Room 303 News 01-11-19

Weekly Updates and Reminders:

• NO SCHOOL Monday, January 21st.  It is Martin Luther, King, Jr. Day!  

MATH
This week students took their iReady Math Diagnostic.  I will compare their growth from the first diagnostic and let you know if your child is not progressing.  Remember, ALL students have access to this online learning tool and can access it at home too!  

SOCIAL STUDIES
Students explored the concept of human/environment interactions by discussing the ways that humans in Michigan use, adapt to and modify their environment. The lesson was enhanced by reading the book, Letting Swift River Go, by Jane Yolen.

SCIENCE
Students rolled paper cups down ramps and observed with the different behaviors of rolling systems with two different sized wheels.  They observed the way cups roll and used the predictable curved rolling path to meet challenges.  They put cups together to make them roll straight and weighted them with pennies in various ways to see how weight affected rolling.  Our focus question was, WHAT RULES HELP PREDICT WHERE A ROLLING CUP WILL END UP?

Word Study/Grammar:

This week for grammar we are on Week Seventeen.  The students are learning about Long i Phonograms and Commas.

Writing:   

We continue to work on informational writing.  The students have been learning about the 5 different text structures and how to use those structures in their own writing.  We have been looking in mentor texts for these structures and reading other passages to examine the way authors use them so we can learn how they can fit into our writing as well. 

Reading:

This week we will be finishing our story Because of Winn Dixie.  The students have enjoyed following the main character, Opal, along the story mountain.  We are talking about how the main character changed from the beginning of the story to the end.  We are also examining what Opal learned and what we can learn from those life lessons as well.  

The students are also enjoying their own books with their Book Clubs where they are applying the skills we are learning during our mini-lessons.   They have enjoyed learning all about how to follow the main character's journey and examine what they learn along the way.  Next, we will be starting the book Make Way for Dyamonde Daniel.  We will be comparing and contrasting the main characters.

We will also be taking our iReady Reading diagnostic this week on Wednesday and Thursday.  I will be communicating their scores to you and also letting you know if they will need to be on an IRIP (Individualized Reading Improvement Plan).

Room 303 News 01-04-19

Weekly Updates and Reminders:

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

• NO SCHOOL Monday, January 21st.  It is Martin Luther, King, Jr. Day!  
• Thank you to all our parent volunteers who helped make the Polar Express party a memory to last a lifetime!  Your involvement and enthusiasm for this party was appreciated!   
  

MATH
We continue to incorporate multiplication practice during math workshop in the form of a game.  This week students were introduced to RACING RECTANGLES!  Students rolled two dice, then created an array with the two numbers.  Students then wrote the total number of squares inside (AREA :) the rectangle.  This also leads to our work on area since A=lxw!  

SOCIAL STUDIES
We have been working on completing our studies/understanding of Michigan's physical and human characteristics and how these define Michigan as a region.  Our school district has provided us with a CD Rom produced by Detroit Public Television titled Follow Your Path in Our Great Region.  As we view the CD Rom, we have a booklet which students demonstrate their understanding and work along as we view the CD Rom.  We will continue this learning for the next week and then have our unit test.     

SCIENCE
Students investigated the phenomenon of moving systems and the forces that cause motion.  They sought patterns in the behavior of the systems to predict future motion of new systems they designed.  For example, they observed two wheels of different diameters on an axle will roll in an arc down a slope, and two wheels of the same diameter on an axle will roll straight down a slope.  This investigation will continue as students begin to work as engineers developing solutions to problems as new criteria for their systems are introduced.

Word Study/Grammar:

Next week for grammar we will be on Week Sixteen.  The students will be learning about vowel digraphs with the Long E sound and Capitalization.

Writing:   

We are working on our Informational Writing Books.  This week we will be learning about the five text structures that you often find in non-fiction texts.  The students will be trying out these different structures in their own books. 

Reading:

We have been working hard in Unit 2 where we are learning all about how to study the characters in a story.  We are almost done with our story Because of Winn Dixie where we have followed Opal on her journey along a story mountain.  The students have really enjoyed this book.  They have been working in their Book Clubs to share and discuss their characters as well and how getting to know the character and the different role each supporting character plays in the story.  Next, we will be starting a new chapter book where we will examine what it's like to compare/contrast two main characters.