News and Upcoming Events:
- Orchestra is every Monday. If you have already been assigned an instrument, make sure to bring it every Monday.
- Picture Day is coming. Order forms went home with students last Wednesday. Please return your envelope a.s.a.p. if you are planning to buy pictures.
- 10/18 Field trip to Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens. All chaperone positions have been filled.
What's Going On This Week In Class:
Math:
This week we will be wrapping up the place value, rounding, addition, and subtraction unit. This week's work will review the above skills as well as multi-step word problems, tape diagrams, and estimation to determine reasonableness. Students will have an end of unit assessment on Thursday. Our next unit will be on metric measurement.
Accelerated Math (Individualized practice)
Reading:
This week students will begin reading Scott O'Dell's Newbery-Award winning book, Island of the Blue Dolphins. This work of historical fiction ties in with our current social studies unit on the geography and native people of California. We will be using Depth and Complexity icons to help us dig deeper into the text.
Genre Blackout: Students are challenged to read books from 9 different genres in the first reporting period. Ask your child about his or her progress.
Spelling & Vocabulary:
This week's prefixes are mono, uni (one); bi, du (two); co, col (with together)
Our words are:
- condense
- companion
- confer
- collide
- conspire
- monopoly
- unicorn
- unify
- dual
- bisect
Tip: Spend 10 minutes verbally studying the words each day. Research suggests that studying for small periods regularly is more effective than cramming. In addition to having your child spell the word aloud, ask your child to use the word in an imaginative sentence. You can pick a "theme" for the sentences, such as Halloween or the Desert…"Give me a sentence with 'collide' that has to do with Halloween." This can provide some challenge and novelty to a routine task.
Writing:
Unit 1 of Writer's Workshop: Realistic Fiction continues.
This week students will be drafting stories. Lessons include: how to show, not tell, and use a storyteller's voice.
Social Studies/Science:
Social Studies: Students will be introduced to their first project: What Makes Our State Special?. This group project will be completed in class over the upcoming weeks. Check the blog regularly for presentation dates (likely in mid/late November).
Earth Science: Geology - Volcanos
Reminders:
Tardies:
Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!
Homework:
Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.
