This Week...

April 7- April 11, 2014

Reading:  Students practiced identifying and using compound words within different texts.  Boom Town was the main selection, which was a historical fiction piece based on the California Gold Rush.  They worked on sequencing important events in the story.  Reading Logs are due Monday, April 14. (100 minutes)

Math:  We started unit 8 this week!  Fractions will be the main focus.  Students worked on figuring out fractional parts of a number with counters.  They learned that the denominator stands for the number of equal groups and the numerator stands for the number of groups to consider.  Please remind your child to be practicing his or her multiplication facts…thanks! Xtra Math practice is due Monday, April 14. (3 sessions)  If applicable: for students still on addition and subtraction, fact tests and graphs are due Monday, April 14.

Science:  We began our UbD project in the library!  UbD (Understanding by Design) is a research project centered on an essential question.  Students learned how to use effective research strategies to investigate the question: “What makes your planet unique?”  We will continue working on this project for the next several weeks.  Students also began making observations about the moon.  Each night for the remainder of April, students will record their drawings of the moon on their moon calendar.  If the moon cannot be seen, students can write “NV” (not visible).  Today, students completed a review guide about the sun and the earth.  They will have a quiz on this information on Monday, April 14.

Writing:  In writing, students brainstormed everyday activities that would involve their fictional character.  Then, using tiny details, students wrote about how the character would act in that particular situation.  Strong verbs and showing details were incorporated.  In grammar, we focused on singular and plural pronouns.

Cursive/Spelling:  Today, we took our week 25 spelling test.  Students continued to work on finishing their uppercase cursive packets.

Miscellaneous:  This week, students enjoyed two assemblies!  Author Andrea Beaty shared information about her books and the writing process.  The Chicago Boyz acrobatic team also performed and taught us about the importance of an education.  April writing words went home today.  Our April writing words test will be at the end of the month.  Enjoy the warm weather this weekend and please let me know if you have any questions!