This Week...

March 30- April 2, 2015

Reading:  Differentiating between fact and opinion was the main skill.  Students used a two-column organizer to help separate information that could be proven and people’s beliefs.  They also determined the meaning of important vocabulary by utilizing context clues.  In addition, students read various Time for Kids and National Geographic articles.  They utilized various nonfiction text features to gain important understandings about the texts. Reading Logs are due Monday, April 6.  (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.  Xtra Math practice is due Monday, April 6. (6 sessions)  **If students are on double-digit multiplication fact tests, they are not required to do the Xtra math sessions.

Science:  We started our new science unit: the solar system!  Students explored their own ideas about what causes daytime and nighttime.  They also tracked the shadow of a basketball hoop throughout the day.  They learned that the sun plays a part in creating shadows.  When the sun “appears” to move over time, it affects where the shadow moves on the pavement.

Writing:  In writing, students wrote spring list poems that focused on descriptive words and imagery.  Students also continued working on persuasive writing.  They read an article about bringing birthday treats to school.  They took notes for each side of the argument.  Then, they wrote a persuasive essay to either support the ban of treats or keep birthday treats in schools.  They used evidence from the text to support their claim.  In grammar, we focused on possessive pronouns.

Spelling/Cursive:  Today, we took our week 27 spelling test.  Students wrote the letters “F” and “T”.

Miscellaneous:  Welcome back!  I hope you all had an enjoyable spring break.  This week, students began sharing their PL projects with their classmates!  We are learning so much about various topics and have really enjoyed the presentations.  Just a reminder, there will be no school on Friday, April 3.  The cumulative writing words test will be on Monday, April 6.  A packet containing all the word lists went home this week.  Have a wonderful weekend!