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Reading: None today due to finishing up a spring project. We’re sworn to secrecy until after this weekend. Mum’s the word, literally.

Language Arts: Today students finished up their bar graphs showing their survey results, and began a rough draft of their Take a Stand project. The final persuasive piece will be due Monday, May 15.

Spelling: We looked at how mnemonic devices, such as saying piece of pie, are helpful to spell difficult words. A spelling test will be taken tomorrow. The skill will be making plural forms of nouns.

The Level Four Core Word list is an option for continued practice.

Math: We practiced using a coordiate grid to locate objects. Homework is to complete math journal pp. 160-162. A test over division, remainders, number stories and coordiate points will be taken Monday.

Science: Students continued to work on their Space Fashion Show projects. Students are planning their costume and writing fashion show scripts. See the requirements for more information. The Space Fashion Show will be on Tuesday, May 16, and will be worth a test grade.

Social Studies: We began our study of Europeans arriving in Michigan by learning about why Europeans came to North America, and reviewing the history of colonization.

Notes:

• Please complete and return a permission slip by Friday morning. 
• Donating towards Mackinaw? Thank you for sending in any final donations within the next week or so! We are very near our class and grade level goal.
• Thanks for volunteering! A volunteer appreciation luncheon is being planned for Monday, May 15, from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please come! RSVP here or send in a note.
• HELP WANTED: Mr. Keilitz is looking for parents willing to help with Field Day, which is May 31. If you are willing to help, please fill out the form here. Thanks!
• McGrath Family Cookbooks are on sale now. Copies can be purchased for $10 and all proceeds go towards our Mackinaw trip. Checks are payable to McGrath.

Reading: Today, our class began our final Literature Circles cycle. Groups are reading the following books with the theme of “dogs”:

• Shiloh
• The Summer of Riley
• Sounder
• Old Yeller
• Because of Winn-Dixie
• Dog Watch

Language Arts: Today students analyzed the data they collected from students, parents or school staff members, and began to link their opinion on their controversial subject to core democratic values, data and prior knowledge. The final persuasive piece will be due Monday, May 15.

Spelling: Students worked on spelling words with the troublesome “ie” or “ei” spelling patterns. A spelling test will be taken at the end of this week.

The Level Four Core Word list is an option for continued practice.

Math: Students extended their work with interpreting remainders for division problems. A test over division, remainders and number stories will be taken on Thursday. Homework is to complete StudyLink 6.4.

Science: Students continued to work on their Space Fashion Show projects. Students are planning their costume and writing fashion show scripts. See the requirements for more information. The Space Fashion Show will be on Tuesday, May 16, and will be worth a test grade.

Social Studies: Students finished their Chapter 3 test.

Notes:

• Donating towards Mackinaw? Thank you for sending in any final donations within the next week or so! We are very near our class and grade level goal.
• Thanks for volunteering! A volunteer appreciation luncheon is being planned for Monday, May 15, from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please come! RSVP here or send in a note.
• HELP WANTED: Mr. Keilitz is looking for parents willing to help with Field Day, which is May 31. If you are willing to help, please fill out the form here. Thanks!
• McGrath Family Cookbooks are on sale now. Copies can be purchased for $10 and all proceeds go towards our Mackinaw trip. Checks are payable to McGrath.

Reading: Today, our class completed a computer-adaptive STAR reading test. The results will be used to create groups for the final Literature Circles cycle, which will start tomorrow.

Language Arts: We planned and discussed a “Take a Stand” position paper project that students will work on this week. Each student selected their own subject, will complete surveys to collect data, and will write a position paper. Homework is to finish collecting data from two different groups involved in their subject (i.e., students and parents). The final persuasive piece will be due Monday, May 15.

Spelling: Today, students worked on spelling homophones and identifying their meaning. A spelling test will be taken at the end of this week.

The Level Four Core Word list is an option for continued practice.

Math: Students learned how to express the remainder of a division problem as a fraction. Homework is to complete problems 1-4 of math journal p. 156, and all of p. 157.

Science: We journaled the important ideas from our study of the sun, moon and earth, and started the Space Fashion Show project. Today, students formed groups, determined roles, and started to brainstorm information for their fashion show scripts. See the requirements for more information. The Space Fashion Show will be on Tuesday, May 16.

Social Studies: None today due to a longer Science time. We will have a longer Social Studies time tomorrow and will finish the Chapter 3 test.

Notes:

• Donating towards Mackinaw? Thank you for sending in any final donations within the next week or so! We are very near our class and grade level goal.
• Thanks for volunteering! A volunteer appreciation luncheon is being planned for Monday, May 15, from 11:00 am to 1:30 pm. Please come! RSVP here or send in a note.
• HELP WANTED: Mr. Keilitz is looking for parents willing to help with Field Day, which is May 31. If you are willing to help, please fill out the form here. Thanks!
• McGrath Family Cookbooks are on sale now. Copies can be purchased for $10 and all proceeds go towards our Mackinaw trip. Checks are payable to McGrath.

Use your Internet research skills to find answers to the questions below. Information for kids would probably be easiest to read.

Here are some questions to answer in your Internet journal:

1. When was the Mackinac Bridge built?
2. How long is the Mackinac Bridge? 
3. The Grand Hotel has the longest _________ in the world? What is it?
4. Who built Fort Michilimackinac?
5. Where was the fort moved to?

Now it’s your turn!

You find some interesting information about Mackinaw City, Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw Island, and post a question to the blog. The other groups will try to answer it.

For your second computer time, pick one or more of the questions and try to answer it! Look on the web for information.

Start here:

Tips

1. Be careful to type in specific words, like Mackinac Bridge
2. Just type in a question that you are wondering about. Make sure your question is specific!

Google

Yahoo!

KidsClick