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Spelling: Today students previewed and practiced spelling words that will be on an upcoming spelling test.

Cursive: Cursive pp. 60-62 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: Today was a reading day for Literature Circles.

Writing: Students continued to work on their next piece of writing, due February 9.   

Math: We reviewed converting metric measurements into meters, centimeters and millimeters. Homework is to complete Math Boxes 4.9 and worksheet p. 62.

Science: Today students completed an experiment called, What is White Light Made of?, in which students used a prism to separate white light into the colors of the rainbow.  Homework is to complete the analyze and conclude questions.

Social Studies: Today was the final workday for the Three Fires Jigsaw project. The day was designated for students to finalize the lesson that they will teach to their groups about their main ideas. Tomorrow, students will teach their teams what they have learned about their topic.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers for Friday, February 2: Brandon and Kyle. Click here for a full list of juice volunteers.
• Upcoming Events: Make a Monster Class Book orders due (January 30); Candle pick-up (February 4). New writing piece due (February 9); Straits of Mackinaw field trip (May 11). See the class calendar for more information.
• We are looking for donations of medium and long cardboard tubes (have plenty of short ones, thanks!) for class projects. The tubes can be sent in any time during the year; this project will be on-going. Thanks for any help you can give!

Families and students,

We now have a new online gradebook called, WebGrader. You will be getting more information soon about how to access grades and progress reports. I’ll transfer your current TrackMyGrades email address to WebGrader.

If you would like to use a different email address, or would like to register and haven’t yet, just contact me with an email address.

Spelling: Today students completed a spelling and skill test. Look for a Words to Learn list to come home later this week.

Cursive: Cursive pp. 60-62 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: Students received new Literature Circles book groups, notebooks and bookmarks. Groups also planned how many pages to read daily to finish in about 10 reading days.

Writing: Students were placed in “Writing Clubs” today. Each club has a focus on a different area for improvement, such as diaglogue, satisfying endings, more details, visual details, editing. Students also completed prewriting conferences and continued to prewrite for their next piece, due February 9.   

Math: Students developed personal references for a centimeter (width of pinky finger) and meter (distance from shoe to hip, for me), then measured several objects using their personal references and then rulers or meter sticks. Homework is to complete Math Boxes 4.8 and StudyLink 4.8.

Science: Today students completed an experiment called, What is Light?, in which students added batteries to a circuit to see what happened to the heat and light of the light bulb. Homework is to complete the analyze and conclude questions.

Social Studies: Students continued to work in their expert groups for our Three Fires Jigsaw project. They planned the lesson and the lesson review. Groups will work again tomorrow, and then present six minute lessons to their teams on Thursday.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers for Friday, February 2: Brandon and Kyle. Click here for a full list of juice volunteers.
• Upcoming Events: Make a Monster Class Book orders due (January 30); Candle pick-up (February 4). New writing piece due (February 9); Straits of Mackinaw field trip (May 11). See the class calendar for more information.
• We are looking for donations of medium and long cardboard tubes (have plenty of short ones, thanks!) for class projects. The tubes can be sent in any time during the year; this project will be on-going. Thanks for any help you can give!

Spelling: Today we reviewed adding suffixes to base words. We especially practiced the rule that says to drop the silent e when adding a suffix that starts with a vowel (no two vowels next to each other). This will be the skill for tomorrow’s skill test. A spelling and skill test is coming up tomorrow. Visit the spelling page to download a copy of the unit 6 spelling worksheets.

Cursive: Cursive pp. 60-62 are available and due on Friday.

Reading: Students previewed and selected new Literature Circles books. These are the current books, based on the theme of “strange characters:”

• Stuart Little
• Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing
• The Giver
• The Orange Outlaw
• Loser

Writing: None today due to technology. Any final orders for the class book, Monster Mania, are due tomorrow.  

Technology: Today, students created folders to organize the project files within their personal network folder. They also downloaded digital images to use in creating a weather forecast “splash introduction” movie.

Math: None today due to an assembly called, Books Around the World.

Science: Today students made new Light, Color, and Shadows minibooks, they brainstormed what they knew about these topics, and they shared their knowledge with others.

Social Studies: Students formed their expert groups for our Three Fires Jigsaw project, and shared their notes about their main ideas. They also began to plan the lesson they would teach to their teams. Homework is to write one multiple choice, true/false or fill-in-the-blank question about their main ideas.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers for Friday, February 2: Brandon and Kyle. Click here for a full list of juice volunteers.
• Upcoming Events: Make a Monster Class Book orders due (January 30); Candle pick-up (February 4). New writing piece due (February 9); Straits of Mackinaw field trip (May 11). See the class calendar for more information.
• We are looking for donations of medium and long cardboard tubes (have plenty of short ones, thanks!) for class projects. The tubes can be sent in any time during the year; this project will be on-going. Thanks for any help you can give!

Spelling: Today we brainstormed alternate words for “worn out words:” shouted instread of said, elated instread of happy. A spelling test is coming up on Tuesday. Visit the spelling page to download a copy of the unit 6 spelling worksheets.

Cursive: No new cursive assignment this week.

Reading: We practiced reading comprehension using Hot Dots self-checking cards. Students will be placed in new Literature Circles groups next week.

Writing: Today we finished the letters we started to write to injured soldiers as part of a Student Council project. The next piece of writing is due into portfolios on Friday, February 9.

Orders for the class book, Monster Mania, are due next Monday, January 29.  

Math: Today students completed a MiniQuiz over addition and subtraction of decimals and money.

Science Inquiry: Today we had a shorted session of Inquiry in which we previewed some of the materials (mirrors, lasers, prisms) we will be using for our study of light. We also had the Science and Inventions Fair Kickoff. We discussed in class about how Science Fair could be used as a “practice” for our Kids’ Inquiry Conference that will be held at UM-Flint on April 27.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

The Weekly Wrap (our week in 60 seconds):

• Spelling: then/than usage, suffixes, synonyms 
• Cursive: no new assignment this week
• Reading: we finished our expression and oral reading fluency project
• Writing: Started a new piece and wrote letters to injured soldiers
• Math: Adding and subtracting money, metric measurement 
• Science: forms of energy 
• Social Studies: first people of Michigan (different Native American groups) 

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers for Friday, February 2: Brandon and Kyle. Click here for a full list of juice volunteers.
• Upcoming Events: Candle orders due (January 24); Make a Monster Class Book orders due (January 29); Candle pick-up (February 4). New writing piece due (February 9); Straits of Mackinaw field trip (May 11). See the class calendar for more information.
• We are looking for donations of medium and long cardboard tubes (have plenty of short ones, thanks!) for class projects. The tubes can be sent in any time during the year; this project will be on-going. Thanks for any help you can give!