Getting ready to Show Off!

Thursday is our Open House and we will be putting finishing touches on some projects to show off for all of you to see.  In addition, this is what else is happening in Room 25 this week:

Social Studies

As a conclusion to our Midwest Region chapter, instead of a traditional test, we will be completing our Pioneer letters; written in the point-of-view as a pioneer just moving to a new plot of land on the Great Plains.  As a cool addition, we will be using a green screen to superimpose our own pictures into an actual pioneer scene; making it seem as though we were actually there (it should turn out really cool!).

Additionally, most of our Social Studies time this week will be dedicated to creating biographical timelines of an important entertainer during the Harlem Renaissance.  After discussing the historical significance of this time period on Monday and Tuesday, each student will research an influential person and create a digital timeline of the important events in his/her life.  

Math

Friday we started the Chapter 5 test, and Monday we will finish it.  Tuesday we start Chapter 6: Fraction Equivalence and Comparison.  Tuesday will be a pretest to see what the kids remember from last year and a little preview of Lesson 1: Equivalent Fractions (using models).  Here is the breakdown of out week in Math:

• Monday - finish Chapter 5 Test
• Tuesday - Pretest for Chapter 6 - Show What Your Know
• Wednesday - Lesson 1 - Equivalent Fractions
• Thursday - No Math (school-wide assembly)
• Friday - Lesson 2 - Generating Equivalent Fractions (same video, just 2nd half)

Language Arts

Word Study

Last week the class was exposed to our words for this week on Thursday.  All the words this week are synonyms for either the word laugh or cry.  Some of the work we will be doing this week involves writing sentences using similes (comparisons using the words "like" or "as") and identifying the degree of a word (ranking the words from happiest to saddest).  Our spelling/meaning test will be on Thursday.  Here are the words for the week.

Writing

This week we will be using most of our writing time to finish up our Pioneer Letters, Wonder Essays, and State Reports in preparation for Thursday's Open House.  I look forward to having you see all the hard work we have been doing in the past few weeks!

Reading

We conclude our Nonfiction Unit this week with a two-part assessment on Wednesday and Thursday.  Monday and Tuesday we will be reviewing how to compare texts on the same topic, as well as using text features and structures to find out new information in nonfiction texts.

Remember that our annual North Open House is scheduled for Thursday, February 25th from 6:30-8:00 p.m.  We will be browsing through the Book Fair on Tuesday, so look for "wish lists".  Those that bring money can shop on Thursday.  The Book Fair will also be open during the Open House for your shopping pleasure as well.

Have a great week.  Lots of graded papers are coming home tomorrow, so make sure to look through the take-home folders.  Additionally, make sure you sign your student's Assignment Notebook each night to ensure they are reading and completing the assigned homework.