The month of March seems to be disappearing quickly! I apologize for not posting anything last week...I'll be sure to include updates from the last 2 weeks of classes in this post.
Field Trips
Here's a review of the last couple of weeks:
English Language Arts
Field Trips
- Our class will be going to the Henry Ford on April 20th. A permission slip went home today. Students will need to return the slips and $7 by this coming Thursday. It is only our class going on this trip, and I look forward to having a trip that we can take together as a whole class.
- The 3rd graders will be going to Greenfield Village on May 8th. That permission slip went home on Wednesday. Students will need to return the slips and $12 by this coming Thursday.
- If finances are a concern for either of these trips, please contact me immediately.
- Next Thursday, April 2nd, will be a "read-in." Students are encouraged to bring favorite books and a blanket or towel to lay on as we spend time reading. They may also wear pajamas.
- State testing will begin soon. 4th graders will be tested in English Language Arts, Math, and Science during the weeks of 4/27 and 5/4.
- 3rd graders will be tested in English Language Arts and Math during the weeks of 5/18 and 5/25.
- I will continue to remind the students of how important it is to get a good night's sleep and eat a good breakfast/lunch on test days (and everyday). :)
- Just a reminder that next week is a 1/2 day on Thursday and no school on Friday before spring break begins.
Here's a review of the last couple of weeks:
English Language Arts
- We have continued studying Author's Purpose as we began reading texts of the Tall Tale genre.
- Students have all "conferenced" with me for their realistic fiction stories and literary essays. They are now revising and writing final drafts. Final drafts will be due before spring break.
- Our next writing unit is non-fiction informational for 3rd and 4th graders.
- We wrapped up our Geometry unit this week after working on symmetry.
- We spent time reviewing the concepts of angles, measuring angles, generalizations of shapes, partitioning shapes, and symmetry. We then took our Geometry assessments today. They were sent home so that corrections could be made over the weekend.
- Our next unit of study will be fractions.
- The class saw several demonstrations to help develop characteristics of gases. We have spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting solids, liquids, and gases.
- Our States of Matter unit will continue with a closer look at changes between the states of matter.
- We have continued to use Guided Reading time a couple of days a week to read from our social studies textbooks.
- Both grade levels were assessed on their respective chapters last week, and we have begun the next chapter.
- Both grade levels continue to study different points in Michigan's history (3rd: Europeans settling 4th: Pre-Civil War Michigan).