Monday, May 23, 2016
Monday, May 16, 2016
Friday, May 6, 2016
Weekly Update: 5/6
Happy, happy Friday!!
Writing: In writing we finished up our first literary essays. The kids worked really hard to incorporate formal language and transitions in this piece. Next week we will begin writing a compare and contrast literary essay about about two characters from books we are familiar with!
Reading: We are using Number the Stars as a mentor text for our historical fiction book club book. This week we have been discussing how authors use different symbols and signals to let their reader know it is a good place to stop and talk/write. We have been practicing with our mentor text and will apply it to our book club books early next week!
This week we also began working on Genius Hour projects. This time of the day allows students to choose something that they are passionate about, research it, and then present it to our class in a unique way. We are just at the beginning stages of our projects but I am looking forward to seeing how everything comes together!
Upcoming Events:
5/9: BOGO Scholastic book fair
5/12: iDiscover with Grandparents-- 10:15-11:25
5/13: No school
Have an awesome weekend! Wishing all the moms a wonderful and relaxing Mother's Day!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing we finished up our first literary essays. The kids worked really hard to incorporate formal language and transitions in this piece. Next week we will begin writing a compare and contrast literary essay about about two characters from books we are familiar with!
Reading: We are using Number the Stars as a mentor text for our historical fiction book club book. This week we have been discussing how authors use different symbols and signals to let their reader know it is a good place to stop and talk/write. We have been practicing with our mentor text and will apply it to our book club books early next week!
This week we also began working on Genius Hour projects. This time of the day allows students to choose something that they are passionate about, research it, and then present it to our class in a unique way. We are just at the beginning stages of our projects but I am looking forward to seeing how everything comes together!
Upcoming Events:
5/9: BOGO Scholastic book fair
5/12: iDiscover with Grandparents-- 10:15-11:25
5/13: No school
Have an awesome weekend! Wishing all the moms a wonderful and relaxing Mother's Day!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Thursday, May 5, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
Weekly Update:: 4/28
Happy Friday, everyone!! Only 4 more weeks until summer break. We are looking forward to finishing the year strong by continuing our learning and having fun while we do it!!
Writing: In writing this week, we have been focused on collecting evidence for our literary essays. We have learned three ways to do this: making lists, using quotes from the text, and writing mini stories. We also spent time talking about transitions, which have helped our essays be more clear for our readers.
Reading: In reading we began historical fiction book clubs. We also had an awesome conversation about how there are two timelines when we read historical fiction: the character's personal timeline and the historical timeline. The kids are super excited about their book clubs and have been contributing insightful thoughts into our conversations.
Math: At the beginning of this week, we spent time reviewing concepts from throughout the year to get them fresh in our minds before our math MAP test which took place today and Thursday.
Upcoming Events:
5/4: Junior Achievement Day
5/5: 4th Grade Strings Rehearsal (9:15 AM)
4th Grade Strings Concert (6:00 PM)
5/6: DOC Mother's Day Lunch (4th grade lunch: 12:25)
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week, we have been focused on collecting evidence for our literary essays. We have learned three ways to do this: making lists, using quotes from the text, and writing mini stories. We also spent time talking about transitions, which have helped our essays be more clear for our readers.
Reading: In reading we began historical fiction book clubs. We also had an awesome conversation about how there are two timelines when we read historical fiction: the character's personal timeline and the historical timeline. The kids are super excited about their book clubs and have been contributing insightful thoughts into our conversations.
Math: At the beginning of this week, we spent time reviewing concepts from throughout the year to get them fresh in our minds before our math MAP test which took place today and Thursday.
Upcoming Events:
5/4: Junior Achievement Day
5/5: 4th Grade Strings Rehearsal (9:15 AM)
4th Grade Strings Concert (6:00 PM)
5/6: DOC Mother's Day Lunch (4th grade lunch: 12:25)
Have a wonderful weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, April 22, 2016
Weekly Update: 4/22
Happpy Friday to everyone!! I hope it has been a great week!
