Ms. Aikens (Alyssa's mother) is planning our classroom Holiday Party that will be celebrated on Thursday, December 17th at 2:00. I have forwarded two e-mails requesting donations and party help, please consider helping so it's a group effort. You are welcome to come, as well! Thank you!!
We will have a class and 4th grade Spelling Bee this week to see who will represent 4th grade for the school-wide Spelling Bee that will take place after Winter Break.
The students were given a Leadership Application last week for leadership roles throughout the school. They are due on Thursday!
Science Fair information will be coming home on Monday! I encourage all students to participate. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Chess Club Wednesday: Bus Character Reward
Thursday: Choir
School-Wide Sing Along - 1:30 in the Gym Holiday Party - 2:00 Friday:NO School - Teacher Work Day
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will also practice reading like a storyteller by thinking about the character as they read what is being said. Reading to your child is a great way for them to hear fluency.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will be editing and publishing their persuasive essays this week.
They will be writing Holiday Poems using different parts of speech.
Math:
The students will continue to work on long division. They will be teaching you "short division" this week and will be tested over division on Wednesday.
Social Studies:
The students will learn about the different reasons people explore, specifically why Europeans began to settle in Missouri. They will also learn about trading post and how Europeans and Native Americans bartered their goods.
Ms. Aikens (Alyssa's mother) is planning our classroom Holiday Party that will be celebrated on Thursday, December 17th. Please keep an eye out for ways you can help. Thank you!
Early Release is this Wednesday!
The students are doing a wonderful job grasping the steps to long division. Any extra support at home would be greatly appreciated!
Word of the Week: elaboration (from our writing unit) Adding elaboration to our essays can help convince our readers.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Chess Club
Open Gym with Coach D.C.
Tuesday: Service Team Wednesday: Early Release Day Science Fair Parent Information Night - 6:30 in the Library
Thursday: Choir at 8:00
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will also practice reading like a storyteller by thinking about the character as they read what is being said. Reading to your child is a great way for them to hear fluency.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will write their persuasive essays this week. They will focus on including elaboration and figurative language to help support their supporting details. The students will also learn more creative transitions to include in their essay this week.
Math:
The students will continue to practice long division this week. They will learn how to check their answers using multiplication. The students will also be introduced to another strategy for solving division problems. It is a "short-hand" strategy to long division. They will be sharing and teaching you it later this week!
Social Studies:
The students will learn about the different reasons people explore, specifically why Europeans began to settle in Missouri. They will also learn about trading post and how Europeans and Native Americans bartered their goods.
The students will be given homework on ALEKS this week. They will need to complete at least 3 topics by Friday. They should record the topics they complete on the ALEKS Homework Sheet that will be given to them on Monday. The students are making wonderful progress! If your child is at the point where he/she needs to complete an assessment, he/she will need to complete it at school before working on topics at home.
Word of the Week: lethargic (from our read aloud, Ghost Dog) The dog was acting lethargic because it had not eaten in days.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Chess Club
Academic All-Star at 6:00- LHS Auditorium
Tuesday: Environmental Club
Read, Right and Run
Thursday: Choir at 8:00
Friday: Wacky Hair Day for Adopt A Family What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will continue to work on fluency this week. The students will focus on speaking clearly and grouping their words while reading. The students will also practice reading like a storyteller by thinking about the character as they read what is being said.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will pick a topic for their persuasive essay after brainstorming ideas as a class. They will pick a topic they are passionate about and write their 3 strong supporting details. They will use the same format they learned as they wrote their first essay.
Math:
Our next chapter in math covers division. The students will begin the chapter estimating quotients, dividing without remainders and finally... learn the steps to long division. The students have been anxious to learn long division, so I know a lot of them will be excited to learn the steps this week!
Social Studies:
The students will continue to learn about Native Americans.
The students will be given homework on ALEKS again this week. They went above and beyond making progress last week on ALEKS! The class jumped from 34% to 46% towards completing the 4th grade curriculum on ALEKS.
This week, we are collecting cleaning supplies for Support-A-Family. Even though we are focusing on cleaning products this week, food items, paper goods and personal care items are accepting any time. Any donation is appreciated!
