March 2, 2014

Last week was a very busy week! We took a test on chapter 8 in math and started chapter 12, Time. We continued experimenting with electricity and started final drafts of our informational books. We had a great time at the Valentine's Day Pancake Breakfast.

Here are a few pictures...

This week...

Reading
We will continue our book clubs. At this point, students should be reading the last section of their books. Most groups have 2-3 chapters left and should finish these by next Monday. We will continue our Beverly Cleary read aloud, Mitch and Amy. We are also preparing for the New York State ELA test by reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction passages and answering multiple choice and short answer questions. You may see some of these types of assignments as homework over the next few weeks.

Writing
We will finish our informational books this week. Students have researched, written chapters, revised and edited. They are writing final drafts and adding diagrams, tables of contents and glossaries. We will also start preparing for the ELA test by practicing writing long responses to a reading passage.

Math
We are working on Chapter 12, Time. Some kids are still struggling with the idea of "elapsed time". This is something that can easily be reinforced at home! We will finish that up this week and start fractions. Also, each day students are doing multiplication drills to gain fluency. They are required to successfully complete a fact group (2s, then 3s, etc.) before moving on. Kids are at different levels-some are still on 2s and some are already up to the 5s. The idea is to improve fluency on an individual basis.

Science/Social Studies
We are working on electricity by creating circuits in science. The class is really enjoying the experiments. In social studies, we are learning about economy in the United States.

February 23, 2014

I hope everyone had a wonderful break! The week before break was short, but busy! We were able to finish chapter 8 in math and went into Starlab to learn about the reasons for the seasons. We will be very busy in the upcoming weeks as we start preparing for the New York State tests in April. It's hard to believe that spring is right around the corner...

This week:

The 3-5 Charlotte's Web movie night will be Tuesday night at 6pm.

The Valentine's Day party will be rescheduled for this THURSDAY. We will have the pancake breakfast on Thursday so if you were sending something in, please do so by Thursday The class will exchange their valentines that day so please send those in as well.

Friday is the Bethlehem Central Community Fund's March Madness-Staff Wacky Olympics and Faculty Basketball game. Starts at 6pm!

Reading
In reading this week, we will continue book clubs. Students will have time to finish up section 2 on Monday and will meet in their groups. This week's assignment will be given on Monday and will be due on Thursday. February reading logs will be due Friday. We will also be reading non-fiction articles.

Writing
Students will continue informational writing. They will continue researching, writing chapters and we will focus on introductions and conclusions. Students should complete one entry in their notebook by Friday.

Math
We will review chapter 8 on Monday and will have a test on Tuesday. We will start chapter 12, Time, on Wednesday. We will also be working on times tables to improve fluency.

Science
We will be working on electricity this week.

February 9, 2014

I hope everyone had a great weekend. This Tuesday will be an 11:45 dismissal for parent conferences. On Friday, we will have a Valentine's Day celebration. Please make sure your child brings valentines for each member of the class by Friday. A class list came home last week.

Reading
We started book clubs last week. We learned about Beverly Cleary by doing some research on the ipads. We are reading Mitch and Amy for read aloud and all students are reading Beverly Cleary books in book clubs. Last week, students read the first chapter and completed summaries and vocabulary. This week, they will read another section and will write a summary and a character activity. They have time to work on this in class, but they will have to finish at home if it is not done. Families should finish Charlotte's Web this week and the 3-5 Family Movie Night is Thursday at 6.

Writing
Each week, students need to write one entry in their writer's notebook entries. Once a month, they do a self evaluation and then I evaluate the notebooks. These entries can be any type of writing they choose, but they should be trying to use the strategies we learn in class-paragraphs, dialogue, grammar conventions, spelling, etc. There is a list of ideas for entry types right in the notebook. In class, we are working on informative writing. Students are researching and writing chapters.

Math
This week, we will finish the second chapter of division. We will have a test on Friday. We are spending time on multi-step word problems.

Science/Social Studies
In science, we will continue learning about the solar system and will go back into Starlab to learn about seasons. We will also continue learning about electricity. In social studies, we are studying the United States and will learn about the Olympics.

February 2, 2014

I hope everyone enjoyed the milder temperatures this weekend! We had a great time dressing like farmers on Thursday! Scroll down to my last post to check out a picture of the class if you haven't seen it!

Reminders:

Tuesday, February 4th and Tuesday, February 11th are 11:45 dismissal days for students for parent conferences.

For Valentine's Day next Friday, please make sure to send in Valentines for the class. We will have a special breakfast and will be exchanging valentines. Please have your child address one to every member of the class and sign each one. I will send home a class list this week. Thanks!

This week...

Reading
Last week, we finished our read aloud Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and discussed the similarities to Charlotte's Web. We focused on the theme of friendship from both books and wrote about a special friend. This week, we will start book clubs. We will do an author study of Beverley Cleary and our read aloud and book club books will be by Beverley Cleary. Students will work in the guided reading groups to meet and discuss the book. Each group will be assigned a book on Monday. This can be read for nightly reading. January logs are due Monday.

Writing
We are still in the informative writing unit. Students have been looking at examples of informational writing and are trying to apply this to their writing on solar systems.

Math
We finished part 1 of the division unit (meanings of division) and had a test on Friday. We will start the next chapter on division on Monday. This will focus on the relationship between multiplication and division and fact families.

Science/Social Studies
In Science, we are working on electricity and the solar system. We will be going back into Starlab this week! In Social Studies, we are continuing to learn about the United States.