Flat Stanley came to visit from Texas!

We were so lucky to have a special visit from Flat Stanley!  This Flat Stanley came all the way from Texas!  He enjoyed visiting with us and learning about the Illinois state symbols!  He also loved seeing snow.

This Week...

February 23- February 27, 2015

Reading:  Students read our main story My Very Own Room.  While reading, they applied the “making predictions” strategy.  Using a graphic organizer, students not only made predictions, but confirmed them as they actively read the story.  Also within the context of the story, students determined the meaning of important vocabulary words.  Students also did a great job pre-searching three “I Wonder” questions of their choice!  They used their information literacy skills to navigate through various articles and websites.  Students practiced skimming and scanning to find key information. Reading Logs are due Monday, March 2.  (100 minutes)

Math:  Students practiced reading line graphs and thermometers.  Measurement was also a key focus.  Students enjoyed using the iPads to practice a variety of topics including symmetry and coordinates.  Next week, we will begin unit 7, which focuses on multiplication and division.  Since PARCC testing starts next week, we will be doing the homelinks in class so that students do not have written math homework.  Xtra Math practice is due Monday, March 2. (3 sessions)

Social Studies:  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.  At the end of the week, students read about the Illini Native Americans.  The created webs that focused on their homes, jobs, resources, and traditions.

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.  On Thursday, they took their February writing words test.  In grammar, we worked on forming contractions.

Spelling/Cursive:  Today, we had our week 23 test.  Next week will be a review week, so there will not be written homework.  Students continued to work in their cursive packets.

Miscellaneous:  PARCC testing begins on Tuesday!  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!

Math Update

We have been spending some time getting ready for the upcoming PARCC assessments in reading and math with various lessons.  Next week, we will resume our regular Everyday Math curriculum!

Valentine's Day!

This Week...

February 17- February 20, 2015

Reading:  Our main story this week was, Here’s My Dollar.  Students learned about the importance of getting involved in the community and how individuals can make a huge difference.  In this story, students practiced finding the author’s purpose.  They also worked on figuring out the meaning of key vocabulary words through sentence clues. Reading Logs are due Monday, February 23.  (100 minutes)

Math:  Students practiced reading bar graphs.  They also worked on finding various strategies to solve multi-step problems.  They continued to work on showing their work and explaining their thinking for a variety of problems.  Xtra Math practice is due Monday, February 23. (3 sessions)

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.

Writing:  In writing, students learned about the elements of a response to literature essay.  They also chose their character traits for Maria Isabel and identified moments in the book where she demonstrated the traits.  In grammar, students identified irregular verbs.

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

Miscellaneous:  I hope you have been staying warm during this cold week!  Students enjoyed a wonderful assembly from the PTA that focused on percussion, rhythm, and dancing!  The February writing words test will be next Thursday, February 26.  The test will be cumulative, and include October, November, and January words.  A list containing all the words went home today.  Information regarding the upcoming PARCC tests will be going home next week.  As always, please let me know if you have any questions.  Have a fabulous weekend!

This Week...

February 9- February 13, 2015

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.  Reading Logs are due Tuesday, February 17.  (100 minutes)

Math:  Students practiced reading fractions and using pictures to represent them.  We also 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 Tuesday, February 17. (3 sessions)

Science:  We spent the week reviewing key concepts from our light unit.  Students took their light test on Thursday.  Next week, we will begin our next social studies unit: Illinois!

Writing:  In writing, students learned the importance of correctly sequencing events.  They also found moments where Maria Isabel solved a problem.  Students found key details from the text to describe the moments leading up to the solution, the solution itself, and the effects of the solution.  In grammar, students identified correct helping verbs in the past and present tenses.

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

Miscellaneous:  Thank you to everyone who made 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 17th!

Xtra Math!

Today, we learned all about Xtra math!  Starting on Monday, students will need to practice on Xtra math 3 days a week for about 10-15 minutes.  An informational letter went home today that explains all the details!  Please let me know if you have any questions!

xtramath.org

This Week...

February 3- February 6, 2015

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.  Students also read two texts: Lon Po Po and A Tricky Monkey.  They compared and contrasted the events and characters.  In addition, students wrote an extended response to explain if tricking others is a good thing or a bad thing.  They needed to support their reasoning with evidence from both texts.  Reading Logs are due Monday, February 9.  (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.

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 on Thursday, February 12.  A review guide will be going home on Monday.

Writing:  In writing, students learned how to incorporate dialogue into their writing.  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 Tuesday and students will have their cumulative writing words test at the end of this month.

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

Miscellaneous:  Students enjoyed the book fair this week!  It was great to see everyone picking out some wonderful books.  Students also learned the importance of peer feedback.  They participated in an activity where they discovered that feedback can be a helpful part of the revision process.  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 11.  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!