Word of the Week: thesis (from our writing unit) The students are creating a strong thesis for their essay.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Chess Club
Tuesday: Environmental Club Wednesday: Flyer Families - Wear Flyer Family Shirts
Early Release
Thursday: Choir at 8:00
Science Test Friday: Spelling Test What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
We will begin a unit on fluency this week. The students will learn what fluent reading sounds like, and they will practice several fluent reading activities throughout the week. We will focus on phrasing, smooth reading and paying attention to punctuation.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will continue to practice writing essays. They will write a paragraph with their writing partner for our class essay, "Ice Cream is the Best Dessert".
The students will write an essay on a person who inspires them. They will plan their essay using a graphic organizer, box and bullets, and include a thesis and 3 strong supporting details. The students will be assigned to write a couple of these paragraphs for homework this week.
Math:
The students are learning how to multiple 2 digit by 2 digit numbers. They will learn the algorithm method (how we were taught:), the area model and the lattice method. Having more than one strategy in solving math problems allows the students to choose the one that works best for them. They will be teaching you these methods for homework in the next 2 weeks!
Science:
We are wrapping up our Earth Science Unit. The students will learn about the rock cycle, weathering and erosion and will be tested over this material on Thursday. We will review on Tuesday and Wednesday. Your child will have notes and a review sheet to study at home.
The students explored a new website this week, Capstone Library. Students are able to read a variety of high interest texts and even have the text read to them. They have access to this reading website through their personal devices and home and school computers. The user name is: crestwoodes and the password is: school .
Crestwood will be celebrating Veterans Day on Wednesday during a school-wide assembly at 2:00.
The students will be given homework on ALEKS this week. ALEKS is a web-based program that uses interactive assessments to accurately determine exactly what a student knows and areas for growth. The students currently use ALEKS during math stations. They will be responsible for completing 3 topics this week at home. The students will be given the homework form on Monday and will be responsible for logging their learned topics and return the form by Friday. It is important that the students complete the tasks independently because the topics are introduced according to their assessments and growth. The students have their log-in information in their expandable.
Word of the Week: innovate (from Scholastic Storyworks) to make changes in something by introducing new methods or ideas
Dates to Remember: Monday: Chess Club
Wednesday: Math Test - Chapter 4
Veterans Day Assembly at 2:00
Thursday: Choir at 8:00
Friday: Jingles for Jammies - Support a Family
Dance - A - Rama 6:30 - 8:00 What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will read a debate and an informational text in Storyworks this week. They will use details from the text to support the main idea.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will be introduced our next writing unit, ESSAYS! They will learn the characteristics of a 5 paragraph essay and begin learning the structure of an essay using a graphic organizer, box and bullets.
Math:
The students will review chapter 4 on Tuesday and will be tested on Wednesday. Please make sure your child is practicing his/her multiplication facts at home! The students will be tested over them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week.
Science:
The students will learn about the properties of minerals, how rocks are classified and the three types of rocks this week.
We had a WONDERFUL Halloween party on Thursday! Thanks to all the parents who sent in treats and helped at the party. A special thank you to Mrs. Threlkeld for organizing and hosting a great party. Pictures will be sent later this week!
The students who earned our October Character Celebration voted to have a movie as our celebration. If a student put his/her name in the Behavior Book and/or Missing Work book less than 5 times for the month, he/she will be participating! The students chose to watch Chicken Little tomorrow afternoon. They are welcome to bring in a drink and a special snack. I will be providing chips for them.
Word of the Week: weary (from Tiger Rising) The weary kids came into the classroom after a late night of Trick or Treating.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Chess Club
Tuesday: Environmental Club
Wednesday: Science quiz
Thursday: Choir at 8:00
Friday: Spelling Test What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will continue to work on finding the main idea of given text. They will also find details from the text to support the main idea.
The students should be reading at least 20 minutes 4 times a week at home. The chapter book they are reading should be the same book they are reading at school.
Writer's Workshop:
After reading The Best Part of Me, the students will write a paragraph describing the favorite part of themselves. We will publish their pieces into a class book to share in our classroom library.
The students will learn how to punctuate possessive singular and plural nouns when using them in their writing.
Math:
The students will continue to work with the area model and also learn how to use the distributive property and the traditional method to multiply 2-digit multiplication problems.