Writing: In writing this week we continued working on our literary essays. We have been focusing on gathering evidence for our reasons by using mini stories, quotes, and lists. We are going to be continuing this work into next week.
Reading: In reading this week we have been enjoying some independent reading time outside. It was a great chance for us to unwind after MAP testing. We will be beginning historical fiction book clubs next week. The kids are looking forward to them!
Math: In math we have been working on reviewing some of the concepts for the beginning of the year to get us ready for MAP testing which will be on Thursday and Friday afternoon next week. We have played some review games and worked on multiplication, division, and fractions!
Upcoming events:
4/26 :LEAP in PM (MAP)
4/28-4/29: MAP Testing PM
I hope you have an awesome weekend and get the chance to enjoy the warm, nice weather!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, April 15, 2016
Weekly Update: 4/15
Happy, Happy Friday!! Can you believe there are only 6 weeks left of this school year!?
Writing: This week in writing, we began our literary essay unit. The kids chose a book that has a strong main character and are in the beginning stages of putting together their first literary essay. We have focused on our these statements, reasons, and evidence this week. This is tough work, but the kiddos have done a great job of rising to the occasion!
Reading: In reading this week we concluded our test preparation unit. We practiced using context clues and breaking apart words to find the definition. We also looked at text features and brainstormed a variety of sources that could be used for different types of research. We are going to put all of these skills into action during our ELA MAP testing next week!
Math: In math this week, we have been working on doing a spiral review of the concepts that we have covered throughout this year. Fractions is a big topic that we have been working on this week. Please keep encouraging your kiddos to practice their facts!
MAP Test Schedule
Our class will be testing on the following days:
4/18, 4/19, 4/20, 4/28, and 4/29
If your child does not already have headphones/ earbuds here at school please make sure to send a pair in before MAP testing begins (Monday). They will need them for certain sections of the test. If you are not able to provide them, please let me know. Also, if you haven't sent in a letter for your child to help encourage them before we begin testing, you can still send it in with them on Monday or email me it and I would be happy to print it out for them! Thanks!
Enjoy the weather this weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: This week in writing, we began our literary essay unit. The kids chose a book that has a strong main character and are in the beginning stages of putting together their first literary essay. We have focused on our these statements, reasons, and evidence this week. This is tough work, but the kiddos have done a great job of rising to the occasion!
Reading: In reading this week we concluded our test preparation unit. We practiced using context clues and breaking apart words to find the definition. We also looked at text features and brainstormed a variety of sources that could be used for different types of research. We are going to put all of these skills into action during our ELA MAP testing next week!
Math: In math this week, we have been working on doing a spiral review of the concepts that we have covered throughout this year. Fractions is a big topic that we have been working on this week. Please keep encouraging your kiddos to practice their facts!
MAP Test Schedule
Our class will be testing on the following days:
4/18, 4/19, 4/20, 4/28, and 4/29
If your child does not already have headphones/ earbuds here at school please make sure to send a pair in before MAP testing begins (Monday). They will need them for certain sections of the test. If you are not able to provide them, please let me know. Also, if you haven't sent in a letter for your child to help encourage them before we begin testing, you can still send it in with them on Monday or email me it and I would be happy to print it out for them! Thanks!
Enjoy the weather this weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, April 8, 2016
Weekly Update: 4/8
Happy, happy Friday!!
Writing: In writing this week, we finished up our poetry unit. Each student chose a couple of poems that they wanted to be published in our 4th grade poetry book. They all turned out great! Today we began our next unit on literary essays.
Reading: In reading this week we have continued to prepare for MAP testing by practicing test taking strategies and applying them to the books we are reading independently. Some of the topics we discussed were using text features and predicting answers before looking at the choices.
Math: This week in math we concluded our geometry chapter. The kids will take their test this afternoon. They seem to be enjoying this chapter because they have learned how to use protractors to measure and draw angles.
