Weekly Update

Writing

This past week we added interesting ministories, a great lead, and a reflective conclusion to our personal essays.  These will be finished in class by this Friday, and then we will move on to our persuasive essays.  The next Spelling Test will be Friday, November 11th. 

Reading 

Last week we studied text features like bold print, pictures and captions, headings and subheadings, charts and diagrams, and many more!  In reading groups, we are researching natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis for an upcoming project.  

Math

In Chapter 5, students multiply a two-digit number by another two-digit number.  We are currently rounding numbers before multiplying (ex. 50 X 30).  However, this week we will learn to multiply two numbers such as 73 X 45 to find an actual answer.  

Social Studies 

We are almost done with Chapter 1 and will soon be moving to Chapter 2!  We will have a test over both chapters after finishing Chapter 2, so be on the look out for an upcoming test date.  

Other Important Info.

• A BIG THANK YOU for attending conferences this past week!  I appreciate your partnership in your child's education! 
• The school-wide Halloween parade starts at 1:35 tomorrow.  The classroom Halloween parties will follow.  Students are to bring their costumes to school in a bag.  They will have enough time to change for the festivities after recess.  
• XtraMath passwords and logins have gone home with students.  This is an optional way for students to study their multiplication facts.  
• There is No School November 7th and 8th. 

Weekly Update

Writing

This past week we were busy drafting the bones of our personal essays.  We will be adding in ministories to support our thesis, captivating leads, interesting word choice, and more in our upcoming minilessons.  The next Spelling Test will be this Friday, October 28th. 

Reading 

Last week we studied text structures.  In our minilessons and reading groups, we underlined key words to help us in determining if a text was organized as a description, order and sequence, compare and contrast, cause and effect, or problem and solution.  Students did great with it!  This week we will continue to discuss text structures while adding text features to our nonfiction study! 

Also, THANK YOU parents for your spare change donations last week!  We were able to buy A TON of books for our class library!  Students were super excited to pick out the classroom library books!  On Friday, we raffled them off to see who would get to read them first.  It was a lot of fun, and I love that books excite them! 

Math

This past week we started multiplying a one-digit number by a multi-digit number.  It is important that students continue to study the steps in long multiplication as well as study their multiplication facts on a nightly basis.  The Chapter 4 Test is this Wednesday, October 26th.   We are working on the study guide and reviewing early this week.  In Chapter 5, students will by multiplying a two-digit number by another two-digit number.  

Social Studies 

So far in Chapter 1 we have discussed landforms in Missouri.  We will continue with regions of Missouri, famous Missourians, and big cities in Missouri. 

Other Important Info.

• Fall Conferences are this Monday 10/24 and Wednesday 10/26.  
• There is No School November 7th and 8th. 

Weekly Update

Writing

Last week we started our new writing unit on essays!  In Essay Boot Camp, we found out what an essay is and what the format looks like.  Students chose an essay topic and filled out a graphic organizer to organize their ideas.  They have a thesis and 3 supporting reasons with 3 examples each!  Then, students were able to freewrite on their topic!  Personal essay topics include sports, holidays, friends and family members, pets, and a favorite book. This week we are mining our writing to find good ideas and ah-ha moments!  The next Spelling Test will be Friday, October 28th. 

Reading 

Last week we also started our new reading unit!  We have been reading nonfiction texts as part of our independent reading during class.  This reading includes news stories and articles, blogs and other websites, textbooks, and even the class schedule and lunch menu!  We will discuss text structures and text features in this unit.  We are also continuing in our new read aloud titled, "Red Berries, White Clouds, Blue Sky."  It is a historical fiction book and a Mark Twain nominee!  The students really like it so far.  They don't like how the author always leaves us on a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter though!  

Math

Last week we started Chapter 4 with a review of multiples and rounding with multiplying.  This week we continue with using partial products, the distributive property, and other strategies for multiplying a multi-digit number by a one-digit number.  Again, it is very important that students study their multiplication facts on a nightly basis.  The Chapter 4 Test is tentatively set for October 26th.  

Social Studies 

Because we just finished our Science unit, we will now be starting a new Social Studies unit.  This unit includes Chapters 1 and 2 in our Social Studies textbooks.  In these chapters, we will discuss landforms in Missouri, regions of Missouri, famous Missourians, and big cities in Missouri. Because I am piloting a new textbook, students will have a consumable book similar to Science and there will also be online activities available soon!  

Other Important Info.

• This Wednesday, 10/19, is an Early Release Day with dismissal at 1:40.  Please make sure that your child knows how they are going home. 
• Report Cards will be emailed home soon.  
• Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, October 24th and Wednesday, October 26th.  If you have not signed up for a time slot, please do so using the SignUpGenius link that was sent via email.  
• There will be no school on November 7th and 8th.  

Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling

This past week we finished our first writing unit!  We focused a lot on editing this past week, such as correctly punctuating quotations and paragraphing.  Then, on Friday, we celebrated our realistic fiction narratives!  Students gave group members awards such as "Leadership with Leads," "Dynamite Dialogue," and "Creative Characters."  Students should have brought their copy of their papers home this past week.  The rubrics will go home once papers have been graded.  We will resume with our next unit on essay writing on Monday.  We start "Essay Boot Camp" with a personal essay, writing about something that we love.  Then, we will write a persuasive essay.  We spend a lot of time in learning the structure of an essay.   In Spelling, students will get their new words tomorrow.  The next spelling test will be this Friday, October 14th.

Reading

In reading this past week I was able to confer with many students.  I look forward to conferring with all students by the beginning of this week!  Also, our new reading unit starts on Monday!  

Math

This past week we completed Chapter 3, reviewing the associative property, finding factors and multiples of numbers, and working on word problems.  As a reminder, students have math homework (titled "My Homework") Monday-Thursday.  You should see these and worksheets done in class coming home with either a check (all correct), "fix..." (noting corrections to be made), or "see me" (noting the student needed help at the back table).  Any blue worksheets that come home are challenge worksheets.  The students have been very motivated to work on these!  The Chapter 3 Test is this Wednesday, October 12th.  Students took home the study guide on Friday, titled "Review."  Students should finish these tomorrow. Chapter 4  is titled, "Multiply with One-Digit Numbers." It is important that students are studying their multiplication facts at home!

Science

This past week we logged on to the online textbook for the first time.  Here students will find extra credit activities.  The link to the online textbook can be found by clicking here.  After logging in, students click on "To Do" in the right-hand corner of the home page.  Then, the assigned activities will appear.  Click on the activity to complete.   After finishing an activity, click on the "I'm Done" button next to the activity.  Extra credit activities are due this Friday.  This week we will finish the chapter with a study of fossils. The Chapter 4 Test on Ecosystems is this Thursday, October 13th.  The study guide is in the "Science" section of students' binders and we will work on these tomorrow.  After our ecosystems unit, we will resume with our study of Missouri in Social Studies. 

Other Important Info.  

• October 14th marks the end of first quarter.  It is a half day with dismissal at 11:50.  No lunch will be served.  Please make sure your child knows how they are going home.  
• Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, October 24th and Wednesday, October 26th.  On Wednesday you should have received an email from SignUp Genuis.  Please let me know if you did not receive that email so we can schedule a conference. 
• On Friday, students took home plastic baggies to collect change for our Scholastic Book Fair.  This year, the change will directly benefit our classroom!  Any money that our class collects will allow us to get books for our needs and interests in our class library!  The Scholastic Book Fair runs from October 19th-27th.