The students should be practicing their multiplication facts every evening.
Science:
The students will review for a science quiz on Monday over the layers of the earth, Pangaea and Plate Tectonics. A quiz will be given on Wednesday.
The students will learn about the different types of volcanoes and map out volcanoes on a world map as we do a fun activities through Mysteryscience.com
If you were able to make our Writing Celebration on Thursday, thank you for coming, and I hope you enjoyed the wonderful realistic fiction stories the students wrote! If you were not able to make it, you will have more opportunities through the school year.
Parent-Teacher Conferences are Monday and Wednesday of this week. We only have 15 minutes for our conference, so your promptness will be appreciated!
We will be celebrating Red Ribbon Week this week! The students will walk to City Hall on Monday during Specials to do their Drug Free Pledge.
Scholastic Book Fair is at Crestwood this week! We will preview the books on Monday. The students can make purchases Tuesday - Thursday before or after school, or during specific times during the day.
Word of the Week: momentary (from The Big One-OH) The pain from the shot was momentary, but it seemed to last forever.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Drug-Free Pledge
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Wear Red - To kick off Red Ribbon Week!
Preview Scholastic Book Fair
Tuesday: College Wear Day - "Have a great future being drug-free!"
Wednesday: Parent-Teacher Conferences Wear Crazy Socks - "Sock it to drugs!"
Thursday: Halloween Parade at 1:30 and Halloween Party at 2:00
Friday: NO SCHOOL!
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will learn how to identify the main idea of a given passage and identify supporting details throughout the text.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will continue to practice writing strong paragraphs that contain a topic sentence, supporting sentences and a closing sentence. After reading Favorite Part of Me, the students will write a paragraph describing a favorite part of themselves.
Math:
The students will begin chapter 4 on Monday. They will begin 2-digit multiplication and solve problems using the Area Model. They will be teaching you the model, as well!
Science:
We will be conducting a fun investigation this week that demonstrates plate tectonics and the formation of mountains.
Our field trip to Cahokia Mounds is scheduled for Wednesday! We will be eating lunch later than our usual lunch time, so please make sure your child has a hearty breakfast. We will supply a snack for the students during our bus ride back to Crestwood before we enjoy our lunch in the classroom. Please make sure your child brings a lunch to school on Wednesday!
Mrs. Threlkeld is our parent volunteer to lead our Halloween party scheduled for October 29th. She has sent home a letter and an e-mail requesting class donations and volunteers. Pleaseconsider contributing to help the students have a great party!
Word of the Week: Pelting (from Tiger Rising) The little boy was pelting snowballs at his sister.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday: -Cahokia Mounds Field Trip! - A sack lunch is required -Math Test Thursday: Our Writing Celebration9:00-9:45 Please join us!
Friday: -Abilities Awareness Day:Students in grades 3-5 will learn from veterans, specialists, and guests with disabilities. -Spelling Test
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will finish up Tiger Rising this week and will continue to use context clues and prior knowledge to help them figure out unknown words in their reading. They will also continue to "walk in the character's shoes" as they get to know the characters and predict their actions.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will finish editing and printing their realistic fiction stories on Monday and will be ready for the Writing Celebration on Thursday!
They will learn about and practice using the homophone; their, there and they're.
The students will create a well written paragraph after our field trip to Cahokia Mounds.
Math:
The students will review chapter 3 on Tuesday and will be tested on Wednesday.
We have made a small change in learning our multiplication tables. The students will be tested over each number's multiples (3's, 4's, 5's, etc) until they pass. Several students passed the 3's last week and will be tested on 4's on Monday.
We will begin chapter 4 (Multiply with 1-Digit Numbers) on Thursday.
Science:
The students will learn about the layers of the earth and create a yummy model of the earth.
The students were assigned their classroom leadership roles on Friday. They are excited to get started this week! I am amazed at the drive the students have of being part of running our classroom. We are a classroom of LEADERS!
If your child has a device, they are encouraged to bring it in this week to use during a lesson on factors and multiples.
If you child has not turned in his/her permission slip for our October 21st field trip to Cahokia Mounds, please do so as soon as possible.
