This Week...

May 18- May 21, 2015

Reading:  This week, we focused on author’s purpose.  Students applied the skill in the story, Mother to Tigers.  We reviewed how the acronym PIE helps us remember the three main purposes: to persuade, to inform, and to entertain.  Students also utilized the boxes and bullets note-taking strategy to categorize information about Chicago’s immigrants. Reading Logs are due Tuesday, May 26.  (100 minutes)

Math:  Students took a “pop” end of the year assessment.  Students will be reviewing their tests next week and making corrections.  This assessment will show students what areas they still need to practice.  We also started unit 10.  Measurement was the focus, including a discussion about the differences between the U.S. Customary system and the Metric system.    Xtra Math practice is due Tuesday, May 26. (3 sessions)  **If students are on double-digit multiplication fact tests, they are not required to do the Xtra math sessions.

Social Studies:  Chicago’s rich culture was investigated by studying the various ethnic neighborhoods in the city.  We also discussed the world’s fairs that took place in Chicago.   Jane Addams, one of the most influential women from Illinois, was also a main topic of discussion this week.  Students learned how she made a difference through social change and the Hull House.  The Chicago test will be on Friday, May 29.  A review guide and flashcards will go home next week.

Writing:  In WEX, students completed revision assignments for the remaining parts of their short fiction stories.  They also gave peer feedback to each other using a checklist.  Students used this feedback to improve their stories.  Editing was another focus this week.  In grammar, we continued working on adverbs.  We also talked about how introductory phrases require commas.  Today, we took our last writing words test of the year!

Spelling/Cursive:  Today, we took our week 34 spelling test.  Students wrote the letters “S” and “L” in their cursive packets.

Miscellaneous:  Just a reminder, there will be no school for students on Friday or Monday (Memorial Day).  Have a terrific weekend and enjoy the warm weather!