Weekly Happenings 4.30-5.4

Week 1 of MAP is complete! Everyone continues to put forth their best effort on the MAP test! I am beyond impressed with everyone's hard work! We only have two days left!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We are starting a new unit this week. The students will write a literary essay. Today, the students chose the book they'll be using for their essay. We'll spend a few days this week going back through the book, taking notes on character traits, motivations, struggles, change, and the theme of the book. They'll also notice the setting, word choice, description, and figurative language. They'll eventually expand one of their notes to form a thesis and supporting reasons. 

Word Study: We'll be MAP testing during our word study time most of this week. The students will get a new set of spelling words on Friday.

Science: We are moving back to science this week. Our last chapter covers force and motion. We will be doing a lot of hands on/STEM activities to learn the concepts.

Math: This week we will be creating a Tessellation project using what we have learned about geometric shapes. A tessellation is an arrangement of shapes closely fitted together,  in a repeated pattern without gaps or overlapping.  Here are a few examples:

Reading: We are also starting a new reading unit. The students will be participating in book clubs. Today, the students got their books and decided which pages they would read each day. We will work on having meaningful conversations during the book club meetings. It's important for the students to keep up with their reading and bring discussion points to the meeting. 

Important Dates:

4.30 - 5.2 - Math MAP testing 9:00-11:00

5.3 - Junior Achievement 

5.4 - LEAP Medieval Fair 

Math MAP Review

We played Kahoot to review all of the math we've learned this year!

Weekly Happenings 4.23-4.27

Day 1 of MAP is complete! I am so proud of how hard each student worked today! Our week will look a little crazy this week because of testing.

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We'll be taking a break from writing Monday-Wednesday due to MAP testing. On Thursday and Friday we will finish our poetry unit. The students will choose a few poems to revise, edit, and publish. Each student will compile their published poems to create a grade level poetry book.

Word Study: We'll be MAP testing during our word study time. The students will get a new set of spelling words next week.

Social Studies: Because we are testing in the morning, we will be moving our social studies time to the end of the day Monday-Wednesday. We will be learning more about the hardships the pioneers faced moving west. We'll also learn about slavery and the Civil War. We'll focus mostly on the causes of the Civil War. We'll look specifically at what role Missouri played in the causes of the war.

Math: We will spend this week reviewing all of the math concepts we've learned this year. We'll play some games and work through some word problems together.

Reading: Since the students are spending so much time reading during the MAP, we won't be doing reading lessons in the afternoon. 

Important Dates:

4.23 - 4.25 - ELA MAP testing 9:00-11:00

4.30 - 5.2 - Math MAP testing 9:00-11:00

5.3 - Junior Achievement 

5.4 - LEAP Medieval Fair 

Geometry Review

To review for the geometry test, the students played a matching game with their flashcards.

Classifying Quadrilaterals

This chart is very helpful when classifying quadrilaterals.

Weekly Happenings 4.16-4.20

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend! Let's hope today was the last snowfall we see for a long time!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We will spend the first three days this week working on poetry. Today, the students worked on writing action poems. They included a variety of verbs to show action in their poems. Tomorrow, we will work on writing imagery poems. They'll use their senses and figurative language to bring their poems to life. We will also learn about rhyme schemes.
On Thursday and Friday, we will work on writing to a prompt. This week we will focus on writing informational pieces.

Word Study: We will explore multiple grammar concepts this week. We'll be using their last Galileo data to decide what to work on. Some concepts will be punctuating parts of speech, subject verb agreement, and order of adjectives.

Social Studies: We'll spend this week learning about the Articles of Confederation and how our founding fathers created our government. We'll look into the Constitution and how the branches of government work.

Math: We'll wrap up our last math chapter this week! This week, they'll learn how to classify triangles and quadrilaterals. They'll also identify figures with lines of symmetry and draw lines of symmetry. The test will be this Friday, April 20.

Reading:  We are going to continue working on test taking skills in reading. This will help them prepare for the upcoming MAP test. We will focus on finding the main idea, identifying text structure, and practice their listening skills. They'll also take a practice ELA MAP test.  I'll still be pulling guided reading groups during this time. I'll be reviewing a variety of reading skills with each reading group.

Please keep in mind the days we will be MAP testing:
4/23 - ELA Test
4/24 - ELA Test
4/25 - ELA Test
4/26 - ELA Makeup Day
4/30 - Math Test
5/1 - Math Test
5/2 - Math Test

Important Dates:
4.23 - MAP testing begins
5.3 - Junior Achievement 
5.4 - LEAP Medieval Fair 

Buddy Meeting

We had another successful buddy meeting! The students set a personal goal. They also came up with three ways they can accomplish their goal.

