoy the 3-day weekend and I’ll see you back on the 18th!

This Week...

February 3- February 7, 2014

Reading:  We started unit 4!  While reading Cook-a-Doodle-Do, students used Venn diagrams to compare and contrast various characters in the story.  We discussed the importance of finding similarities and differences in stories to help us understand the main idea.  At the end of the week, students practiced the first comprehension signpost: contrasts & contradictions!  We read the book Chrysanthemum and students thought critically about the way characters changed and/or the way characters differed from each other.  The main question students asked themselves when they noticed this signpost was: Why is the character acting this way?  This question prompted very rich predictions and inferences from the students.  Students are also beginning to recognize this signpost in their own independent novels.  Reading Logs are due Monday, February 10. (100 minutes)

Math:  We reviewed how to solve equations that contain parentheses.  Students made sure to solve the numbers in parentheses first, before moving on to the rest of the equation.  Graphing coordinates was another concept students explored.  They practiced plotting points on the x and y axis.  Students also discovered the volume of a 3-D shape is calculated in cubic units.  Xtra Math practice is due Monday, February 10. (3 sessions)  If applicable: for students still on addition and subtraction, fact tests and graphs are due Monday, February 10.

Science:  We explored the idea of “refraction” by discovering that light can change directions when entering different materials.  We looked at pencils in water and observed that the pencil appeared bent, or broken in half.  We also discovered that a material’s thickness can affect how much light passes through the object, increasing its opaqueness.  The light unit test will be next Friday, February 14.

Writing:  In writing, students learned the details about their response to literature final piece! They reviewed their writing journals and selected a journal entry that showed a moment when Maria Isabel demonstrated a particular character trait.  In grammar, students applied various forms of be, have, and do to sentences.  They also learned the new writing words for February.  The list went home on Thursday and students will have their writing words test at the end of this month.

Cursive/Spelling:  Today, we had our week 19 test.  In cursive, students wrote the uppercase “F”, “T”, and “U”.

Miscellaneous:  Students enjoyed the book fair this week!  It was great to see everyone picking out some wonderful books.  Students also enjoyed their field trip to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra!  Just a reminder, if your child is planning on bringing valentines, please be sure there is one for each student.  Valentine boxes are due on Wednesday, February 12.  Students took their Northeast states and capitals test this week.  Our next region will be the West!  Please let me know if you have any questions.  Have a fabulous weekend!