This Week...

December 7- December 11, 2015

Reading:  Students were excited to start our new fiction unit!  At the beginning of the week, we explored various types of fiction.  Some of these included fables, folktales, and historical fiction.  We also read Mirette on the High Wire, which was a story based in France over 100 years ago.  Students identified important story elements using an organizer.  We also read an Ashanti tale about Anansi the Spider.  We had a discussion about how folktales often use literary and cultural language to convey a story that has been passed down from generation to generation.  Students identified important events in the story to create a retelling. Reading Logs are due Monday, December 14.  (100 minutes)

Math:  We began unit 5 this week!  Students reviewed place value up to the hundred millions.  They also practiced writing large numbers from dictation, as well as saying numbers aloud.  We also learned a new game, “Number Top-It”, which helped us compare large numbers in a fun way!  Towards the end of the week, students discussed the U.S. census and applied their knowledge of large numbers to interpret city populations.  Pictographs were another focus.

Social Studies:  We had a great discussion about the Midwest economy.  We discovered that manufacturing and agriculture provide many jobs for people in the area.  Henry Ford and the assembly line were highlighted.  Students also experienced the culture of the Midwest by reading about Mt. Rushmore, Cahokia, the Hmong people, and many other interesting topics.  The Midwest test (including the Midwest states & capitals) will be on Thursday, December 17.  A review guide will be going home next week.

Writing:  In writing, we continued working on character traits and supporting details.  Students analyzed excerpts from the book My Name is Maria Isabel and found interesting showing details.  Students also wrote different types of winter poetry.  These types of poems were Haikus and sensory poems.  In grammar, students worked on identifying action verbs in various sentences.

Spelling:  Today, we had our week 13 test.

Miscellaneous:  “Secret Snowpal” names went home this week!  Students need to create a homemade card with a special message for that particular classmate.  Snowpal cards are due Wednesday, December 16.  Shh…remember, it’s a secret!  As always, please contact me if you have any questions…have a great weekend!