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!