Weekly Happenings 1.29-2.2

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'm looking forward to a full week of learning!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: The students should have their first two chapters nearly completed. The third chapter will be a biography. The students will write the biography on a person related to their focus topic. We will also begin drafting an essay. Their essays will prove why their focus topic was an important cause of the war.

Word Study: We will spend this week reviewing their spelling words. The tests will be January 31.

Science: We will spending this week completing a variety of science labs. Today, we learned about mixtures and solutions. The students used different tools to separate a mixture. We will spend the rest of the week doing activities that review the concepts they've already learned. They will find the volume of different items, test the density of items, and compare different objects using their properties.

Math: We will continue chapter 9 this week. The students will learn how to add and subtract mixed numbers. They will also learn how to multiply fractions. Their next test will be Wednesday, February 7. Please continue working with your child on their multiplication facts. The students received their January multiplication quizzes back today. I encouraged them to take home their quizzes and work on the facts they missed.  

Reading:  We will continue taking notes with their reading group. We will focus on a specific person this week. They will use their notes to help write the biography chapter of their informational books. The students will be researching either Paul Revere or Samuel Adams. 

Important Dates:

2.7 - Early Release
2.9 - Jump Rope for Heart
2.14 - Valentine's Day
2.16 - No School
2.19- No School

Separating Mixtures

Today the students learned about mixtures and solutions. They were given a cup with sand, water, and paperclips mixed together. They had to figure out how to separate those items using a coffee filter, a magnet, and an empty cup.

100th Day Fun!

The students had 100 seconds to collect 100 items. They used those items to build some kind of structure. The students got very creative when deciding what their structure was going to be. One group built a bridge, another built a school, and another built props for a photo booth!

Buddy Day

We had a great day with our buddies! First, we went to an assembly celebrating people's talents. Our classmate, Nate told the school about his amazing dirt biking talent! The students also worked with their buddies to make a marshmallow and toothpick bear den. Their den had to be big enough to hold a paper polar bear.

Weekly Happenings 1.22-1.26

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We will work on drafting the first two chapters of their information books this week. The first chapter will be an overview of the causes of the Revolutionary War. The second chapter will focus on a specific cause of the war. We will work on how to elaborate their notes in their writing.

Word Study: We will spend this week sorting their words, learning the meaning, and completing activities to learn the spelling. The tests will be January 31.

Science: We will spending this week

Math: We will spend the beginning of this week reviewing for the test. There are a lot of new concepts being tested. Please help your child study. Their study guide went home today. I've also encouraged them to take home pages from the math book for extra review. The test will now be Wednesday, Jan. 24th. On Thursday, we will start the next chapter. They will learn how to add and subtract fractions.

Reading:  We will continue taking notes on the specific cause they are writing about. They will work on paraphrasing the text in their notes. We will also study primary sources to get new information about their topic. 

Important Dates:

1.24 - Early Release and Buddies (wear maroon, Concord shirt)
1.26 - Concord Family Bingo Night (at Truman) - 6:30
2.7 - Early Release

Fraction Anchor Charts

Here are the many anchor charts we've been using in math. These will be helpful when studying for the math test.

Density Lab

To learn more about density, the students created their own boats. They used only a piece of foil to build a boat that could hold math tiles. One boat held 200 tiles before sinking!  

Coding Creations

Aiden has been working hard on a video game he is coding himself. Today, he shared his creation with the class!

Weekly Happenings 1.16-1.19

Hello! I hope everyone had a great long weekend! Hopefully, you all managed to stay warm!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We are officially starting the next writing unit! In this unit, the students will write an informational book about the causes of the American Revolution. The students will study an example piece before they begin writing. They will also create a plan for the chapters of their book.

Word Study: The students have new words. We will spend this week sorting their words, learning the meaning, and completing activities to learn the spelling.

Science: We are moving back to science. This chapter covers the properties of matter. The students will learn how to identify matter using the different properties. They will also learn how to measure mass, volume, and density.

Math: We are still plugging away with fractions! This week we will learn how to represent mixed numbers by decomposing them into a sum of whole numbers and unit fractions, and how to write mixed numbers and improper numbers. To allow more time for mastery of these skills we are going to push back the test. The test will now be Wednesday, Jan. 24th.

Reading:  This week the students will learn that when researchers take notes, they read a chunk of the text straight through and pause to talk it over in their mind before they record the important parts.  We will also focus on synthesizing texts about the same sub-topic. Each reading group will be focusing on a specific cause of the Revolutionary War. They will be reading multiple texts on the same topic. They will need to know how to find new information and recognize what information they already recorded in their notes. 

Important Dates:

1.19 - AbilityAwareness
1.24 - Early Release and Buddies (wear maroon, Concord shirt)
1.26 - Concord Family Bingo Night (at Truman) - 6:30

Message of the Day

We sure have some crazy talents in this class!

The Road to Revolution

The students created their own pictures to add to the timeline. Their pictures represented the events that led to the American Revolution.

Message of the Day

Welcome Back!

To start the new year, everyone set personal and academic goals for themselves.

Weekly Happenings

Hello! I hope everyone had a great winter break! We had an amazing first day back!

Here is what's happening this short week and next:

Writing: Our next unit is an informational writing unit. The students will be writing about a specific cause of the Revolutionary War. We will be spending this week and next building background knowledge on this topic. The students will need to know a lot about the causes before they can begin writing about it.

Word Study: All tests will be January 10.

Social Studies: The students will be learning about how life was during the colonial times. We will also spend some time learning about the causes of the Revolutionary War. We will build on what they are learning during writing.

Math: We began chapter 8 today, which covers fractions. The students will review how to read and write fractions. We will spend next week learning how to find equivalent fractions and simplest form. They will also learn how to compare and order fractions. Their test will be Friday, January 19.

Reading:  Our next reading unit will be another non-fiction unit. This time, the students will be reading about historical events. The students will use this time to read and take notes on the topic they will be writing about.

Important Dates:

1.15 - No School
1.24 - Early Release

Winter Celebrations

Snowman Fun

The students worked together to build snowmen. They had a certain budget and weight limit for their snowman. We sure have some creative students!