Trimester 2 has come to an end and we are ready to kick off our third and final trimester next week!  This week, our students completed several literacy/writing assessments to demonstrate their progress on T2 learning targets.  Students showed perseverance and  stamina and worked incredibly hard! 

Check below to see what we've covered over the last couple of weeks, as well as some of the learning we are looking forward to starting!

Reading

Now that our week of district literacy assessments are behind us, we can now look ahead to the next few weeks. On Monday, we will kick off the grading period with a focus on new literacy targets. We will be utilizing a non fiction text called "Real Life Superheroes" which details the lives of several historical figures, all of whom possess heroic qualities. 

Has your student shown you our monthly reading calendar? If not, please ask them to do so! It shows each week's "reading events" including book talk days, status of the class check-ins, and scheduled individual book conferences. Our renewed emphasis and focus on self-selected reading at home has been quite successful in holding students accountable for their reading outside of school. 

Also, please remember that each Friday your student has fluency Friday poems to read to you over the weekend! Please remind your student to share these poems with you each week!

Writing

After a learning cycle of focusing on narrative writing, we will now refocus our efforts towards analytical writing. For our next project, we will use the above-mentioned "Real life Superheroes" book as a springboard for students to select their own real life superhero to learn more about. Students will practice researching techniques and learn to take notes onto notecards that will be used for an oral presentation. After rehearing with these notecards, students will record themselves using a site called "Flipgrid". This will allow peers and parents to view their presentation and provide positive feedback!

Math

We're currently strengthening our abilities to multiply fractions while utilizing the area model and the traditional method. Most recently, we started to learn how to divide by fractions by understanding whether or not division word problems are sharing or grouping division problems.  We're also learning how to solve these problems utilizing models, as well as more traditional strategies.  We will finish up Unit 5 next week!

**Please note: Students will take the second math placement test on Wednesday, March 2nd.

Social Studies

Students wrapped up their discussions about probable causes and effects of events and developments in U.S. history, with a focus on the exploration of the Arctic.  We read about a British explorer, Robert Scott, who historically competed with a team of Norwegians, in a quest to be the first  to arrive in the South Pole. We learned skills in note-taking and research, and put such skills to use on their project, which asked them to describe the causes and effects of a key event in U.S. history. These projects will be shared by your student at our upcoming conferences!

Science   

In the coming weeks, we will start to explore the states of matter. The students will learn about identifying the changes in matter and substances. We will also discuss matter by learning how changes in substances affect their weight and how engineers improve materials people use on a daily basis.

Family-Educator Conferences

Please make sure to sign up for a conference.  An email was sent by the district yesterday.  If you did not receive the email, please contact the Ivy Hall front office at 847-459-0022.  Conferences this year will be student-centered, so we ask that your child be present during the conference.

Important Dates

March 4th - Report Cards Issued

March 7th - No School (Pulaski Day) 

March 14th - Early Release / Family-Educator Conferences

March 15th - No School / Family-Educator Conferences (students should be in attendance at the conference)

Friendly Reminders

**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack.  Nothing feeds the brain better than something healthy!

**Please continue to have your child practice his or her multiplication facts up to 12.

**If students want to play in the snow outside, they must have the appropriate snow gear in order to do so.  Please make sure to send your student with snow pants, snow boots, jacket, gloves, and hat. 

**Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days that lessons take place. 

 Hi Families! 

We ended a busy January last week and have hit the ground running into February! Valentine parties are just around the corner and we are looking forward to many other engaging learning experiences throughout the month! 

Literacy 

The excitement for reading our current science fiction novel George’s Secret Key to the Universe has continued! The enthusiasm on the part of students to read each chapter has been evident! Throughout the story we have been working on a variety of literacy targets, such as how the narrator’s point of view affects how the story is told. Because this story, written by Stephen and Lucy Hawking, is the first in a series of books, we strongly encourage students to read other books in this wonderful collection. Your local library and book store are sure to have copies available! 

We've also taken advantage of the excitement on the part of the kids surrounding the Olympics! Students have been reading and sharing a wealth of information concerning the 2020 winter games! Additionally, with the Super Bowl happening on Sunday, the kids enjoyed several word work activities with this theme! They especially enjoyed the Super Bowl Mad Libs!

Writing
Students are in the final stages of writing their science fiction narrative stories. They’ve been inspired by the “George” book we’ve been reading, and have put their creativity and vivid imaginations to work! We have a vast array of storylines—everything from time travel to space adventures!

Math

We are currently  in the middle of our unit on multiplying and dividing fractions with models. Students are becoming quite proficient in identifying and constructing multiplication models. Next week we will begin working with division of fractions. The models that students have been learning have given them a deeper understanding of these concepts.

Social Studies
We have  spent the last few weeks learning about some important events in history and identifying the causes and effects of these events. We learned about Westward expansion and what motivated pioneers to head West. We also examined the effects of this migration West. In addition, we looked at the causes and effects of exploration in the South Pole. In preparation for a research project next week where students will choose an event in American history to independently research, students have been learning how to conduct a safe and effective internet search.

Upcoming Events 

*Monday 2/14- Valentine’s Day Parties in afternoon

*Monday 2/21- No School
*Tuesday 2/22- Early Release @ 2:00

*Tuesday 2/22-Orchestra Concert @ 7:30

Friendly Reminders 

**Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 12. 

**Please remind your child to charge his/her iPad every night. We use the iPad throughout the day.
**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack. Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack! 

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.