Seven...more...days!

The end of the year is upon us and we only have SEVEN more days of schools left (6 and half to be precise!).  With the year winding down, I want to remind you that we are still working hard in Room 25.  Here is what's going on this week:

Science/Social Studies

This week we will complete our Dam Projects (that is, engineering a working model of a dam).  The students have been working hard building the dams and think creatively to solve the problem of diverting the 2 Liters of water beyond the neighborhood of five houses without any water damage. The final dam test will be on Thursday morning!

Math

We just finished up Chapter 9 last week (Decimals, Fractions, and Money) and the graded tests will go home on Monday.  Due to MANY afternoon activities this week, we will only get to Math again on Thursday (see schedule of events below).  Chapter 10 involves Geometry and classifying shapes, lines, and angles.  Look for homework on Thursday.

Language Arts 

Word Study

Our formal word study activities are finished for the year (as of 2 weeks ago).  The students are still studying words in context through the group novel, Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes.

Writing

This week we will focus on writing narrative stories about social situations that incorporate Second Step problem-solving strategies we have discussed this year.

Reading

The class is almost finished with our novel, Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes.  Some days will require your student to finish reading a chapter at home, as well as complete taking notes.  This can also double as their 20-minutes of nightly reading.  We will have a culminating activity regarding the novel this week as well.

A few important reminders:

• Tuesday and Wednesday we will have our end-of-the-year MAP testing in Math and Reading.  These will take place during the afternoon on both days.  Attendance is critical for these tests, so please have your students in school!
• Friday is Field Day in the afternoon.  Please have your students dress appropriately for the physical activities involved.
• Theme days for the rest of the school year:
• Monday, 5/23 - Superhero Day
• Tuesday, 5/24 - Twin Day
• Wednesday, 5/25 - Uniform or Sports Shirt
• Thursday, 5/26 - Violet Day
• Friday, 5/27 - White Day (and Field Day...make sure it's nothing you want to stay clean!)
• Monday, 5/30 - NO SCHOOL!
• Tuesday, 5/31 - Extra Colorful Day
• Wednesday, 6/1 - Yellow Day
• Thursday, 6/2 - Zigzag Out of School!

Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

This week in Room 25

This week is a bit different in scheduling due to PARCC testing, the field trip, and the Walk-A-Thon on Friday.  Here is a breakdown of the week:

Math
With our afternoons full this week due to testing and other activities, we will be working on math in the mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Look for homework on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday involving the relationship between fractions and decimals.

Language Arts
Word Study
We will have our Work Study quiz on Wednesday this week.  Due to the oddly-scheduled week, we will not start a new list until next Tuesday,  The words for last week can be found here.

Reading
This week we are starting a whole-class novel, Sadako and a Thousand Paper Cranes.  We will use this text as a class to review character analysis, plot structure, conflict, theme, WWII history, and even some geography.  Look for the books to come home a few days this week the complete reading chapters we started in class (this can count for their nightly 20 minutes as well!).

Writing
Due to Math moving around and lack of time this week in the afternoons, Writing is being put on the back burner this week.  We will begin narratives next week based on what we have learned in Second Step this year.

Science/Social Studies
As a culminating activity to finish up our West Region unit in Social Studies, we will begin a Dam-building project on Friday that will last through the following week.  The students will plan and make a functioning dam using the information we have learned about how a dam works.  So, if your child comes home talking about their Dam Project, remember they are working on a model of a dam, not a project that they don't like!

In addition, here are a few reminders for the rest of the week:

• PARCC testing continues on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons.  Our final test will be Monday, May 16th in the morning.
• The field trip to the Chicago History Museum is Thursday, May 12th.  Make sure to send a lunch and non-glass drink (unless you have already paid for an Arbor lunch).
• The North PTA Walk-A-Thon is Friday afternoon.  Our theme color for 4th grade is BLACK.

Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.