Another Exciting Week!

We have really enjoyed this smart, talented group! As we finish up decimals (for now) and say goodbye to ancient Egypt, we have some exciting things on the horizon. We also have our rewards party this Friday.

Math: Students have been working to master multiplying and dividing with decimals. As they complete their test review this week for homework, make sure to always ask them, "Where does the decimal go?" We will be testing this concept on Friday, so if students have questions about their review make sure they ask before school.

Writing: After studying the writer's process in-depth, we have moved on to the trait of Word Choice. Last week we killed the following boring words: said, went, good, bad, and cute. Students can no longer use these words in their writing. We practiced using the thesaurus to find more interesting, descriptive words. We also did some Halloween Quick Writes and I was so impressed with the way students were able to come up with poems off the tops of their heads. Prompt your student to always be looking for the best possible word to use.

Spelling: This week's unit focuses on spelling the /er/ sound at the end of a word. Before the test on Friday, ask your student when to use the -or, -ar. or -er at the end of a word. Our vocabulary words this week are: Maneuver, Perpendicular, Scholar, Geyser, and Acre.

Social Studies: The students turned to Pharaohs last Wednesday. They made their fancy neckwear, a cartouche with their name written in hieroglyphics, their sarcophagus, and a pyramid filled with the things they would like to have in the afterlife. On Thursday we will learn about mummifying as the students mummify a stuffed animal. (Please remember to send one to school!) Next week the students will begin learning about Ancient Greece.

Science: This week is all about sound. As the students make their sound instruments at home we have been learning the properties of sound and how it is produced. The classroom got extremely noisy during our sound centers but we were able to see how the slightest difference can change the pitch of an object. Students learned words like: amplitude, frequency, wavelength, pitch, vibration, and medium.

Reading: Our class is filled with amazing readers who love to dive deeply into books. I have been so impressed with our book discussions as the students ask questions, predict, analyze and so much more about the books they are reading. We have been working on making connections to our reading and discussing how they help us understand the book better.

Look for your Parent/Teacher Conference times coming home this week. Please promptly send back the sheet letting us know if you will be able to attend.

CHeck SIS for your child's grades before you come so you can be prepared with any questions you may have. Their homework folder contains a label with their login and password.