St. Louis Children's Choir

We had a great time listening to the amazing St. Louis Children's Choir. Our very own Concord Choir had the opportunity to preform a song with them!

Poetry Inspiration

We learned how to write Haiku poems! We went outside to get inspired by nature. Their poems turned out great! 

Weekly Happenings 4.9-4.13

Hello! I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We will spend the first three days this week working on poetry. Today, the students worked to use line breaks and stanzas in their poems. They also wrote poems that conveyed a particular emotion. Tomorrow, they will use similes and metaphors in their writing. On Wednesday, they will practice writing a haiku.
On Thursday and Friday, we will work on writing to a prompt. This week we will focus on writing persuasive pieces.

Word Study: We will explore multiple grammar concepts this week. We'll be using their last Galileo data to decide what to work on. Some concepts will be punctuating dialogue, capitalization rules, and parts of speech.

Social Studies: This week, the students will be participating in an American Revolution simulation. They've been split into three groups: Patriots, Loyalists, and Undecided. They each have a specific role such a a blacksmith, carpenter, lawyer, etc. within their groups. They'll be acting as if they are living in the colonies during the war and/or soldiers in the war. Each group will make decisions as the war progresses. These decisions will determine their fate during the war.

Math: We began our final math chapter today! This chapter covers a variety of geometry concepts. This week, they'll learn how to identify types of lines and types of angles. They will also learn how to use a protractor to measure and draw angles. Their test will be next Friday, April 20.

Reading:  We are going to continue working on test taking skills in reading. This will help them prepare for the upcoming MAP test. We will focus on inferring character traits and identifying the point of view and the perspective of the story. I'll still be pulling guided reading groups during this time. I'll be reviewing a variety of reading skills with each reading group.

Please keep in mind the days your child will be taking the MAP test:

4/23 - ELA Test 
4/24 - ELA Test 
4/25 - ELA Test 
4/26 - ELA MAP Makeup Day
4/30 - Math Test 
5/1 - Math Test 
5/2 - Math Test 

Important Dates:

4.11 - Early Release, Buddy Meeting
4.23 - MAP testing begins 

British Army vs. Continental Army

The students worked together to create Venn diagrams comparing the British Army and the Continental Army. They then rotated around reading and adding to each other's Venn diagrams.

Google Sites

The students worked so hard on their Google Sites! I am beyond impressed at how quickly they learn and master new technology. We spent time going through each other's sites! Ask your child to show you their sites! You'll be amazed at what they were able to create!

Poetry Exploration

The students worked with a partner to discover the unique characteristics of poetry! They made many great observations!

Weekly Happenings

Hello! I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! Hopefully, we'll actually see the sun this week!

Here is what's happening this week:

Writing: We are moving onto a poetry unit! Today, the students had the opportunity to read many different poems. They looked for characteristics of poetry and recorded their observations. After discussing their observations, the students wrote their own poems. We will also discuss how poets get their ideas for their poems. They'll practice using past experiences, thinking about important places, and using their senses to create poems.
We'll also spend a couple days each week working on prompt writing. The MAP has a prompt writing section this year. The students will practice writing to prompts covering a variety of genres.

Word Study: We'll continue writing and recognizing the differences between compound and complex sentences. We'll also dive deeper into how to use commas.

Social Studies: We will continue exploring the differences between the British Army and the Continental Army. They'll look at the differences in their sizes, training, equipment, and motivation. We'll also discuss the hardships the soldiers experienced. They'll also learn how the Treaty of Paris ended the war.

Math: We began chapter 13 today. In this chapter, the students will learn how to find perimeter and area. They will also discover the relationship between perimeter and area. There will not be a test on this chapter. Next week, we'll move onto a unit on geometry. 

Reading:  We are going to begin working on test taking skills in reading. This will help them prepare for the upcoming MAP test. We will work on skimming the passage before reading to identify the genre. We'll also talk about the predictable questions that go with each type of genre. They'll also be able to determine which questions can be answered using a specific detail from the text and which ones involve thinking about the whole text. I'll still be pulling guided reading groups during this time. I'll be reviewing a variety of reading skills with each reading group.

Please keep in mind the days your child will be taking the MAP test:

4/23 - ELA Test 
4/24 - ELA Test 
4/25 - ELA Test 
4/26 - ELA MAP Makeup Day
4/30 - Math Test 
5/1 - Math Test 
5/2 - Math Test #3

Important Dates:

4.4 - 2nd Grade Circus 
4.6 - Health Video/Talk, 1:10

4.11 - Early Release, Buddy Meeting
4.23 - MAP testing begins