MAP Test Schedule
Our class will be testing on the following days:
4/18, 4/19, 4/20, 4/28, and 4/29
If your child does not already have headphones/ earbuds here at school please make sure to send a pair in before MAP testing begins. They will need them for certain sections of the test. If you are not able to provide them, please let me know.
I hope you have a relaxing weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week, we finished up our poetry unit. Each student chose a couple of poems that they wanted to be published in our 4th grade poetry book. They all turned out great! Today we began our next unit on literary essays.
Reading: In reading this week we have continued to prepare for MAP testing by practicing test taking strategies and applying them to the books we are reading independently. Some of the topics we discussed were using text features and predicting answers before looking at the choices.
Math: This week in math we concluded our geometry chapter. The kids will take their test this afternoon. They seem to be enjoying this chapter because they have learned how to use protractors to measure and draw angles.
MAP Test Schedule
Our class will be testing on the following days:
4/18, 4/19, 4/20, 4/28, and 4/29
If your child does not already have headphones/ earbuds here at school please make sure to send a pair in before MAP testing begins. They will need them for certain sections of the test. If you are not able to provide them, please let me know.
I hope you have a relaxing weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, March 18, 2016
Weekly Update: 3/18
Happy Friday!! I hope everyone has a safe and fun spring break!
Reading: We began our test preparation unit in reading this week. We have been practicing strategies to use when taking a reading test in order to do our personal best. Some of the strategies include previewing the text and deciding what genre it is after a quick scan and identifying if the question refers to the whole text or is a detail question.
Writing: This week in writing, we worked on using line breaks and word choice to create a tone or rhythm in our poetry. The kiddos seem to really like this unit and have been uses rhyming, syllables, figurative languaguage, etc in their poems. They have done a wonderful job!
Reading: We began our test preparation unit in reading this week. We have been practicing strategies to use when taking a reading test in order to do our personal best. Some of the strategies include previewing the text and deciding what genre it is after a quick scan and identifying if the question refers to the whole text or is a detail question.
Social Studies: In social studies we began studying the Civil War. We spent this week learning about slavery. This is a topic that has intrigued the kids. We have had some great discussions and watched a few video clips about the lifestyle during this time.
Math; In math we learned the formulas for perimeter and area. We learned how they are related to each other, as well. Today the kids took their chapter 13th test and did fabulous!
Upcoming Events:
3/21 - 3/25: NO SCHOOL (spring break)
3/31: Parent/ Teacher conferences
4/1: Half day
Have a great weekend and spring break!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, March 11, 2016
Weekly Update: 3/11
Happy Friday!!! One more week until spring break!! :)
Writing: In writing this week we finished publishing our informational books about a topic of the kiddo's choice. They did such an awesome job creating posters and slide shows that complimented their amazing writing! They had so much fun at our Expert Fair on Wednesday and were so proud of their hard work. Thanks so much to all who were able to make it, it meant so much to them! We began our next unit on poetry yesterday. Today we went outside and practiced using our senses for inspiration.
Reading: In reading this week we wrapped up our poetry unit. We studied alliteration and practiced dissecting a poem to find the bigger and deeper meaning that the poet was trying to get across to their audience. We will be beginning a test preparation unit next week!
Social Studies: Today will be the last day for our interactive Oregon Trail game. The kids have been using teamwork to travel along the game board and complete each obstacle. Our winner will be announced today! We are looking forward to learning about the Civil War starting next week.
Math: In math this week we practiced converting using the Metric System. The kiddos will have a combined test that covers the Metric and Customary systems today. We have also had several students complete their fourth grade ALEKS pie this week. I love to see their dedication to improving as a math student! Way to go!!
Upcoming Events:
3/15: PTG Meeting
3/ 21 - 3/25: Spring Break
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week we finished publishing our informational books about a topic of the kiddo's choice. They did such an awesome job creating posters and slide shows that complimented their amazing writing! They had so much fun at our Expert Fair on Wednesday and were so proud of their hard work. Thanks so much to all who were able to make it, it meant so much to them! We began our next unit on poetry yesterday. Today we went outside and practiced using our senses for inspiration.
