May 3rd-May 7th

Mark your calendar...
5/10 Robert Crown Field Trip
5/14 Early Dismissal

Students from Project Challenge have started a fund raiser for the ASPCA, a foundation to stop animal cruelty. The kids will be selling Smencils® (scented pencils) for a 1.00 each. The pencils will be sold each morning in the grade level areas. The sales will start Friday April 30th and go through May 28th.
We will track our sales on the bulletin board by the multi-purpose room. For every twenty dollars we raise, one food bowl will go up on the bulletin board. So please help save our animals. Buy Smencils!

Spelling:
Lesson 33: Words ending with -tion
The test will be on Friday.

Reading:
Our Poetry Unit will continue throughout this week. This unit revisits our study of figurative language and will require students to explore different styles of this genre. The students will read, interpret, and write their own poems in class. Please review the poetry packet and rubric with your child at home. All Poetry Unit Books will be due on May 14th. Book clubs were formed April 30th. The first book club meeting will be on Friday, May 7th. Book club worksheets will also be due at the first meeting.

English:
We will continue with our unit on verbs and contract enrichment for the unit.

Math:
We are moving on to Chapter 14: Number Theory and Patterns. We will cover Lessons 14.1, 14.2 and 14.3. This chapter will not be formally tested. Instead, we will have a graded assessment. Please refer to your child's assignment notebook for the exact date of the assessment. Please continue to practice multiplication and division facts at home so that you child knows the answers with speed and accuracy.

Social Studies:
The Chapter 11 social studies test will be on Tuesday, May 4th. During the week, we will move on to our final region: The West! We will also be have a Junior Achievement representative in our classroom on Wednesdays for the next four weeks.

Science:
We will concentrate on Lesson 2 in Chapter 7. Your child will learn about the rock cycle. There will be a graded assessment on lesson 2 near the end of the week. Please watch for it to be posted in your child's assignment notebook.

April 26th-April30th

Mark your calendar...

4/27 Straight “A's” from Second Trimester Recognized
5/10 Robert Crown Field Trip
5/14 Early Dismissal


Spelling:
Lesson 32: Words ending with a consonant + le.
The test will be on Friday.

Reading:
Our Poetry Unit will begin this week. This unit revisits our study of figurative language and will require students to explore different styles of this genre. The students will read, interpret, and write their own poems in class. Please review the poetry packet and rubric with your child at home. In addition, we will select novels and create a reading schedule for our next book club.

English:
We will begin our unit on verbs and contract enrichment for the unit. We will finish all Hero expository essays in the computer lab this week.

Math:
We will continue to work on our division unit. This week we will divide 3-digit numbers and money (Lesson 12.2) and divide 3-digit numbers by 1 digit numbers when there are zeros in the quotient (Lesson 12.3). The students will have a graded assessment on Wednesday. It will review what they have learned in Lessons 12.2 and 12.3. The Chapter 11/12 Test is tentatively scheduled for Friday, April 30th. It will cover Lessons 11.1, 11.3, 11.5, 11.7, 12.2, and 12.3. Please continue to practice multiplication and division facts at home so that you child knows the answers with speed and accuracy.

Social Studies:
We will continue our study of the Southwest in Chapter 11. This week, we will work on Lesson 3: Ranches and Drivers. We will also be have a Junior Achievement representative in our classroom on Wednesdays for the next five weeks.

Science:
We will wrap up Lesson 1 in Chapter 7. Your child will learn about how igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks are formed. We will handle and observe various rock samples and classify them into groups. There will be a graded assessment on this lesson near the end of the week. Please watch for it to be posted in your child's assignment notebook.

April 19th-April 23rd

It was wonderful to see so many parents and students at our Spring Open House/Book Fair. I hope you enjoyed exploring our inventions and classroom projects!

Mark your Calendar
4/22 Early Dismissal—11:00

Spelling:
Rule: Plural Possessives
The test will be on Friday.

Reading:
Our Poetry Unit will begin this week. This unit revisits our study of figurative language and will require students to explore different styles of this genre. The students will read, interpret, and write their own poems.

English:
All students will complete their Personal Hero expository essays. We will also pretest our next English unit on verbs.

Math:
We will continue to work on our division unit. This week we will investigate division patterns (Lesson 11.5) and where to place the first digit in a quotient by estimating or using place value (Lesson 11.7). The students will have a graded assessment on Wednesday. It will review what they have learned in Lessons 11.1, 11.3, 11.5, and 11.7. We will move on to Chapter 12 on Thursday. Please continue to practice multiplication and division facts at home so that you child knows the answers with speed and accuracy.

Social Studies:
We will continue our study of the Southwest. This week, we will work on lesson two. We will also be have a Junior Achievement representative in our classroom on Wednesdays for the next five weeks.

Science:
We will begin our final unit of study in science: Earth Science!

April 12th-April16th

Mark your Calendar
4/13 Inventions Due
4/15 Spring Open House

Spelling:
Lesson 30: Possessive form of singular nouns
The test will be on Friday.

Reading:
This week we will continue to learn about Pourquoi Tales. Pourquoi Tales are folktales that explain how something in nature came to be. Pourquoi is a French word that means "Why." Our reading strategies for the week will be self-questioning and personification. The students will finish writing their own versions of Pourquoi Tales.

English:
We will continue working on our Hero expository essays. This week, the children will finish filling out a graphic organizer to plan out their writing about their hero. Then, they will move on to their rough drafts.

Math:
We will continue to focus on multiplication of 3 & 4 digit numbers. We will complete Chapter 9 and move on to specific lessons in Chapter 10. The Chapter 9/10 Math Test is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14th. It will cover Lessons 9.1, 9.2, 9.4, 9.5, 9.6, 10.1, 10.6, and 10.7.

Social Studies:
We are moving on to Chapter 11. This chapter explores the people of the southwest. We will kick off the first lesson which explores the life of the Navajo.

Science:
This week, we will wrap up our study of simple machines. The Chapter 17 Test is scheduled for Thursday, April 15th. Inventions are due on Tuesday, April 13th! All students should continue to work on their inventions at home. Use your invention calendar to help you stay on track.

April 5th-April 9th

Welcome back to school!

Mark your Calendar

4/5 School Resumes

4/13 Inventions Due

4/15 Spring Open House

Spelling:

Rule: words with the prefixes "mis" and "dis"

The test will be on Friday.

Reading:

This week we will learn about Pourquoi Tales. Pourquoi Tales are folktales that explain how something in nature came to be. Pourquoi is a French word that means "Why." Our reading strategies for the week will be self-questioning and personification. At the end of our study, the students will write their own versions of Pourquoi Tales.

English:

We will begin our Hero expository essays. We will brainstorm a list of character traits and behaviors of a hero. Then, each student will identify a hero that has affected them in their own life. The children will fill out a graphic organizer to plan out their writing about their hero. Then, they will move on to their rough drafts.

Math:

We will continue to focus on multiplication of 3 & 4 digit numbers. We will complete Chapter 9 and move on to specific lessons in Chapter 10. The Chapter 9/10 Math Test is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 14th.

Social Studies:

We are moving on to Chapter 11. This chapter explores the people of the southwest. We will kick off the first lesson which explores the life of the Navajo.

Science:

This week, we will continue with our study of simple machines. We will compete Lessons 2 & 3 and prepare for the Chapter 17 Test. The Chapter 17 Test is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 15th. All students should continue to work on their inventions at home. Use your invention calendar to help you stay on track.

April 1, 2010

I hope that you are all enjoying your Spring Break! Please look for an updated posting of our classroom blog this weekend. I hope to see you all on Monday well-rested and ready to learn!