Weekly Update

Writing/Spelling

This week we focused on adding many details to our stories and finalizing our story endings.  Most students are now typing their stories.  We are editing and publishing our stories next week to have them finished by our celebration date of next Friday!  Students will receive new Spelling word sorts on Tuesday.  

Reading

In reading groups, we got the first issue of our magazine StoryWorks!  There are so many awesome articles for students to read!  Students read some of the articles in reading groups.  Students are encouraged to read whatever nonfiction article, fiction story, poem, debate, etc. that they didn't read in class during independent reading time at school or at home with a parent.  

Math

Students will start Chapter 3 on Tuesday.  This is our first of many chapters that focus on multiplication and division.  It is very important that students study their multiplication facts at home!

5 FUN ways to practice multiplication facts at home:

1. Roll two dice and multiply the two numbers that were rolled together.

2. Create a memory game- one card contains the factors, the other contains the product.

3. Draw a domino that is face down and multiply the dots on either side together.  

4. Use a deck of cards to play "Multiplication War."  Two people each draw two cards and multiply them together.  The person with the largest product wins the round. 

5. Play "Number Draw." 

Science

This week in Science we discussed different types of ecosystems and parts of those ecosystems such as producers, consumers, and decomposers.  Next week we will start our Biome Quilt Project, in which each student will research a biome to find out more about its climate, plants and animals, and location.  The Ecosystems vocabulary quiz is Tuesday, 9/29.  Extra credit activities/practice activities can be found on the online textbook.  Students' usernames and passwords can be found on the log-in cards in the front of their binders.   The link to the online textbook can be found by clicking on the textbook below.  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.  

Other Important Info.  

• Please remember that we will leave first thing in the morning for our field trip to Babler State Park this coming Monday, September 28th!  Make sure that you watch the weather to determine if a jacket is needed.  Also, it is important that students bring their lunch (unless they requested a sack lunch) and wear tennis shoes.  I know that they are excited for a great field trip! 
• To find the Reflection Journal prompts that were assigned this week as well as old reflection journal prompts, click here. 
• As a reminder, current grades can be viewed using SIS.  Grades are updated weekly. 
• Picture Day is this Wednesday, September 30th.  
• Hat Day will be October 1st.  If a student brings $.50 to donate to pancreatic cancer research, he or she may wear a hat!