What's Happening in Room 34.....

Things You Should Know....

• A big shout out to our wonderful parents who planned and put on a WONDERFUL Valentine's Day party!  The children had a great time making slime, playing BINGO, creating cards for children who are in the hospital and making delicious ice cream sundaes.

• The students are doing a wonderful job working on ALEKS at home!  We have 9 students who have completed their 4th grade pie!!  My goal is to have EVERY student complete his/her pie by MAP testing at the end of April.  Your child has been introduced to a lot of the topics on ALEKS and should have plenty to work on.  Spending 15 - 30 minutes on ALEKS in the evening is a great way to review and strengthen your child's math skills.  

Dates to Remember.....  
Tuesday:  Dining to Donate at Chick Fil A from 4 - 8 pm
Wednesday: Math test 
Friday: Library

What's Going on in Our Classroom....

Reader's Workshop:

• The students will be reading several articles from Storyworks this week.  They will be reading two texts about jellyfish; "Invasion of the Jellyfish" and "Jellyfish For Dinner?" a play about Martin Luther King Jr. and a debate article titled, "Would You Give Up Your Birthday Presents".

• Our class read aloud this week and next week will be two books, Hidden Figures: the True Story of Four Black Women in the Space Race and 28 Days: Moments in Black History that Changed the World.

Writer's Workshop:

• The students will continue to take notes and write their informational writing piece using the different text structures we have been studying (description, compare/contrast, cause/effect, order/sequence and problem/solution).  They are doing a wonderful job working with the structures to create their paragraphs.  As they finish, they will begin including different text features in their slideshow to enhance their writing.

Math:

• The students will review for their test on Tuesday and the test will be given on Wednesday.  They will bring home a completed review on Tuesday.  The test will cover adding and subtracting fractions, multiplying a fraction by a whole number and word problems that will need to be solved using these skills.

• We will begin working with decimals later this week and will continue into next week.  

• The students should continue to practice their facts at home.  Having them mastered will greatly help them while working with fractions.

Social Studies:

• We began studying the events that lead to the American Revolution.  The students have learned about the French and Indian War and the Proclamation of 1763.  This week, the students will be introduced to the Quarterly and Stamp Act.  They will have the opportunity to feel what the colonists felt as they were taxed unfairly by Britain as we role play taxation in the classroom on Wednesday.  We, of course, will make it much more fun by using Skittles instead of money.