Jan 23-26

Reading:  We continued finding the main idea and supporting details in an article.  The 4th graders turned this into a summary.  We took a Latin/Greek test.  They will be getting new words on Monday.  The 3rd graders will have a spelling test on Thursday.

Writing: We finished the extreme weather papers.  They made a foldable to go with their papers. They turned out great!  They are hanging in the hallway so be sure to stop by and take a look.

Grammar: We continued with plural, possessive and plural possessive nouns.  

Projects We continued working on our Earth systems project. We will be finishing up and presenting this week.

January 17-19

Reading:  This week we continued working on finding the main idea and supporting details of an article.

The 3rd graders had a spelling test this week. I was disappointed with how many students told me they never looked at their words.  Each student has a list that is developmentally appropriate for them and will help them grow as a speller and reader. They will receive new words on Monday.

Their will be a Latin/Greek test on Thursday 1/26 for 3rd and 4th grade.

Writing: The students continued through the writing process on their informative paper on a severe weather. 

Grammar: We worked on making a noun plural, possessive and plural possessive.  

Projects:  We continued our Earth systems project.  We did an experiment to show how clouds make precipitation. 

Misc: Check your email for the school calendar for the 2017-2018 school year.

There was also an email sent out to order yearbooks.  

January 9-12

Reading: This semester we will be reading nonfiction texts.  To begin with we will be reading Scholastic News and answering questions on paper.  The students will not have an assignment on Edmodo.  

The students are working on answering their questions completely by using evidence based terms and restating the question.  

We also worked on finding the main idea and supporting details of an article.  This is something that will transfer into writing a summary. 

3rd graders received their new spelling words.  They will have a test on Thursday January 19th.

Writing:  The students have started informational writing.  They each picked a kind of extreme weather to research and write about.  

Grammar:  We reviewed contractions.  The students practiced putting the apostrophe in the correct location when making a contraction.  They also practiced writing the two words that make up a contraction. 

Projects:  We are learning about the different Earth systems and how they relate to weather. 

*Don't forget to have your child bring in headphones if they would like to listen to the videos on Scholastic News. 

Welcome back!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas break! I know I did.  I would like to start off by thanking our room mom, Angela Ackerman.  She planned our whole day before Christmas break! It was so much fun and must have been so much work!! 

We are starting to read non-fiction during reading.  We are reading Scholastic News and the students will be able to go onto the website and listen to the different articles. If your student would like to do this then he/she needs to bring in a pair of headphones in a labeled ziplock bag. 

We had a great first day back.  It was fun to hear all the stories from break! 

December 12-22

Reading:  This week I had to assess the students for their report cards (can you believe it's that time already).  The students worked on their edmodo assignments and did a Latin/Greek creation.

The students also took a Latin/Greek test on Thursday.  They will receive new words after the break.

Writing:  The students chose a writing prompt and write a narrative based on the prompt.

Projects:  We are at the end of our projects.  The students have worked really hard getting their slide shows and maps ready to present.  I am so proud of all the hard work they have put into this.

They will be presenting to parents on Tuesday December 20 at 2:30 in cafeteria.  I hope you will be able to come in and see what a fantastic job they have done!!

Misc.  Thanks to all your generous donations of canned food our class has won a doughnut party!!  

Don't forget to have your child send in their Secret Santa gift by Wednesday.  

December 5-8

Reading: On Monday and Tuesday we read Fables and determined the theme using evidence from the story.  On Wednesday and Thursday the students learned about literal and figurative (non-literal) language.  They then received idioms and drew the literal and figurative pictures of their idiom. 

The students took a spelling test.  I was quite pleased with how well they did as a whole.  They will not receive new spelling words until after the break.

The students will have a Latin/Greek test on Thursday. 

Writing:  The students finished up their winter versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Projects:  The students continued working on their 51st state projects.  They are turning out so good.  We will be presenting them on Tuesday December 20th.  I will send out more information later this week.

Misc:   We will be drawing names for Secret Santa on Monday.  Please remind them keep who they have a secret from everyone in the class. They may start bringing in their gifts anytime until the 21st (this ensures they are all there in time).  Write who the present is to on the bottom, but keep the from section blank. Remember to keep the gifts at $5.    

November 28- December 1

Honor Society is having a canned food drive for the Out of Egypt food pantry.  Each class that exceeds 150 cans will get donuts.  The food drive ends December 15th so be sure to send those cans of food in! 

December 22nd will be the last day before Christmas break.  We will be having a fun filled day that includes exchanging Secret Santa gifts, watching a movie and having popcorn and hot chocolate!  

I haven't told the kids about Secret Santa yet but we will talk about it soon.  I will have them draw names and we will brainstorm ideas of what to buy as a group.  Each student is to only spend $5. Please do not spend more than this.   If for any reason you cannot purchase a gift let me know.  Also if your child will not be at school on the 22nd please let me know ahead of time and I will not have your child's name be drawn. I will send out more information at we get closer. 

Reading:  This week we practiced writing summaries.  This is a very hard concept for the students because they want to put in every little detail. We will continue working on this throughout the year.  

We also took a Latin/Greek test.  They will be receiving new words on Monday.  

Third graders will be having a spelling test on Thursday 12/8.  This will be the last spelling test until after the new year.

Writing: The students are writing their own winter version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. 

Grammar: We worked on writing complex sentences using subordinating conjunctions.

Projects: They continued working on their 51st state project.