Friday, September 9, 2016

September 9, 2016 Update...

Thank you for checking in today!  We have had a short but very busy week in room 315...We are gearing up for testing next week. We'll begin on Tuesday. It will be very important for your child to be on time each day in order to avoid having to do the make-up tests. We'll begin sharply at 8:00 each day.  Check out what we have been working on in class this week...

Phonics/Grammar:  We learned the spelling patterns when words end in -y. Sometimes we just add -s and sometimes we change the -y to an -i and then add -es.  We also learned about pronouns, words that can take the place of nouns. We learned that pronouns must agree with the noun in gender and number.  We took both tests on Friday.

Reading:  We focused on using text evidence to answer questions on fiction and nonfiction passages.  We read the passage "The Curious Situation of Foxes" and learned how to refer back to the story so we feel confident in our answer selection. We also discussed what inferring means (an assumption based on evidence or clues given in a story).  We read several nonfiction passages on Ancient Greece and the influence on our country and focused on how to read a short section and then annotate (take notes) on the information.  We worked individually on fluency and took a one minute fluency check on a grade level passage. 

Math:  We continued with our number talks, focusing on multiplication strategies that help us fluently (quickly and accurately) solve equations.  We worked on word problems daily, really taking the time to analyze before we solve.  Our focus has been on multi-step problems.  We continued our multiplication and division strategies, learning how to use arrays to solve equations.  We also learned the vocabulary associated with these concepts (factor, product, divisor, dividend, quotient).  We took our county assessment on multi-step problem solving (to be shared at conferences).  We also showed off our math ability when the ConceptuaMath trainer modeled a division lesson using this supplemental resource.  We worked independently on the laptops to practice our new skills. 

Social Studies:  We began our unit on Ancient Greece and its influence on our country. We talked about the roots of democracy and compared our two forms of democracy (direct democracy vs. representative democracy.) We looked at other influences from Greece, such as architectural influences and sporting influences. 

Health:  We learned about healthy nutrition from a WellStar representative who came and  presented a presentation called "Just Eat It!"

Writing:  We worked on our developing our flash drafts and writing our narratives "bit-by-bit" in order to provide lots of juicy details. 

Class News and Announcements...

Thank you for all the testing goodies that you are sending in!  The kids will appreciate the daily treats over the next few weeks!

Fall Break begins September 26th. Enjoy your week off!

Our first STEM day of the school year is coming up in October. Be on the lookout for the flyer coming home today that lists the items we will need for our STEM project. Mrs. Wells will be making sure we have enough supplies to make this activity a success. Please donate what you can!

Dinner Conversation Starters...

*What are some differences between the democracy in Greece and the democracy in modern day United States?
*What strategy do you like when multiplying? (repeated addition, making groups, or arrays)
*What did Mrs. Briggs teach you about in the Guidance lesson this week?
*What are you learning about in STEM?
*What book are you reading in book club? Who is your favorite character and why?
*How do you think you did on the multi-step word problem assessment?  Why?


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