Reading: In reading this week we wrapped up our poetry unit. We studied alliteration and practiced dissecting a poem to find the bigger and deeper meaning that the poet was trying to get across to their audience. We will be beginning a test preparation unit next week!
Social Studies: Today will be the last day for our interactive Oregon Trail game. The kids have been using teamwork to travel along the game board and complete each obstacle. Our winner will be announced today! We are looking forward to learning about the Civil War starting next week.
Math: In math this week we practiced converting using the Metric System. The kiddos will have a combined test that covers the Metric and Customary systems today. We have also had several students complete their fourth grade ALEKS pie this week. I love to see their dedication to improving as a math student! Way to go!!
Upcoming Events:
3/15: PTG Meeting
3/ 21 - 3/25: Spring Break
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, March 4, 2016
Weekly Update: 3/4
Happy, Happy Friday everyone!!
Writing: In writing this week, we continued publishing our information books and worked our posters. We are all getting very excited for our Expert Fair that is Wednesday, March 9th, at 9 AM! I look forward to seeing you there if you can make it!
Reading: In reading this week we discussed various types of figurative language that author's use in poetry. We learned about similes, metaphors, onomatopoeias, idoms, and hyperboles. The kiddos have done a great job of finding poems and books that use figurative language.
Social Studies: This week we began our interactive Oregon Trail game. The kids have been split up into groups and are on race to finish line. Each stop has an activity and there are many obstacles along the way! They are also keeping a diary along the way to keep track of their progress and make notes of topics they have researched.
Math: In math this week, we finished up our chapter on the measurement using the Customary System. We learned how to convert length, capacity, weight, and time. Yesterday, we started our next chapter on measurement using the Metric System. We will be giving a test next Friday, March 11th on chapters 11 and 12 together.
Upcoming Events:
3/8: Father/ Daughter Dance 6 PM
3/9: Expert Fair 9 AM
Important: Conference forms were sent home this week with the kiddos. If you received a yellow sheet, I am requesting a conference with you. If you received a white sheet, I am not requesting a conference but you have the choice to schedule one if you would like. The sooner I get your form back, the better chance there is for you to get a time that you want. As I'm typing this I see a few forms still in the kid's mailboxes, so if you didn't get one yet, it will hopefully make it to you on Monday! Thanks so much! :)
Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week, we continued publishing our information books and worked our posters. We are all getting very excited for our Expert Fair that is Wednesday, March 9th, at 9 AM! I look forward to seeing you there if you can make it!
Reading: In reading this week we discussed various types of figurative language that author's use in poetry. We learned about similes, metaphors, onomatopoeias, idoms, and hyperboles. The kiddos have done a great job of finding poems and books that use figurative language.
Social Studies: This week we began our interactive Oregon Trail game. The kids have been split up into groups and are on race to finish line. Each stop has an activity and there are many obstacles along the way! They are also keeping a diary along the way to keep track of their progress and make notes of topics they have researched.
Math: In math this week, we finished up our chapter on the measurement using the Customary System. We learned how to convert length, capacity, weight, and time. Yesterday, we started our next chapter on measurement using the Metric System. We will be giving a test next Friday, March 11th on chapters 11 and 12 together.
Upcoming Events:
3/8: Father/ Daughter Dance 6 PM
3/9: Expert Fair 9 AM
Important: Conference forms were sent home this week with the kiddos. If you received a yellow sheet, I am requesting a conference with you. If you received a white sheet, I am not requesting a conference but you have the choice to schedule one if you would like. The sooner I get your form back, the better chance there is for you to get a time that you want. As I'm typing this I see a few forms still in the kid's mailboxes, so if you didn't get one yet, it will hopefully make it to you on Monday! Thanks so much! :)
Have a nice weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, February 26, 2016
Weekly Update: 2/26
Happy Friday! These weeks just keep going by faster and faster!
