Math TestWe will have our unit 3 math test on Wednesday, February 7th. It will cover:
ConferencesUPDATE: The conference link is below. www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0D4BACAB2AA5FC1-spring3 A conference schedule will be sent to your email early next week and a link will also be posted on this website. Since it is the spring, conferences are optional. If you would prefer, we can also hold a phone conference. Your child and his iPad should come with you as your child will be sharing a portfolio of their work this year. Thanks! Six Flags Reading LogLast week, students received a Six Flags reading log. This log is entirely optional, but students can read an additional 6 hours or 360 minutes in order to earn a free ticket to Six Flags. Their daily reading assignment of 25 minutes a night should not be included on the log. The log is due with your signature on February 27th. Valentine's DayValentine's day is just around the corner. If your child would like to pass out valentines, please include a card for each child in the class. We currently have 26 students. I sent out an email today with each student's name. Please do not send cards with candy since it is against district policy. Thanks!
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ScienceThe class has been very excited to work on our new science projects. In this unit, students will be studying ecosystems. To start this unit, students planted lima beans in a variety of scenarios. One group planted seeds without access to light, one without access to dirt, one without access to water, one without access to air, and one was the control. Then we also put Indian corn and sweet potatoes in water to see if they can grow without soil. The class will be observing these plants over the next few weeks to see how the plants develop. Reading and WritingWe have started a new unit that combines both reading and writing. Students are researching various topics and are writing an persuasive essay on their opinion. We have discussed how good opinion papers have a claim, reasons, and evidence. In addition, we have even had a mini-debate on our topics. We will be continuing to research and write for the rest of January.
Happy New year!Our class had a blast at our party before break. Thank you to everyone who volunteered and to our room moms! NWEA ScheduleThe class will be taking NWEA tests next week. The schedule is:
MathWe have started our next math unit. It will cover:
MathOur math test will be on Thursday, December 21st. It will be on:
winter break reading logI will be sending a Winter Break Reading Log home on Thursday. Students are expected to read 300 minutes which is equivalent to reading 25 minutes a day with 4 days off. However, students may read as many minutes per day as they like and for as many days as they want, as long as the total is 300 minutes. For example:
Students should turn in their form on Monday, January 8th. NWEAOur winter NWEA schedule is:
School SuppliesAt this point in the year, many students either lost or broke many of their school supplies. Please check with your child to see if they need more pens, pencils, red pens, or any other supplies. If you have extra index cards at home that you are willing to part with, please send them in. Our class bin is empty. Thank you!
Winter WeatherUnfortunately, December has arrived with some chilly temperatures. This is a great reminder for students to bring warm weather gear to school. Whether it's waiting outside in the morning or going out to recess the students need to be prepared. Students should be coming to school with winter jackets, gloves, and a hat. Students should not be wearing shorts unless they have pants over them. If you are in need of any winter gear, please do not hesitate to contact me or Jill Guinan, our social worker. We are more than happy to help. Social studiesThe class has started a new unit in social studies on the original 13 colonies. We have explored how various colonies created their government, set up their economy, why they were founded, and explored their geography and climate. Instead of a unit test, the class will be divided into small groups and will have to make a commercial that convinces people to move to their colony. They already received a rubric that I will be using to grade their presentations. The class is very excited about this project!
FMSC was a great success!I was to give a big thank you to all of chaperones. I know that our class had a great time and learned a lot about compassion because you all were willing to come to FMSC. During our visit we bagged 41, 040 meals and fed 112 kids for 1 entire year! MathWe have started our next math unit. It will focus on:
ReadingWe are still continuing our fiction novel unit. The class has really enjoyed reading various novels in small groups. Currently, the class is reading Loser, Rump, Missing from Superstition Mountain, A View from Saturday, and Shakespeare's Secret.
We have continue to work on comparing themes across texts and now we have started to work on point of view. The class has been analyzing their books to identify what part of the story is missing or included based on who is narrating. Thanksgiving reading logNext week, students will get a Thanksgiving Reading Log that will be completed over Thanksgiving break. Each child should read a minimum of 125 minutes over break. Students can divvy up their reading time in any way that they prefer, but the log needs to be signed and returned by Monday, November 27th. math testOur final math test will be on Tuesday, November 21. If your child will not be at school that day please let me know. The test will cover:
Some IXL skills that students can use to practice are:
Graded papersJust an FYI-I am sending home a ton of graded papers today. Make sure to look through them with your child since report cards will be going home on December 5th.
FMSC field tripWe need about 4 parents to go on their field trip with us. Please consider coming! It will be on Wednesday, November 29th from about 8:45-12:15 at the Libertyville location: 742 East Park Avenue (Hwy 176), Libertyville, IL 60048. You may drive or ride on the bus. Please email me or send a note with your child if you can come! A permission slip went home today for students to join us on this field trip. This non-profit organization is committed to fighting world hunger. The children will work together in small groups to pack specially formulated meals that will then be shipped to areas around the world facing famine and poverty. It can be difficult to find service opportunities where children get to take on an active role in their contribution. FMSC does just that. Each year, the children return to school beaming with pride to have been a part of something so compelling. While Feed My Starving Children is a religious organization, we will there to do our part to address world hunger. Please take a moment to check out its website for more information: http://www.fmsc.org/ If you are concerned about allergy content please take a moment to look at http://www.fmsc.org/allergies? CogatThere will be Cogat testing next week. It will be on Tuesday and Thursday at 9 am and Wednesday at 8 am. The results from this test help determine advanced math and gifted placement for next year with consideration to a multitude of other factors. There is no way to prepare for these tests. WritingWe will be wrapping up our nonfiction writing unit next week. Students will be writing their final essays in class without any peer or adult support. We will then compare our results to our pretest at the beginning of the year. I am excited to see all of their growth! ThanksgivingIf you are leaving early the week of Thanksgiving, please let me know! There will be a math test that week as well as other homework to make up. Thanks!
happy halloween!Thank you to everyone who contributed to such a fanatastic party! Everyone love the food and the fun games!
MathWe have started our second math unit. It will cover:
Some IXL skills that students can use to practice are:
Social StudiesWe have started our second social studies unit. We have been learning about early English settlements, such as Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth. This has been a great way to focus on the history behind the first Thanksgiving. Students will be taking a test without any notes on November 2nd on these three colonies. They currently have taken notes on all the information they need for the test, but next week we will spend some time reviewing for the test. ReadingWe have started our second reading unit which will focus on fiction. Next week, the class will start their book clubs. They will be reading either Eight Keys, The Calder Game, Alex Rider: Stormbreaker, The Homework Machine, or So B. It. WritingThe students' first essay will be sent home today. The grading scale based on the overall grade is as follows:
3.0-4.0 A+ 2.5-2.9 A 2.1-2.5 B 1.5-2.0 C 1.0-1.4 D If you look at their pretest score that you received during conferences, most students grew quite dramatically! Now, we are starting our second essay where students have to compare two animals. |
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