MrHowd.com

Spelling: None today due to introduction of our new MrHowd.com Gmail accounts. These accounts are provided ad-free by Google for use for our classroom. A permission slip went home today. 

The unit 8 spelling worksheets are available here.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due Friday. 

Reading: Today was the last reading day for this Literature Circles cycle. Students will work on group project later this week to share their book with the class, and a new cycle will start next week.

Writing: Students prewrote for their “Take a Stand” opinion piece, developing their question, matching Core Democratic Values, identifying groups of people to survey, and deciding how they feel about their issue. This piece of writing will be due Friday, March 23.    

Math: Students learned the standard method of multiplication, which is the method most parents and adults are familiar with. Homework is to complete a multiplication worksheet using this last method. Students working in a small group with me today have the option of using any method for the second row of problems; completing the last row of problems is optional. 

Science: Groups shared their posters about what they already know and think about sound.

Social Studies: We started reading about French Explorers, and began an “alphabet soup” organizer.     

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers: A new volunteer list will be sent home soon.  
• Thank you to the nine chaperones who have volunteered for the Mackinaw trip. At this point, we have no more availability for additional chaperones. Spaces may open up as the trip gets closer.
• Spring Conference times are now available for April 2, 3 and 4! Sign up at the office windows.
• Upcoming Events: New writing piece due (March 23); Magic Show (March 23); Spring Conferences (April 2, 3 and 4); 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!

Want to have your writing published in a book? Here’s your chance. You can submit a short story, up to 1,500 words in length, to be published in the Anthology of Short Stories by Young Americans. The deadline has been extended to March 31, 2007.

What do you want to do?

• Read the rules
• See books and prices
• Read sample stories that have been published
• I want to enter! Submit a story with this online form

Spelling: Today we reviewed consonant blends (st, str). The unit 8 worksheets are available here.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due Friday. 

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles. Some groups worked on inferring as reading strategies.

Writing: None today due to technology.    

Math: Students learned and played the math game, Queen’s Guard, taught by Mrs. Laird. One student from our class will represent our school in a tournament later this year.

Science: Students made Sound minibooks and posters to show what they know about sound, our next unit of study.

Social Studies: Students made new minibooks for our next unit: Europeans Arrive in Michigan. Representative Robertson (Michigan House of Representatives) also read to our class for March is Reading Month.     

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers: A new volunteer list will be sent home soon.  
• Thank you to the nine chaperones who have volunteered for the Mackinaw trip. At this point, we have no more availability for additional chaperones. Spaces may open up as the trip gets closer.
• Spring Conference times are now available for April 2, 3 and 4! Sign up at the office windows.
• Upcoming Events: New writing piece due (March 23); Magic Show (March 23); Spring Conferences (April 2, 3 and 4); 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!

McGrath Elementary is hosting a magic show on Friday, March 23, with shows at 6:45 and 8:15 pm. Tickets are $4.00. All proceeds to benefit McGrath Student Council and the American Cancer Society. More details can be found here.

***A guest teacher was with us yesterday afternoon, so those activities are included in today’s post.***

Spelling: None the last two days due to teaching Mrs. Moul’s class the McGrath Pledge in sign language and finishing the social studies test. The unit 8 worksheets are available here.

Cursive: Cursive sentences were due today; approximately ten students had to spend their recess completing this assignment.  

Reading: Yesterday was a discussion day, and today a reading day in Literature Circles. Some groups worked on synthesizing and questioning as reading strategies.

Writing: We reviewed the Core Democratic Values of truth, common good, individual rights and diversity. We also brainstormed some ideas for the next piece of writing, a “take a stand” persuasive writing piece, due on March 23.   

Math: Students practiced two digit multiplication (25*34) yesterday. Homework was to finish a multiplication puzzle page. Students participated in math skills today and completed a multiplication MiniQuiz.

Science: Students took a test yesterday over light, color and shadows. Today’s Science Inquiry session involved experiments with electricity, static electricity, flight, ramps and rollers, magnets and light.

Behavior Update:

Ask your student what kind of choices they made.

The Weekly Wrap (our week in 60 seconds):

• Spelling: -th, -eth suffix on numbers, word chains
• Cursive: ten cursive sentences 
• Reading: Literature Circles groups, questioning, synthesizing, chunking, context clues 
• Writing: Core Democratic Values review, “Take a Stand” writing piece
• Math: partial products multiplication, lattice multiplication
• Science: light, color and shadows test, Science Inquiry 
• Social Studies: Underground Railroad quiz

Notes:

• Juice Volunteers: A new volunteer list will be sent home soon.  
• Thank you to the nine chaperones who have volunteered for the Mackinaw trip. At this point, we have no more availability for additional chaperones. Spaces may open up as the trip gets closer.
• Spring Conference times are now available for April 2, 3 and 4! Sign up at the office windows.
• Upcoming Events: New writing piece due (March 23); Spring Conferences (April 2, 3 and 4); 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!