Writing: In writing this week we have been working on publishing our information books. The kids are also working on slideshows and posters to compliment their writing. They are very excited to share all of their hard work with you at our expert fair on March 9th.
Reading: In reading this week we started a new unit on poetry. We have focused on looking at the various types of poetry and noticing the different author's crafts that are in each poem. Also, we looked at the different parts of a poetry-- lines, stanzas, etc. We will begin looking at figurative language on Monday!
Social Studies: This week in social studies we got the opportunity to watch some of the Little House on the Prairie movie that helped us understand the lifestyles of the time period we are studying. Because of the snow day we were not able to start our interactive Oregon Trail game this week but are looking forward to starting it on Monday.
Math: In math this week we started our first chapter on measurement. We are learned how to convert customary units of length and volume, so far. We will add converting weight to our learned concepts early next week.
Upcoming Events:
3/1: PTG Board Meeting & Mother/Son Dance 6PM
3/2: Principal's Day
3/4: Half Day
Have a great weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week we have been working on publishing our information books. The kids are also working on slideshows and posters to compliment their writing. They are very excited to share all of their hard work with you at our expert fair on March 9th.
Reading: In reading this week we started a new unit on poetry. We have focused on looking at the various types of poetry and noticing the different author's crafts that are in each poem. Also, we looked at the different parts of a poetry-- lines, stanzas, etc. We will begin looking at figurative language on Monday!
Social Studies: This week in social studies we got the opportunity to watch some of the Little House on the Prairie movie that helped us understand the lifestyles of the time period we are studying. Because of the snow day we were not able to start our interactive Oregon Trail game this week but are looking forward to starting it on Monday.
Math: In math this week we started our first chapter on measurement. We are learned how to convert customary units of length and volume, so far. We will add converting weight to our learned concepts early next week.
Upcoming Events:
3/1: PTG Board Meeting & Mother/Son Dance 6PM
3/2: Principal's Day
3/4: Half Day
Have a great weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, February 19, 2016
Weekly Update: 2/19
Happy Friday!! I hope you are able to get outside to enjoy this beautiful weather today!
Writing: In writing this week, we have continued drafting our information books. Many of the kiddos have also begun the editing and revising phase of their writing. Next Thursday will be the last day to finish publishing our piece.
Please see the attachment to my weekly update email for details about our writing celebration that you are invited to attend!
Reading: In reading we finished up our unit on reading and researching history. We will continue to work on those skills as we move forward. Next Monday, we will be starting a new unit on poetry! We are looking forward to trying out something new!
Math: This week in math the kids ROCKED finishing up our chapter on decimals. Our test is this afternoon. I am so proud of their hard work throughout this chapter. Next week we will begin our next chapter on measurement.
Social Studies: We have switched back to social studies from science and will be working on it for the next couple of weeks. We read and discussed pioneer life and began talking about the Missouri Compromise. Next week we will be participating in an interactive Oregon Trail game.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, February 12, 2016
Weekly Update 2/12
Happy Friday!!
Writing: We have been working really hard this week in writing on adding elements to our writing to enhance the quality of it. We discussed introductions, conclusions, text features, and quotations this week. The kiddos have worked really hard to put each of these elements in their drafts of their information book.
Reading: During reading this week we continued to talk about note taking by paraphrasing. We also spent some time talking about main idea and where we can look for clues in writing to help us locate it. The kiddos are improving in their note taking but some are still struggling with deciding which information is important enough to write down and which information can be left out. We will keep working on it next week!
Math; This week in math we started chapter 10 on decimals. I am SO impressed with how well they are doing with this new information. They are taking what they know about fractions and are using that information to help them with these new topics. The chapter 10 test with be next Friday.
Science: In science we learned about mixtures and chemical and physical changes. I am hoping to do some hands on activities with these topics at the beginning of next week.
