To begin this weekly update, I just wanted to take the time out to thank every parent in our class who made teacher appreciation week so special. I honestly went home moved to tears at how meaningful, generous, and thoughtful you all were. I’m so honored and blessed to have every student in my class this year. They are truly a big part of me, and I am going to be so sad to see them move on next year.
Reminder that this week your child will begin their NWEA testing for the Spring portion of the year. Students will be writing down their RIT score following their assessment, that way you can see how they are progressing on their W.I.G.s (Wildly Important Goals).
Please make sure to follow those encouraging guidelines that we had in place for M-STEP during testing days.
-Make sure to get a goodnight’s sleep the day before a test
-Eat a healthy breakfast
-Arrive on time to school
-Practice breathing strategies (bee breaths, bunny breaths, rainbow breaths, etc.)
-Use encouraging words with your child (You got this, I know you can do it, etc.)
-Send in an extra snack during the school day
I’m confident that every student has made progress this year, and are all going to do an excellent job!
Since we are testing this week, there will be no spelling this week. However, reading logs were sent home on Monday. Please make sure to keep reading your 20 mins. a night.
Reading- Discussing figurative language within reading and writing (similes, metaphors, hyperbole, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms). DRA testing begins this week and NWEA reading will be on Thursday.
Writing- Creating a personal essay. Looking for big ideas and examples from their own life to add to a lesson/big idea in their narrative.
Math- Collecting and displaying data. Creating bar graphs, line plots, tally charts, and pictographs with data collected. Solving one-and two- step word problems involving graphs.
Social Studies- Social Studies test was given on Monday. We will begin our government in Michigan unit this week. Discussing the purpose of government and the difference between our local and state governments.
Science- This week we will learn about flowers: what they do for the plant, how they work, and more. We will solve the mystery, “Why do plants grow flowers?” (It’s to attract pollinators!)
You can help reinforce this week’s learning by asking your child to find a flower in the house, yard, or neighborhood. Ask your child, “What has to happen, in order for this plant to grow seeds?”
Spelling- No spelling due to NWEA testing
Leader in Me- Synergy is a process with many obstacles blocking the way. Cliques are one of the major obstacles to synergy. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be with those we are comfortable with, but it becomes a problem when our group of friends is so exclusive that others who are not like us are rejected. Make sure to ask your child, “How are cliques a barrier to synergy?”
Upcoming Events
Monday- Social Studies Test
Tuesday- NWEA Science and ELG tutoring
Wednesday- Late Start
Thursday- Student Lighthouse meeting at 8:55, NWEA Reading, and ELG tutoring
Next Week 05/20-05/24
Pledge Week for our Class
Tuesday- NWEA Math
Wednesday- Retakes at 8am for science or Module 5 math test (please arrange with me beforehand)
Thursday- NWEA ELA
Friday- No School (Memorial Weekend)