This Week...

April 20- April 24, 2015

Reading:  This week, students listened to their inner voices during while reading the book, Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson.  They recorded their connections, predictions, and questions on sticky notes to document tracks of thinking.  They did a wonderful job thinking deeply about the text and discovering big ideas, such as: bullying, kindness, and friendship.  We also read various Time for Kids articles that focused on Earth day topics, like pollution and water shortages around the world. Reading Logs are due Monday, April 27.  (100 minutes)

Math:  Students dove right into unit 9!  They solved various story problems that required multiplication and division fact extensions.  Students learned how to use the partial products algorithm to solve double-digit multiplication problems.  Please remind your child to be practicing his or her basic multiplication facts, as these are vital in carrying out this new method.  Xtra Math practice is due Monday, April 27. (3 sessions)  **If students are on double-digit multiplication fact tests, they are not required to do the Xtra math sessions.

Science:  Students took their moon quiz on Wednesday.  They continued working hard on their planet research projects!  Students created scripts based on their research.  Next week, they will record newscasts, interviews, and/or travel commercials with their group members to teach others about why their planet is unique.  We also learned about the relative size of objects in the solar system.  Students learned about the size of the sun in relation to the other planets with a hands-on activity.

Writing:  In celebration of Earth Day, students created projects based on Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax.  They were each able to “speak for” something in nature that needs protection.  In WEX, students created their introductions and problems for their short fiction piece.  The April writing words test will be on Wednesday, April 29.  A cumulative list of the words was sent home on Thursday.

Spelling/Cursive:  Today, we took our week 30 review spelling test.  Next week, we will resume regular spelling homework.  Students wrote the letters “X” and “W”.

Miscellaneous:  On April 29, the district will be emailing you a letter that contains your child’s individual passcode to register for next school year.  The letter will no longer be sent in the regular mail, so please be on the lookout for this email.  Every student needs to “re-register” every year.  The online registration window is May 1-June 1.  As the weather continues to change, please be sure your child has appropriate attire for outdoor recess…thank you!  As always, please let me know if you have any questions.  Have a wonderful weekend!