1/25/16 - 1/29/16

Our testing is done and we are excited to get back to our classroom routine!

MATH:

In math this week, we will continue to work on multiplying two digit numbers by a one digit number. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we learned about the pictorial method when we multiply. This week, we will be learning about the expanded method and box method for multiplying larger numbers. On Friday, we will begin our unit on metric measurement. For homework this week, we will have a worksheet on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. A problem of the week will go home on Monday and it will be due on Friday. Our normal fast facts quiz will be on Friday.

                                                     

Expanded Method

Box Method

    

LANGUAGE ARTS:

Reading: This week we will focus on the genre of poetry.  Your children come with loads of background knowledge about this genre.  I'm including both classes anchor charts to show off all that they already know.  We will work more at examining the mechanics and meaning of poetry during the week.

Writing: We are wrapping up our work with narratives.  Students will finish mapping out their own stories as we critique what elements add value to narratives.  We will focus on critiquing authors' uses of inner thinking and backstory this week.

Word Work/Spelling: Monday through Wednesday of this week we will be taking an application grade on last week's words.  Wednesday, students will receive new spelling words.  The next test will be on Wednesday, February 3.

Fun Focus Fridays: You may have heard that we are trying out something new for Fridays.  On Fridays, for our Reading and Writing block, we will move through work stations.  Stations will focus on word work, writing, reading skills and strategies we have learned throughout the week and cursive.  Station work will be presented in a game or group work manner in hopes to make our show what you know time engaging and worthwhile.

SOCIAL STUDIES: During our unit on Story of America, we will learn about the following explorers over the next few days:

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)-An Italian explorer working for Spain who sailed to the Americas while trying to reach Asia from Europe.

William Clark and Meriwether Lewis – American explorers who, in 1803, led The Corps of Discovery in exploring the land west of the Mississippi River. They journeyed overland across North America to the Pacific Coast and back.

Daniel Boone (1734-1820)-An American pioneer leader who helped settle the state of Kentucky and created the Wilderness Road, a trail in the Appalachian Mountains that early settlers used to move west.

Juan de Oñate (ca. 1550-1626) A Spanish explorer who founded the first European settlements in the upper Rio Grande Valley, including the city of El Paso. 

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!
Thank you for offering your children life experiences and a chance to read over the break!

Please make sure to reference the email from Mrs. Ford about upcoming assessments.  We will be giving a NRT assessment and CoGAT over the next two weeks.  Testing will require us to move schedules around, so our blocks of learning will be modified over the next few weeks.  The information below will catch you up on the learning that we will cover from 1/11-1/22.

Language Arts
Reading- We have entered the second C in the CCP process.  Students have consumed (read) many great examples of narrative.  We will spend the next few days reading like critiques to determine if an author uses various craft elements to enhance their story.  The next few days we will look at ways to use dialogue to move a story rather than just using dialogue for the fun of making commas and quotation marks!
Writing- Students will begin using the narrative arc to help them plan out a story before writing. This pre-writing tool is helpful for writer's to use to see if a story is worthy of taking to publication.  If the parts of a narrative aren't clear, it might be a story simply worth remembering but not taking through the writing process to publication.
Spelling-Your children completed a midyear inventory last week in Word Study.  I was so pleased to see how they have progressed in their knowledge of spelling concepts.  We will reorganize ourselves into new spelling groups this week.  New spelling words will come home on 1/13.  Our test will be on 1/20 and an application grade will be taken between 1/21 and 1/26.  Your support at home with spelling concepts is appreciated.

Social Studies
The third 9 weeks brings us to our unit called, Story of America.  You may remember it as history! :)  Last week we discussed the terms; past, present, future, year, decade, century and millennium.  We will use the next few weeks to think about the time and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Students will work to complete a learning menu.  Activities on the menu will challenge them to think about their dreams for our country, how MLK Jr.'s life and death impacted the way we do things today and ways we can honor those who have made a difference in the history of our country and world.

Math
In math this week, we will continue working on multiplication and division. On Monday, we will play the game kahoot which will review the vocabulary and skills from multiplying and dividing. On Wednesday, we will review for our test on Thursday. We will prepare in class for our test so no review will be sent home. On Thursday we will take our multiplication and division test. Due to testing this week, we will not have a problem of the week. On Monday, your child will come home with an addition and subtraction review worksheet. We will have our normal Mangahigh homework on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We will still have our fast facts quiz on Friday. It will not be a grade this week.

Science
In science this week, we will begin keyboarding. We will spend the three days that we are not testing learning how to keyboard. We will work on the proper keyboarding posture and we will work on using the home row keys. We will spend these days doing lessons and practice building keyboarding skills.