Reminders:
2/15: President's Day-- No School
2/16: PRISM Projects Due
2/18: Maker Fair 3:30 PM
2/19: Spring Pictures
Have a great long weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: We have been working really hard this week in writing on adding elements to our writing to enhance the quality of it. We discussed introductions, conclusions, text features, and quotations this week. The kiddos have worked really hard to put each of these elements in their drafts of their information book.
Reading: During reading this week we continued to talk about note taking by paraphrasing. We also spent some time talking about main idea and where we can look for clues in writing to help us locate it. The kiddos are improving in their note taking but some are still struggling with deciding which information is important enough to write down and which information can be left out. We will keep working on it next week!
Math; This week in math we started chapter 10 on decimals. I am SO impressed with how well they are doing with this new information. They are taking what they know about fractions and are using that information to help them with these new topics. The chapter 10 test with be next Friday.
Science: In science we learned about mixtures and chemical and physical changes. I am hoping to do some hands on activities with these topics at the beginning of next week.
Reminders:
2/15: President's Day-- No School
2/16: PRISM Projects Due
2/18: Maker Fair 3:30 PM
2/19: Spring Pictures
Have a great long weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, February 5, 2016
Weekly Update: 2/5
Happy Friday to everyone!!
Writing: In writing this week we began writing our second informational book. This time each of the kids got to pick a topic that they knew a lot about and were interested in researching. Many chose animals, extreme weather, or historical events. They are using all they learned when we wrote our first information book to make this one even better!
Reading: In reading this week we discussed note taking. We were noticing that when we take notes sometimes we start copying down words from a book or website and we have no idea what they mean! That makes it very hard to write an informational piece about that topic! So this week we have been practicing processing, talking through, and understanding new information before beginning to take notes.
Science: In science, we are working on a new topic on matter. Yesterday the kids became experts on a small topic from the chapter and then taught the other members of their group about what they had learned. We will be doing some stations with these topics later this month.
Math: In math we finished off chapter 9 by learning how to multiply a whole number by a fraction. Today, the kids will be taking their end of chapter test. They have done really well this chapter and seem to be getting a hang of those scary fractions! :)
I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
Reminders:
2/10 -- Early Release
2/12 -- Jump Rope for Heart/ Valentine's Day Celebration
2/15-- No School
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week we began writing our second informational book. This time each of the kids got to pick a topic that they knew a lot about and were interested in researching. Many chose animals, extreme weather, or historical events. They are using all they learned when we wrote our first information book to make this one even better!
Reading: In reading this week we discussed note taking. We were noticing that when we take notes sometimes we start copying down words from a book or website and we have no idea what they mean! That makes it very hard to write an informational piece about that topic! So this week we have been practicing processing, talking through, and understanding new information before beginning to take notes.
Science: In science, we are working on a new topic on matter. Yesterday the kids became experts on a small topic from the chapter and then taught the other members of their group about what they had learned. We will be doing some stations with these topics later this month.
Math: In math we finished off chapter 9 by learning how to multiply a whole number by a fraction. Today, the kids will be taking their end of chapter test. They have done really well this chapter and seem to be getting a hang of those scary fractions! :)
I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
Reminders:
2/10 -- Early Release
2/12 -- Jump Rope for Heart/ Valentine's Day Celebration
2/15-- No School
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Weekly Update: 1/29
Happy Friday, everyone!!
Writing: In writing this week we worked to complete our first information books!! We are celebrating our hard work today! Next week we are going to be starting another information book on a topic of the kid's choice. We will follow the same format as our first book but will be researching a new topic.
Reading: In reading we have been looking at evidence and how we can choose a position in an argument and angle the evidence to support our thinking. We are going to be having a big debate on Wednesday--the class has been split into Patriots and Loyalists. Each side decided on reasons and are working on gathering evidence to support their reasons. We are looking forward to showing all we have learned on Wednesday!
Science: In science this week we have continued to work in stations based around circuitry. The kids have worked extremely hard in their stations and had fun too! We will finish our stations today and will be starting a new chapter on matter early next week.
