Happy Monday! I wanted to send a reminder about the sign up for our Halloween activities. We are still in need of a few things so please check out the list and sign up if you would like to donate. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30e0f44adad2eaaf94-halloween1

Tomorrow is the school rollerskating party at Lincoln Park Skating Center. Tickets are available after school if you wish to save money with the presale. I hope to see everyone there!

This week:

Spelling: https://quizlet.com/_3zmql8

Math: We are working on Module 2 which is all about converting Metric units to larger or smaller units. We started with length measurements and we are moving into mass measurements. This unit has a secondary focus on solving multi-step story problems which are hard on their own. The students will be bringing home almost daily work on this so watch for math homework. Don’t forget that there are homework helpers in front of each assignment to help show you what we are working on and how you can help your student. They also have Module 2 assigned on Khan Academy which is much shorter than Module 1. There is a due date posted for each assignment on Khan Academy so please check in on your students’ progress.

Writing: We are drafting our informational writing on a region in the United States. The drafting will be finished by Friday.

Social Studies: We are creating flap books on all of the US regions. These are full of interactive activities and information. These will become our next bulletin board. I will post a picture when it is finished so you can see what the students created!

Reading: We are having reading groups as usual with 35 minutes minimum reading homework each night. If the students have finished their written assignment for their book club, they still have 35 minutes of reading to do nightly. We are focusing on using context clues in texts to determine the meaning of an unknown word. You can help us work on this by introducing your students to new vocabulary as you are completing your everyday tasks.

Science: We are using a wave simulator to create and modify different types of waves to determine the impact different variables have on a wavelength and height. We are creating models of waves with our science vocabulary labeled.

Have a great week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and I hope the people who attended Fall Fest had a blast. I was disappointed that I was unable to attend. We have a busy week coming up. The sign-up sheet for our Halloween activities is still available on Dojo and in our previous post. On Wednesday this week, we are having an in-school field trip. DTE will be coming into our classroom to teach the students about electricity, safety, and conservation. Each student will come home with a conservation kit which you can use together in your homes if you choose.

Our week:

Math-We are finishing module 1 today and a study guide will be completed together. The test for module one will be tomorrow. A digital copy of the study guide can be found at this link https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bze4eU0rInwwcF9oZlZyM2FEMlU/view?usp=sharing

Writing- We are focusing on locating parts of speech and expanding sentences to include stronger verbs and adjectives. The students are writing an informational piece on a specific region of the USA which we are studying in social studies.

Daily 5- This week we are focusing on using context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words or phrases. This is a skill that you can help your student practice as you read together. As you come across an unknown word or phrase for them, help them pick out keywords and details from the surrounding writing which help determine the definition. The students also have vocabulary booklets in Google Classroom that are being completed if you wish to take a look.

Science-We are looking at the transfer of energy in water waves and we are cross-cutting our topic with weather patterns and natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

Social Studies-We still working on our interactive region flap books and research which tie into our informational writing.

Spelling- Week 8- ‘ure’ words- https://quizlet.com/_3y8qu3

Have a great week!

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope your weekend was pleasant. If you were not already notified, the PTA Garden Cleanup event was rained out on Sunday. It has been rescheduled and the details have been posted on Dojo. The scores you may see posted on the students’ Dojo Portfolios today are progress checks on their reading scores. You can compare it to the NWEA sheet I sent up with their first test scores. If you haven’t already had a chance, please check out the PTA’s Sign Up Genius for Fall Fest. They are looking for volunteers and donations.

This week:

Math- We are finishing module one on place value, addition, and subtraction. The test will be towards the end of the week or first thing next week depending on how the rest of the lessons go this week. Students need to finish Module 1 on Khan Academy by then as well. This is also for a grade.

Spelling: https://quizlet.com/_3vk7i7

Writing- We are learning how to summarize paragraphs in our writing to create text features that make sense. We are also working on using text features while reading so if you come across important captions, illustrations, pictures, graphs, or bold words while you are reading things at home, be sure to show your student!

Reading- We are working on using and understanding text features and using context clues to figure out the meaning of unknown vocabulary.

Science- We are going to be studying the science of energy in bumper cars and other theme park rides.

Social Studies-We are continuing our research on the regions of the USA. We will begin creating our posters and our informational writing by the end of the week.

Have a great week!

Hello everyone,

Tomorrow is picture day. I will send home a reminder sheet today as well. I wanted to send a huge thank you to everyone who donated time and/or baked goods to our sale on Friday. Please take a minute to review our week.

This week:

Spelling: https://quizlet.com/_3u52ww

Math- We are moving into multi-digit subtraction and addition. These are using place value and standard algorithms.

Daily 5- We are working on making inferences in our reading. We will have book clubs as usual and you can expect reading homework every night which can be done during the 35 minutes of reading that is always assigned.

Science- We are exploring collisions more and looking at the transfer of energy looks like.

Social Studies- We started a US regions research project and this will continue throughout the week. We are bringing ELA into social studies by looking at research methods, reading informational text, and text features.

Writing-We are focusing on the editing stage of the writing process. We are going to finishing our narratives this week.

Have a great week!

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone had a great weekend. This week we are off and running on our normal schedule. Please see below for our week!

Spelling- https://quizlet.com/_3sptpf

Math- We are working on rounding to specific place values and looking at real world applications. The students will have their first “mid module assessment” which is basically a quiz to check their understanding of the unit so far. The students will have math work almost nightly this week.

Reading- We are working on cross checking vocabulary and their comprehension to make sure it looks right, sounds, right, and makes sense for the story. Students will continue to have daily reading homework.

