We made it through 7 of our 8 ISAT tests last week--the kids did a great job staying focused and motivated during the week--I'm so proud of them! Who would have thought that we would have a snow day in March? Not to mention that last year during ISAT week, we had 80 degree weather--what a difference a year makes, huh? We will take our last ISAT test Monday morning and then officially be done! We will celebrate by watching, James and the Giant Peach, in our classroom in the afternoon. It's a well deserved treat for our kids! We will get back to a normal schedule after Monday. Here is a look at our week ahead:
* Christina B is our MVP of the week!
* The kids were given their new reading genre 2 weeks ago. We will focus on biographies this month. Hopefully they have shown you the end product that we are asking the kids to do. This month they will make a paper bag puppet and give a short oral report in front of the class, rather than doing a video log. A rubric explaining how the kids will be graded was included in the information packet.
* In reading, we will get back to asking questions. We will use the book, Ruby Bridges, to share ideas, questions and concepts that the book doesn't fully explain. We will cover topics such as prejudice, fairness, and justice--all of which there is no simple answer to. We will also get back to meeting with our small guided reading groups. The kids will have a catch up day to review what they have read so far in their books before new assignments will be given.
* In writing, the kids will begin their response to fiction papers. Each child will choose a character trait that they feel represents the main character of our book. They will work to prove this character trait by providing multiple examples from the text. Eventually, this will turn into a polished piece which will be graded.
* In math, we will review finding fractions of a whole number and get back into the routine of Mad Minutes. Our focus will still be on fractions this week. We will work with equivalent fractions, finding a common denominator, and adding/subtracting fractions/mixed numbers.
* In social studies, we will begin chapter 6 in our History Alive curriculum. The students will learn about some first colonies: Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth. We will study what happened during the first years in the colonies and determine what choices helped/hurt the people that lived there.
* For those that haven't turned in your 3-2-1 Conference Forms, please do so as soon as possible.
* There will be no weekly folders again this week. I figured that the report card and comments are enough information about your child for you in one weekend :o) If you do have any specific questions concerning this week though, please feel free to contact me.
* Have a great start to the week!
