February 7 Update...

Hi Parents,

We've had a great week and have been very busy!  Check out below to see what we've been doing in each subject area. Don't forget Winter Break is coming up in a week!

Grammar/Spelling:  We learned spelling patterns for verbs containing suffixes.  We also created an anchor chart, explaining what an adverb is and how we can identify them in sentences. We took our spelling test on Friday.

Reading: We finished up our novel, Because of Winn-Dixie and we watched the movie.  We took several quizzes on the chapters to practice locating text evidence in the book to prove our answers. We wrote an extended response and answered the question "What is the theme of the story."  This will help us prepare for the writing section of the Milestones Assessment.  We ended our week by discussing the various characters in the book and creating posters telling about these characters.

Math: We completed our fractions unit and focused on comparing and equivalency.  We also worked on solving two-step word problems using all four operations. We worked in whole group and small group to practice using the ACE strategy when solving word problems. We revisited addition and subtraction with regrouping to maintain this skill. We took our timed assessment on our math facts on Friday.

Writing: We continued our unit on persuasive writing. We incorporated good writing strategies we've learned when writing our extended response about the theme of Because of Winn-Dixie; stating our opinion boldly, providing supporting reasons, and giving evidence.

Social Studies: We created flip books to highlight European Explorers and their contributions to our country.  We read several passages and found the needed information in order to complete the flip books. We learned about the voyages of Christopher Columbus and Henry Hudson.

Class News and Announcements...

Winter Break is February 17 through February 21.  I hope you get to enjoy some quality time with your family.

Our prize box is running low! Please send in any donations. We love items that your child may no longer want, but another child would love!

Congratulations to Niles Scott for being chosen as our Terrific Kid this month!  Way to go, Niles!

Continue to encourage your child to use Read Theory at home. This is a great way to get in some extra reading time while also preparing for the format of the Georgia Milestones (online reading).

When your child completes the homework, please make sure he/she is using the UNWRAP strategy when asked to.  This strategy is very effective in helping children answer comprehension questions.  It needs to be practiced to become a habit.

Check out the bottom of the blog!  There are lots of new websites for the children to use from home.

Thank you, Mrs. Partin and Mrs. McClure, for decorating my door!  It's fabulous!

Thank you again for my delicious lunch this week. It was a wonderful surprise!