Science-We are going to start studying the types of waves that are produced when two or more objects collide. We are also going to be looking at what happens to the energy created during that collision.

Social Studies-We are starting to study the north-west region of the USA for physical and geographical features.

Writing-We are writing narratives and focusing on verb and subject usage. The students will need to be able to locate the verb and subject of a sentence and make sure they are correctly written.

Have a great week!

Happy Monday everyone,

I hope your weekend was relaxing! This week we are off to a busy start. We are finally in our regular schedule as testing is done. This means students should have reading every single night and most nights there will be some sort of reading group written assignment. Check with your student to see what strategy they are working on. We are about 10 lessons away from the end of our first math unit. We do almost a lesson a day. Each student needs to finish the first unit on Khan Academy before the end of the test. This can be done on a phone, computer, or tablet. We get time to work on it in class but this is a great tool if your student is struggling with the daily assignments.

This week in:

spelling: https://quizlet.com/_3rfznp

math- We are working on rounding to a specific place value, under 1,000,000. We also are still covering the other place value work we started.

reading-We are learning about character traits in any given text and being able to pull out text evidence to support the character trait.

writing-We are working on the first steps of the writing process and writing a narrative of our choice.

science- We are exploring energy and the many forms it takes on. We are also looking at how energy is used and the rate it is used.

social studies- We are going to be breaking the continental USA into regions and determining the reason they were split into a specific region.

An important white sheet of paper came home today from the office. It is our schedule of parent events put on by Dr. Tynan. A variety of topics will be covered including our new math curriculum and science standards. I highly recommend reviewing the sheet and attending any events that work in your schedule.

Have a great week!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

This week is another busy week in room 30. We are working on finishing our beginning of the year testing and it looks like we will finish tomorrow. We are ready to move ahead with a normal week and get to our regular routine. We are really finding our groove with the new math program and I hope the homework help sheets in the students’ homework book is helpful for home. The book fair is going on this week after school. Be sure to stop by and grab some books at your student’s level if you would like. It is open until 4:00 after school this week unless we do not have volunteers. If you are able to volunteer, please let me know and I will connect you with the PTA. You can earn book fair bucks by volunteering to buy books! We also have a half day on Friday for teacher professional development.

This week:

Spelling: Words and practice is here –> https://quizlet.com/_56g6gy

Reading: We are working on checking for understanding. We stop every page or two and have to be able to tell who was in the section and what happened. If we are unable to the book is either too hard or we have to back up and re-read. This is a great strategy to be practiced at home.

Science: We are learning about energy and the amount of energy an object has while at different speeds in motion.

Social Studies: We have started studying the geography of the continental United States. We will start looking at the different sections of the USA (like the Midwest) and decide why the states have been broken down that way.

Writing: We are talking about the writing process and we are reviewing what each stage looks like.

Math: We are working on place value and multiplying, adding, and subtracting by multiples of 10. Students should be roughly 50% done with Module 1 on Khan Academy and should be spending extra time on here at home or the library if they are struggling with this unit.

If you have any questions, let me know. Please check Dojo as that gets updated more frequently.

Have a great week.

Welcome back, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the long weekend and were able to rest and spend some time with family. This week we are off and running right away. We are NWEA testing this week for our Fall 18 test scores. This score will be on their report card. Please take a minute to check out what our week will look like.

This week we will:

Spelling-Vowel Sounds- The students must complete each activity on this website in class by Friday for their spelling work grade. We will have a test on Friday testing their understanding of the word (vocabulary) and their spelling of the word. These are completed online in Google Classroom.

https://quizlet.com/_4zb1wf

Daily 5- We are covering our foundational skills such as checking with understanding and each student is being DRA tested to get their beginning of the year reading level. We are also working on establishing our work on writing routines. Book bags with leveled books and our first book club books will be coming home as soon as the DRA testing is completed.

Writer’s Workshop-We are reviewing the writing process and starting our first narrative about their favorite fall memory.

Science- We are launching our first unit-The Conservation of Energy. We will learn what energy is, the different types of energy, and how it moves.

Social Studies-We are learning about the continental USA. We are going to start identifying its boundaries, borders, and location in terms of the rest of the world. We will be focusing on the entire USA, which builds on the study of Michigan in 3rd grade.

Math-We are completing Module 1 in our new math program. We are focusing on place value and moving from one place value to the next. The new math program has daily homework assignments and the students have the first module due in Khan Academy when the unit is done. They will get time to work on Khan Academy here but it is a great help to work at home if at all possible. The daily homework has a parent help sheet directly before the homework assignment so you can see exactly what they are doing and what to look for as you check their math or work on it with them.

Have a great week!

Welcome to all of the incoming students and their families. I am extremely excited for the year to start. Our current supply list will be posted below. Throughout the year there might be items that we need for special projects. I will be using this blog and Class Dojo as two of our methods of communication. I will be sending home information on the first day about the classroom procedures. I can’t wait to see you all soon!

The classroom supply list is as follows-

1 ream of white copy paper

5-single subject spiral notebooks-different colors if possible
1 composition notebook
4 packs of pencils pre-sharpened
1 pack of colored pencils
1 24 pack of crayons

1 pack of markers
1 set of earbuds to keep in your desk (no full headphones please)
2 duo tang pocket folders
3 blue or black pens
3 glue sticks
3 dry erase markers
3 highlighters
1 pair of student scissors with the student’s name written on them.

2 packs of wide ruled loose leaf paper
4 packets of large Sticky notes
1 pencil box
2 boxes of tissues

Optional needed supplies for the classroom.
Lysol wipes
Gallon size Ziplock slider bags
Quart size Ziplock slider bags