Math: We have been working on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators. The kids have been doing really well with this and I am so proud of how hard they are working. We are planning on having our chapter 9 test late next week or early the following week (I will let everyone know for sure on Monday).
Please make sure to send in your child's jump rope for heart permission slip!! If we are the first class to get them all in we get to have some extra gym time!! :)
Upcoming Events:
2/2: PTG Board Meeting
2/5: Counselor's Day
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the nice weather!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week we worked to complete our first information books!! We are celebrating our hard work today! Next week we are going to be starting another information book on a topic of the kid's choice. We will follow the same format as our first book but will be researching a new topic.
Reading: In reading we have been looking at evidence and how we can choose a position in an argument and angle the evidence to support our thinking. We are going to be having a big debate on Wednesday--the class has been split into Patriots and Loyalists. Each side decided on reasons and are working on gathering evidence to support their reasons. We are looking forward to showing all we have learned on Wednesday!
Science: In science this week we have continued to work in stations based around circuitry. The kids have worked extremely hard in their stations and had fun too! We will finish our stations today and will be starting a new chapter on matter early next week.
Math: We have been working on adding and subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators. The kids have been doing really well with this and I am so proud of how hard they are working. We are planning on having our chapter 9 test late next week or early the following week (I will let everyone know for sure on Monday).
Please make sure to send in your child's jump rope for heart permission slip!! If we are the first class to get them all in we get to have some extra gym time!! :)
Upcoming Events:
2/2: PTG Board Meeting
2/5: Counselor's Day
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the nice weather!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, January 22, 2016
Weekly Update 1/22
Happy Friday!! It felt like such a quick week with being off on Monday and Wednesday!
Writing: In writing this week we wrote chapter 3 of our information book. The kiddos put themselves in the perspective of someone who was present during the event and wrote a seed story. The kids did a fantastic job with this! We will be finishing up our information books on the American Revolution next week.
Reading: In reading we worked a little more on looking at primary sources to research. We also talked about envisioning the scene when reading nonfiction. We noticed that we can sometimes have the same thinking for nonfiction texts as we do for fiction texts.
Math: In math we worked on writing and using manipulatives to represent mixed numbers. We also learned how to turn a mixed number into an improper fraction and vice versa. The kiddos will take their chapter 8 test today and will bring it home with them early next week!
Science: We talked more about electricity this week and got to do some hands on stations. Some of our stations included using snap circuits, doing a conductor/insulator experiment, and using an interactive website to manipulate circuits. It has been a lot of fun!
Special Announcement:
It is not too late to participate in either PRISM or the Animal Expo. For the PRISM information, go to the Lindbergh School District homepage, go to either Students or Programs in the drop down menu. You will see "PRISM". When you click on that link, you can download an Entry form, a box order form, or the PRISM booklet. Just submit the Entry form and order a box next week. If you would rather do an Animal Expo project, those sheets went home recently. Both types of projects are due on Tuesday, February 16th. They will be on display at the Concord Maker's Fair night, February 18th, from 3:30-6. Both types of projects will receive a certificate, only PRISM projects will receive a prism with their grade on it.
Upcoming Events:
1/29: Family Bingo Night
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week we wrote chapter 3 of our information book. The kiddos put themselves in the perspective of someone who was present during the event and wrote a seed story. The kids did a fantastic job with this! We will be finishing up our information books on the American Revolution next week.
Reading: In reading we worked a little more on looking at primary sources to research. We also talked about envisioning the scene when reading nonfiction. We noticed that we can sometimes have the same thinking for nonfiction texts as we do for fiction texts.
Math: In math we worked on writing and using manipulatives to represent mixed numbers. We also learned how to turn a mixed number into an improper fraction and vice versa. The kiddos will take their chapter 8 test today and will bring it home with them early next week!
Science: We talked more about electricity this week and got to do some hands on stations. Some of our stations included using snap circuits, doing a conductor/insulator experiment, and using an interactive website to manipulate circuits. It has been a lot of fun!
