Happy Friday Families!
Believe it or not, Trimester 2 has come to an end and we are ready to kick off our third and final trimester next week! Throughout the last few weeks, 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!
Literacy
We just wrapped up our exciting novel, George’s Secret Key to the Universe. The kids enjoyed the plot twists and the character development of George, Eric, and Dr. Reeper all throughout the book! They especially fell in love with George, who discovered the mysteries of the universe while he learned about various aspects such as stars, planets, and moons. This is the first in a series of books. Students showed so much interest that they have asked for other books in the series. Unfortunately our library does not have any copies of the other books, but your local library should have a few copies available! I have loaned out several copies of sequels from my personal collection! I'd love for anyone with an interest to read other books in the series, to be able to do so! In fact, for our weekly edition of "First Chapter Friday" I featured the next book in the series, George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt!
Going forward, next week we will begin work on a literacy target which emphasizes finding relationships between concepts and ideas in nonfiction. We will begin by using a non fiction text on black holes, since this is a familiar topic from the George's Secret Key to the Universe book.
Writing
Connecting to the theme of the universe, students finished their own science fiction narratives. They brainstormed characters, events, and others ideas to include within their stories. It was wonderful to see their creative juices flow! Remember to ask your student all about the sci-fi narrative he/she wrote! We also practiced adding another "chapter" to a given narrative story. Students were asked to re-establish the storyline and characters in their own "chapter 2," and to then add their own unique set of events. Starting next week, we will enter the world of opinion writing! Today we got warmed up to the topic when we read an article about whether students should be allowed to choose their own seats! Both sides were represented in the article, and then we each produced a "quick write" which told our opinion, citing evidence from the text, of course! Many students shared some great responses!
Math
We're currently strengthening our abilities to multiply and divide fractions. Most recently, we have been learning different methods to multiply mixed numbers by a fraction, using both the area model and improper fractions. We've been learning how to solve these problems utilizing models, as well as more traditional strategies.This week we focused on dividing fractions with models. Our Unit 5 assessment will take place early next week. After that, we will begin our next unit on Geometry!
Social Studies
We are wrapping up our second unit in social studies on the Colonial Era. We ended our unit this week by creating a quilt square project. This hands-on activity was designed to demonstrate our understanding of how the complexities of the past can help us meet challenges of the present. Students each chose a topic they felt particularly passionate about. Topics varied from climate change, to animal protection...and many others! Each class will make a class paper quilt comprised of squares made by each student!
Important Dates
Friday, February 23rd- Trimester 2 Ends
Tuesday, February 27th- Early Release
Friday, March 1st--Trimester 2 Report Cards issued
Monday, March 4th- No School--District Holiday
Monday, March 11--Band Concert at Twin Groves 7:00 PM
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.
**Band and orchestra students should remember to be prepared with their instruments and music books on the days that lessons take place.
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