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!