Special Announcement:
It is not too late to participate in either PRISM or the Animal Expo. For the PRISM information, go to the Lindbergh School District homepage, go to either Students or Programs in the drop down menu. You will see "PRISM". When you click on that link, you can download an Entry form, a box order form, or the PRISM booklet. Just submit the Entry form and order a box next week. If you would rather do an Animal Expo project, those sheets went home recently. Both types of projects are due on Tuesday, February 16th. They will be on display at the Concord Maker's Fair night, February 18th, from 3:30-6. Both types of projects will receive a certificate, only PRISM projects will receive a prism with their grade on it.
Upcoming Events:
1/29: Family Bingo Night
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, January 15, 2016
Weekly Update : 1/15
Hope everyone had a fantastic week and is looking forward to a 3-day weekend!!
Writing: In writing we have started drafting our information book about the topic each student chose from the American Revolution. The first chapter they drafted was a summary of the American Revolution so that their readers had a little bit of background information before they jumped into their focused topic. The second chapter is where the specific details about the event are described. Many of the kids chose to create categories in their second chapter in order to keep their information organized for their reader!
Reading: In reading this week we have been working on how to read multiple sources and take notes from those sources. We have spent time practicing how to read chunks of a book or article and then write notes in our notebook. We also focused on how important it is to combine your notes together from multiple sources in order to be efficient. Today we discussed the importance of using primary resources in our research and will continue working on that throughout next week.
Science: In science we have spent time learning about electricity. Next week the kids are going to participate in stations where they are able to put together circuits and identify insinuators and conductors.
Math: We are continuing to work on fractions and the kids seem to be getting the hang of it! They are using number lines and least common multiple to order and compare fractions. We will be having our Chapter 8 test next Friday!
Upcoming Events:
1/18: No School
1/19: PTG meeting
1/22: Ability Awareness AM
Have a wonderful weekend!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Friday, January 8, 2016
Weekly Update: 1/8
What a great first week back to school it has been! Here's what we have been up to this week...
Writing: In writing this week we began a new unit on informational writing. Our focus this week has been on researching the American Revolution and today we chose a specific topic to focus on from the American Revolution. The kids will be writing an informational book that includes several subtopics. They are very excited about this piece!
Reading: In reading we have started a unit on reading history. We specifically have been discussing how text structure effects the way in which we read and take notes. We also have been working on reading and rereading texts in order to understand them more deeply-- in particular identifying the who, when, and where.
Science: In science we started our next chapter on electricity. We read and discussed static electricity and even got to do a couple of experiments! The salt and pepper experiment was a lot of fun because we got to hold the balloon over the salt and pepper to make them dance. We then discussed why this happens and how the charge of the balloon and salt/pepper effect the reaction.
Math: In math we are working on fractions. We started off the chapter with a review of multiples and factors, and are now focused on equivalent fractions. We have also been discussing the divisibility rules. They are doing really well! Please keep practicing multiplication facts at home! :)
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Writing: In writing this week we began a new unit on informational writing. Our focus this week has been on researching the American Revolution and today we chose a specific topic to focus on from the American Revolution. The kids will be writing an informational book that includes several subtopics. They are very excited about this piece!
Reading: In reading we have started a unit on reading history. We specifically have been discussing how text structure effects the way in which we read and take notes. We also have been working on reading and rereading texts in order to understand them more deeply-- in particular identifying the who, when, and where.
Science: In science we started our next chapter on electricity. We read and discussed static electricity and even got to do a couple of experiments! The salt and pepper experiment was a lot of fun because we got to hold the balloon over the salt and pepper to make them dance. We then discussed why this happens and how the charge of the balloon and salt/pepper effect the reaction.
Math: In math we are working on fractions. We started off the chapter with a review of multiples and factors, and are now focused on equivalent fractions. We have also been discussing the divisibility rules. They are doing really well! Please keep practicing multiplication facts at home! :)
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!
Sincerely,
Miss DiFranco
Monday, January 4, 2016
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