Newsletter 4-2-12

Reminders:

4/6-4/15 – Spring Recess

ELA NYS testing – 4/17, 4/18, 4/19

Math NYS testing – 4/25, 4/26, 4/27

Rocking Tale of Snow White Performance – 4/27, 4/28

This week’s ELA topics:

·         We will be preparing for the upcoming NYS tests.  We’ll practice all the different “Books” (1,2,3).  Students must be able to read passages and respond to questions about main idea, details, characters, setting as well as infer meaning.  They must listen to a passage, take notes and then write an essay response.  Finally, they must read two passages, plan for an essay comparing the two and then write the essay. 

·         To help you student succeed please insist they have breakfast at home or in school.  They also need a good night’s rest and to be on time.  Thanks for your continued support.

This week’s Math topics:

·         Review chapter 14& 15 test

·         Begin review for Math NYS assessments

·         Fact test Wednesday April 4^th!!!

This week’s Science topics:

·         This week we’ll talk about life cycles.  We’ll explore frog, butterfly and human life cycles and read different texts on the subject.  We will be having the unit test on Thursday.  I’m sending home a JEOPARDY game that you can play at home as well as a unit review guide.  Make sure to take a look each night at the information.  

Newsletter 3-26 to 3-30

Reminders:

3/28 – CapCom writing contest entry due

3/28 – Scotia-Glenville presentation on Simple Machines

3/30 – Third Quarter Ends

4/6-4/15 – Spring Recess

This week’s topics:

·         Writing – During our writing time we’ll be completing out final product in our animal research project

·         Café – main idea, detail, theme, and inference review within ELA test preparation   

·         Vocabulary –food chain, web, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, decomposer, predator, prey, consumer, producer

·         Spelling – /el/ using le or al at the end of a word (list 22)

·         Grammar – adjectives

This week’s topics:

·         Rounding decimals

·         Word problem strategy – working backwards

·         Estimate sums and differences in decimals

·         Adding and subtracting decimals

·         Review

·         Test Friday

·         Fact test Wednesday April 4^th!!!

          This week we’ll discuss the food chain and web in depth.  We’ll watch videos on the subject as well as create our own chains and webs. This is a very exciting topic!  We’ll tie in the idea of life cycle as well, which we’ll study more in-depth soon.    Please be on the lookout for an invitation to our Animal Research Presentation.  The date will be after spring recess.

Book Order Due

Today is the last day to enter your Scholastic book orders on-line! : )

Newsletter 3-19 to 3-22

Reminders:

3/20 – First day of spring

3/21 – PTA meeting 6:30 in library

3/22 – Book order due

3/23 – No school

3/28 – CapCom writing contest entry due

This week’s topics:

·         Writing – We’ll be taking a Venn diagram we completed about animals who have adapted to glow and create an essay using the IBBC format (intro, body, body conclusion)

·         Café – note taking  

·         Vocabulary – decimal, decimal point, tenth, hundredth, habitat, food chain, web

·         Spelling – r controlled vowels ar, ir, or, ur, er all saying /er/

·         Grammar – adjectives

This week’s topics:

·         Introduction to decimals

·         10^th and 100^th

·         Comparing and ordering decimals

·         Fact test Wednesday March 21^st!!!

          Our NYS animal research got off to a great start!  We’ve learned how to use indexes to make good use of searching both books and encyclopedias.  We’ve also learned the importance of citing our work and giving credit to other authors.  This week we’ll finish our research using the computer lab and the internet.   

Thursday Orchestra Practice

Beginning tomorrow all orchestra students will be practicing in the afternoon.  If you have orchestra lessons on Monday please bring your instrument in and bring it directly to the orchestra room.  If you have orchestra on Thursday follow the normal routine. : ) Thank you!

Newsletter 3-12 to 3-16

Reminders:

3/20 – First day of spring

3/21 – PTA meeting 6:30 in library

3/22 – Book order due

3/23 No School

3/28 – CapCom writing contest entry due

This week’s topics:

·         Writing – We’ll begin working on ELA NYS test book 3 which asks us to go through the writing process while comparing two texts

·         Café – note taking

·         Vocabulary – equivalent, mixed number, improper fraction, adaptation, camouflage

·         Spelling –suffixes –ion, -ness, -able, -less, -ful

·         Grammar – verbs

This week’s topics:

·         Mixed numbers

·         Improper fractions

·         Drawing a picture to solve a problem

·         Review of chapter 13

·         Test Friday

          We were so excited to kick of our NYS Animal Research project!  Each student in our class was assigned a NYS animal and a partner from Ms. Smith’s class.  As a team, they will be note taking from books, encyclopedias, and internet site to gain information for a power point presentation.  They’ll learn all about habitats, classification, movement, appearance, etc. of the animal.  Wait to you see the finished products!

Classroom News 3-5 to 3-9

Reminders:

3/9 – Shensational Poem due

3/11 – Daylight savings time – get some extra sleep J

3/20 – First day of spring

3/21 – PTA meeting 6:30 in library

3/22 – Book order due

3/28 – CapCom writing contest entry due

This week’s topics:

·         Writing – I’ve asked my students to create their favorite type of writing going through the steps independently.  They must create a pre-writing piece, draft an introduction, body and conclusion and then edit and revise for a second draft. 

·         Café – inferring meaning

·         Vocabulary – whole, parts, set, numerator, denominator, vertebrates warm/cold blooded, appendages,

·         Spelling – change a y to I and add a suffix (er, est, ly, ed)

·         Grammar – verbs (action,  being, linking)

This week’s topics:

·         Parts of a Whole figure

·         Parts of a Set

·         Equivalent Fractions

          Last week we discussed the definition of an animal and how to classify different types.  This week we’ll continue to read and learn about different vertebrates and what they have in common as well as how they differ. Be on the lookout for homework that involves using their notes and understanding the material taught so far.