March 13th

Science: We wrapped up our explorer unit this week with a fun activity. We took a trip to Crestwood Park where we created maps showing what we discovered. The students did a great job and had a lot of fun!

Math: This week we reviewed place value, three-digit addition, and three-digit subtraction. Any addition practice at home with adding and subtracting numbers into the hundreds place would be helpful. When we return from Spring Break we will begin our measurement unit.

Reading: This week in reading we read a story called, "Ranch Flyer".  We studied the photographs and discussed how they helped us understand the text.  We summarized the story, and described the connection between a series of events. We also enjoyed reading The Sour Grape and Couch Potato. We practiced identifying the lessons in each of those stories.

Phonics: Our phonics pattern this week was compound words with vowel teams (ex: rainbow).

Writing:  We spent our week working on our personal narrative letter.  We brainstormed topic ideas, chose a topic, and then began writing our draft.  We learned about greetings and closing in letters and where to place commas. After break we will begin editing, revising, and publishing these letters. 

Spring Party Fun!

March 7th

Science: This week we continued to learn about early explorer groups, and we looked at the types of shelters, transportation and tools they used. The students enjoyed creating salt dough models and map keys to represent different explorer areas. Then we had a gallery walk so we could view all of the different projects. They turned out great! Later in the week, the students were tasked with using pattern blocks to design different tools and modes of transportation. 

Reading: This week we started a new unit. Unit 7 is titled “Investigating the Past.” We began with a story about the Oregon Trail and a child’s diary entries. We looked at how text features help us better understand the story. We also read a story called “Ranch Flyer.” In this story we looked at how events in the story are connected. In phonics, we learned about compound words and words with silent letters (ex: snowman, doorknob).

Writing: We finished writing our fictional narrative drafts last week. This week we published our pieces, and we enjoyed getting the chance to read our classmates’ stories. After reading a story, the students left a compliment for the writer. The students really enjoyed that activity! 

Math: This week we learned about adding multiple 2 digit numbers together. Next week we will review and then take our unit 3 test.

February 28th

Science: Students used their sketches from last week to create landform models out of salt dough. Pairs of students also made keys to match their models. Next week they will paint their models in art class! We also learned more about bodies of water this week by doing a scavenger hunt using globes. Students identified oceans, rivers, bays, lakes, and seas.

 

Math: This week we worked on adding and subtracting three digit numbers in word problems. We also learned about subtracting across zeros.

Reading: This week we enjoyed reading an African folktale called Why the Sky is Far Away. As we read this story, we determined the theme of the story, used context clues to determine the meaning of new words, examined character traits, and identified the problem and solution. We have also been working on finding examples of cause and effect in fiction stories. We found several examples in Mr. Peabody’s Apples and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In phonics, we are learning the au, aw, and al patterns (stalk, haunt, draw).

Writing: We finished writing our fictional narrative drafts this week. Then, we worked on revising to add transition words, adjectives, adverbs, and sensory details. Finally, we edited our writing, paying special attention to how to punctuate dialogue correctly.  

February 13th

 Reading: This week we enjoyed exploring a story known as a trickster tale called A Foxy Garden. As we read this story, we discussed the theme and we practiced identifying character traits along with text evidence to support our thinking. We also practiced reading with the intention of working on our fluency. 

Our phonics lessons were all about: 

Vowel Teams /oo/ Syllable Patterns (oo, ui, ew, ue, u, ou, oe, u_e)

Writing: Brainstorming using a graphic organizer has been the main focus of writing lately. The students have generated ideas for how they would like their fictional narrative stories to go. They have created stories based around a theme or lesson that they would like to teach about. Most recently we took a closer look at their stories and found places where they would like to zoom in to develop what their characters might say and explain how they are feeling at that point of the story.

Science: In this science unit titled, “Exploring Earth,” the students have been introduced to three different groups of people who explored the world over the past millennia. They researched early Inuit, Polynesian, and Nordic explorers. They took a close look at where in the world they lived. We also learned about maps and globes, and we discovered that the Earth is mostly covered in water.

Math: Subtracting three-digit numbers both with and without regrouping is what we have been working on. This is a great topic that can easily be practiced at home. If you have the time, try to give your child a few problems to work out on their own or alongside you. 

Valentine’s Day Fun: