Weekly Update 9/9/13 - 9/13/13

     Sorry to be a little late with this week's information.  Last week was a whirlwind as we prepared to take our first two major tests  - one in math and one in social studies.  You are beginning to see grades on papers that will be entered into the grade book.  I will begin putting these grades into SIS for you to see.  Don't worry, as I will send you an email informing you of the SIS updates so that you can get in to look.  In the meantime, continue encouraging daily reading and writing.  Also look over the math skills being presented daily.  A quick review at home is always helpful!

Here's what is happening this week:
Writing - After learning the difference between a seed story and a watermelon story, we will learn to develop small moments in our lives and play them back on paper as if they were a movie.  The small details from our lives will make our writing both interesting and memorable.
Math - Chapter 2 is an extremely important one.  Students will learn places and values up to 100,000 and will need to be able to read large numbers.  This is challenging for many students.  The digit "0" causes problems for many when trying to read large numbers.  Practice at home to help your child to be more fluent in reading numbers.
Reading - We are writing response letters this week, as well as taking our first Reading Evaluate Test.  I will be anxious to see how well students respond to what they have read through the letter, and how well they answer questions about what they have read through the Evaluate Test.  I will try to send to information concerning their starting point in the Evaluate testing process.
Spelling - Words are coming home to be studied for the spelling tests next week.  The testing date is at the top of the word list.  The Yellow and Green groups took their words home today.  The Blue group will take their words home tomorrow for study.
Science - We will wrap up chapter 1 this week.  We have taken a couple of quizzes along the way.  However, there will not be a test over this first chapter which mainly talks about what it means to be a scientist.
S. Studies - Today we started a project that will use the knowledge attained in chapter 1.  The class will write postcards describing their visit to either an urban, suburban, or rural area.   The project will also feature a picture of the area described in the postcard.

Important Events this Week:
Mon. -  A Day;  Library;  Look for spelling words for the Yellow and Green spelling Groups;
Tues. -  B Day; Reading Evaluate Test;
Wed. -  C Day;
Thurs. - D Day;  Math Evaluate Test;  Counseling Class today;
Fri. - A Day;