MrHowd.com

Spelling: We learned that the same spelling patterns can make different sounds, such as long and short vowel sounds for the ea pattern in the words bread and bead.

Cursive: Cursive pages 50-52 are available and due Friday.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles. We also read Time for Kids during our “paper and coffee” time.

Writing: Today was a drafting day for our Military Thank You class book. Students are working on poems, thank you letters, short stories, story dialogues, post cards or letter exchanges with a fictitious soldier, or pledges.

Each student will write and illustrate a page of the book. The page can also be submitted for the last portfolio piece, due January 17.

We are also having a contest to create the book’s title, cover illustration, dedication page, and interior illustration. The title contest ends on Thursday, and the remaining items are due on Monday.

Math: We continued working on strategies for solving number stories (story problems):

1. Understand the problem;
2. Make a plan;
3. Carry out the plan;
4. Check your work.

Homework is to complete Journal pp. 63-64.

Science: We continued Storm Spotter training today, focusing on types of thunderstorms and wall clouds, which can sometimes look like tornadoes.

View the presentation we are using and other resources at the bottom of this page.

Social Studies: We read about Michigan’s climate and how the lake effect contributes to our weather.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Current Hours with No Orange Magnets: 84

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: thanks to responsible and generous families, we have a juice backlog, so no juice volunteers needed for a few weeks!

Spelling: None today due to introducing an in-class computer usage schedule. Starting this week, students will receive 25 minutes per week to use our classroom computer. Tasks will initially including practicing typing and time for checking their Gmail. Later tasks may include research and blogging.

Cursive: Cursive pages 50-52 are available and due Friday.

Reading: Students received new Literature Circles book groups based on their latest STAR reading assessment. Check your students STAR reading level in the reading section of SnapGrades. This Literature Circles cycle has two new differences: first, students are reading non-fiction magazines; secondly, students will be writing responses in a notebook. Students will practice at least four reading strategies for each reading day: determining importance, visualizing, questioning and connecting.

Writing: Today was a drafting day for our Military Thank You class book. Students are working on poems, thank you letters, short stories, story dialogues, post cards or letter exchanges with a fictitious soldier, or pledges.

Each student will write and illustrate a page of the book. The page can also be submitted for the last portfolio piece, due January 17. We are also having a contest to create the book’s title, cover illustration, dedication page, and interior illustration. The contest submissions are due Friday, January 11.

Math: We discussed strategies for solving number stories (story problems):

1. Understand the problem;
2. Make a plan;
3. Carry out the plan;
4. Check your work.

Homework is to complete Journal p. 62.

Science: We continued Storm Spotter training today, looking at the severe weather climate for our country. Interestingly, the Midwest (plains states) has the highest likelihood for severe wind, hail and tornadoes. The Southeast has the best chances for severe thunderstorms. Tornadoes are most likely to occur in May or June, during the afternoon, in the Texas/Oklahoma area, Florida or northern Indiana. However, climate doesn’t always match the weather, as we are having thunderstorms and tornado watches during a January night in Michigan!

View the presentation we are using and other resources at the bottom of this page.

Social Studies: We started learning the difference between weather (how hot or cold, wet or dry a place is now) and climate (what the weather is usually like over a period of time). We noticed that the weather right now in Michigan is much different than our January climate.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Current Hours with No Orange Magnets: 77

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: thanks to responsible and generous families, we have a juice backlog, so no juice volunteers needed for a few weeks!

Spelling: None today due to choosing our class book topic: Military Thank You. The Unit 5 spelling worksheets are now available and are due at the time of the next test.

Cursive: Five cursive sentences of seven or more words were collected today.

Reading: None today due to the spelling bee. We will start a new nonfiction cycle of Literature Circles on Monday. Also, see the chart to the right for our class’ reading progress at the halfway point of the year. As the chart indicates, our class average reading level has increased from 4.16 to 4.95, from September to January. Our goal is to reach 5.16, so we have achieved 81% of our goal so far! Great effort, hard working readers!

Writing: We started prewriting for our Military Thank You class book. We planned several sample writing formats students could choose for their page:

• poem
• thank you letter
• short story
• story dialogue
• post card or letter exchange with a fictitious soldier
• pledge

Each student will write and illustrate a page of the book. The page can also be submitted for the last portfolio piece, due January 17. We are also having a contest to create the book’s title, cover illustration, dedication page, and interior illustration. The contest submissions are due Friday, January 11.

Math: None today due the spelling bee.

Science: We started Storm Spotter training today as a conclusion to our weather safety unit. The primary goal will be for students to be able to recognize a tornado and differentiate it from other similar-looking clouds. View the presentation we are using and other resources at the bottom of this page.

Social Studies: We took notes in our minibooks about Michigan’s land and water.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 2
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Current Hours with No Orange Magnets: 70

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: thanks to responsible and generous families, we have a juice backlog, so no juice volunteers needed for a few weeks!

Spelling: Students corrected missed spelling words on a Words to Learn list that went home today. These are your student’s custom spelling words for future study.

Cursive: Five cursive sentences of seven or more words will be due tomorrow.

Reading: Students completed a STAR reading assessment today; the results will be used to create new reading groups starting tomorrow.

Writing: We started a class book project today. Each student will write and illustrate a page of the book, on a theme that is to-be-determined. The page can also be submitted for the last portfolio piece, due January 17.

Math: None today due to the STAR test and the writing project.

Science: None today due to library.

Social Studies: None today due to our class spelling bee. Congratulations to Christian and William who will represent our class in the McGrath Spelling Bee tomorrow afternoon!

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Current Hours with No Orange Magnets: 70

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at SnapGrades to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• View grades, assignments, attendance and even the report card at SnapGrades.
• Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
• This week’s juice volunteers: thanks to responsible and generous families, we have a juice backlog, so no juice volunteers needed for a few weeks!