I have a time set with all of my families for Parent Teacher Conferences. Those of you who signed up at the Ice Cream Social, I will confirm your day and time this week.
We will have Ms. Horan, a future student-teacher at Crestwood, observe and take part in our classroom for the next two week. We are all looking forward to helping her have a great experience!
Word of the Week: defiant (from The Tiger Rising) The children were acting defiant when the substitute teacher told the class to stop talking and they chose not to.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday: Fundraiser cookie dough pick-up - 3:30 - 6:00 Wednesday: Scholastic book orders due! Friday: Early Release - 11:50
End of 1st Quarter
Flyer Families - Wear your t-shirt Saturday: Mouse Races
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
We will be finishing up the novel, The Tiger Rising this week as we continue to learn different strategies in decoding new vocabulary words. We will be adding several new words to our word wall after we use context clues to determine their meaning.
We will also continue to study the characters as we notice their actions have a deeper meaning.
Writer's Workshop:
The students are editing and typing their realistic fiction stories in google drive. We need one more week to complete them, so our Writing Celebration will be postponed until the week of the 19th.
The students will get a new list of spelling words on Monday.
Math:
The students will learn about the multiplication properties, factors and multiples this week.
Please make sure your child is practicing their multiplication facts each evening. This will make learning double digit multiplication and long division much more enjoyable!
Science:
The students will finish up their social studies unit on Tuesday and begin an Earth Science Unit in science on Wednesday. We will begin with learning about the layers of the earth.
The students were given a list of leadership roles for our classroom last week. On Friday, we talked about what makes a good leader, and each child brainstormed personal leadership qualities he/she has. We went over the Classroom Leadership Role Application on Friday and each child was asked to pick his/her top three choices and complete the application by Tuesday.
The students should be practicing their multiplication facts each evening. Each student has the set of flashcards on the facts they are currently learning, and it takes just a few minutes to go over them each evening. They are also welcome to use the blog link "Fun Math Sites" to play games and take practice timed tests.
Word of the Week: bellow (from The Tiger Rising) The child bellowed in pain when he fell off his bike.
Dates to Remember: Monday: Culver's Dining Out Night 5-8 pm
Friday: Spelling Test
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
The students will learn and practice close reading (reading a passage more than once for a specific purpose and annotating as they read) as we read a story from Scholastic Storyworks. They will also learn how to use inferencing to answer follow-up questions.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will write their last scene to their realistic fiction story. They will edit their writing to make sure to have capital letters and punctuation throughout their story. They will also learn how to punctuate dialogue as they type their story in google drive.
We will have our realistic fiction writing celebration next week. Look for your invitation later this week! We would love to share our stories with you!
Math:
On Monday, we will begin chapter 3 on multiplication. The students will learn the relationship between multiplication and division and learn how to use repeated subtraction in relation to division this week.
The students will continue to review concepts, as well as work on ALEKS during math stations.
Our classroom leadership roles will be discussed this week. We will talk about what it means to be a leader. The students will think of specific characteristics they possess and apply them to specific leadership roles for our classroom.
The students should be practicing their multiplication facts each evening. Each student has the set of flashcards on the facts they are currently learning, and it takes just a few minutes to go over them each evening. They are also welcome to use the blog link "Fun Math Sites" to play games and take practice timed tests.
Word of the Week: envision (taken from our reading lesson) If you envision the story you are reading, it can help you with your comprehension.
Dates to Remember:
Wednesday: Picture Day!
Chapter 2 math test Friday: Cultural Day and Night -- Hope to see you there!
Custodian's Day
What's Happening in Our Room....
Reading Workshop:
As we read The Tiger Rising, the students will envision the story and learn to walk in the character's shoes to help them comprehend the story.
We will be reading a story from Scholastic Storyworks and learn how to use inferences to answer follow-up questions.
Writer's Workshop:
The students will be working on scene 3, 4 and 5 this week of their realistic fiction story. They will learn how to add "inner thinking" to their story to include more detail. They will also replace "said" in their dialogue to include more creative and descriptive words.
Math:
The students will continue to be tested on their multiplication facts using Rocket Math.
The students will review chapter 2 on Tuesday and will be tested on Wednesday over addition and subtraction.
We will begin chapter 3, "Multiplication and Division", on Thursday.