Hello! I hope everyone had a good weekend! This will be the last week of 1st quarter! We have a lot of great things going on!

Here's what's happening this week:

Writing: The students have chosen their thesis statements (opinions) for their essays. This week we will work on coming up with their reasons and begin collecting evidence!

Reading: This week the students will work on note taking. We will use text structure, or how the information is organized, to help us find the main idea and supporting details. At home, if your child is reading non-fiction, ask them to tell you the text structure!

Word Study: The students will take their spelling test this Thursday October 13.

Social Studies: The students finished their amazing Missouri Regions brochures! This week we will create a model of Missouri! They will paint their maps once the mixture dries!

Math: We are starting chapter 4 this week. The students will learn how to multiply bigger digits. This week the students will use estimation to solve problems. We will also start using models to show how the algorithm works.

Important Dates:
10.14 - 1st Quarter Ends, 1/2 Day
10.19 - Early Release 

Salt Maps!

Today we mixed flour, salt and water and created maps! The students formed the mixture into the shape of Missouri. Then they marked the rivers, big cities, and mountains. Their maps look amazing! 

Reading King

Gavin is our reading king of the month! He read the most minutes in September! Gavin read over 1,000 minutes outside of class! 

Weekly Happenings 10/3-10/7

Hello! I hope everyone had a good weekend! Can you believe we are already in October?! We are ready for another month of amazing learning!

Here's what's happening this week:

Writing: We started a new writing unit this week! The students will be writing opinion essays. We will spend this week generating ideas for an essay.

Reading: We've also begun a new reading unit! This unit will teach the students how to read non-fiction. They will be working in groups to conduct a research project over a natural disaster.

Word Study: The students will take their spelling test October 13.

Social Studies: We have moved on to social studies! They students will be learning about the five different Missouri regions! To show their knowledge, they will create a Missouri Region brochure!

Math: We are continuing to learn about multiplication and division! Please start working on learning the multiplication facts at home. You can use cards, quiz them in the car, use Quicktables (through the ALEKS site), or a variety of applications. Knowing their multiplication facts will be essential in the upcoming chapters. Their chapter 3 math test will be Friday, October 7.

Important Dates:
10.7 - Family Trivia Night
10.14 - 1st Quarter Ends, 1/2 Day
10.19 - Early Release 

Reading Celebration

To wrap up our reading unit, the students created Facebook pages for their favorite book characters. They then presented their characters to the class. Each student knew their characters like they were their best friends! 

Writing Celebration

The students celebrated their realistic fiction stories! We had a gallery walk where they got to read each others' pieces! They wrote compliments on pieces of a "s'more" as they read each piece! We even had a campfire playing on our screen to make it a real s'more experience! 

Minecraft Ecosystems

The students got to present their amazing ecosystems and food webs to the class! They all did an amazing job!