Testing Day 3

Students worked very hard today on their Reading and Language Terra Nova tests.  There will be two more test days...Monday and Tuesday.  January Book-it calendars were due today, but we had several "lates."  Please help your child to remember that Book-it does count as a homework assignment and is a free 100% in the gradebook for those children who complete the requirement.

Next week we will be practicing for our musical "Grammar Rocks" and we will also be practicing some grammar skills. There will NOT be a Tuesday night story to read, but there WILL be a Friday spelling test.  A newsletter with the spelling words went home today, as well as a note about the "Grammar Rocks" musical.  New Book-it calendars were also distributed today for February.

Six Flags Reading Club is optional and would need to be returned to your child's HOMEROOM teacher by February 19.

Testing, Day 2

No work this week, as we are taking Terra Nova tests.  Just keep reading at home for Book-it, which is due on Friday.  New Book-it calendars will be given out for February.

Testing

No work this week, as we are taking Terra Nova tests.  Just keep reading at home for Book-it, which is due on Friday.  New Book-it calendars will be given out for February.

Terra Nova Week

Our Terra Nova testing week begins on Monday.  We will be working very hard each morning to do a great job on our tests.  Students will be taking the tests in their homeroom.  Due to the testing week, students will not have language arts homework.  There will NOT be a spelling test at the end of the week, but you can study the words in advance for the first week of February.  Book-it calendars with a good quality book review ARE still due on January 31.

I Am an Artist

Today we read the poem "I Am an Artist," and we talked about different things that inspire our creativity.  We also wrote short autobiographies and started a self portrait.

Tomorrow we have a spelling test, so we practiced by completing Spelling workbook pages 69-70.

Please read at home for Book-it.

Autobiographies

Today we reviewed "Just Like Me" and completed our story and vocabulary selection test.  This selection was written from an autobiographical point of view as each artist shared their inspiration for creating artwork.  We will be working on our own short autobiographies and creating our own self portraits.

We completed vocabulary page 97 in our Practice workbook.

Students should read for Book-it as a homework requirement.  Calendars are still due January 31.  There will be a regularly scheduled spelling test on Friday.

Just Like Me

Today we worked on learning our new spelling words which end with ar/er/or, and we completed spelling workbook pages 67 and 68.

We also learned the important vocabulary words for our new story, "Just Like Me," found on pages 444-455 in our reading book.  Tonight's homework assignment is to reread this story and return the story sheet tomorrow.  This story is an autobiography, and we will be working to create our own autobiographies in class this week.

Character Counts

Today we had a Character Counts assembly.  Thank you to students for wearing their class colors for this assembly.

Today we took our spelling test and continued to read and learn about inventors.  Next week we will read biography books.

Book-it is due at the end of the month, January 31.  OPTIONAL Six Hour Reading Club is to be returned to your HOMEROOM teacher by February 19.

The "Jean Drive" is still in full swing.  Full length jeans are being collected.

Here's a good link to the weekly spelling lists:
http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~tarters/spelling

Enjoy Monday off from school!

Inventors

We continued to learn about different inventions and inventors today.  Students completed research in various learning groups.  Some students read about Thomas Edison or the Wright Brothers, and other students explored new and silly inventions.  Today was also our library day.  We found another book, "So You Want to be President?" that was written by Judith St. George, the same author of "So You Want to be and Inventor?"

Tomorrow is our spelling test.  Spelling tests are always given on the last day of the week.  Book-it is always due on the last day of the month.  A reading story assignment is given on Tuesday evenings.  Some students are struggling to remember this routine.  Any help or reminders at home would be appreciated!

Story Assessment

Today students reviewed "So You Want to be and Inventor?" and took our selection test.  The class also worked on creating an inventor fact booklet.  Facts are true and can be proven.  Opinions express ideas and beliefs.

Just a reminder that Tuesday night is almost always a homework/story night.  Fridays are spelling tests. Book-it is due at the end of the month.  There are still some students who are regularly forgetting to reread the story on Tuesday nights.  If you could encourage your child to remember this schedule, it would be greatly appreciated.  Students are allowed six "lates" per trimester, and we have a couple of children approaching that number.  Absences or notes from home are a completely different incident and are based upon individual needs.

So You Want to be an Inventor?

Today we practiced vocabulary and read the story called, "So You Want to be an Inventor?" on pages 414-427 in the reading book.  Students will be rereading this story as homework and returning their story sheet tomorrow.  At home reading does count toward Book-it.  We also completed Practice Workbook page 91 for vocabulary review.

Our spelling test will be on Friday.

We also made "Inventor" booklets to help us keep track of the great inventions that have shaped our society.

Spelling Words and New Story

Today we went over our new spelling unit words, Lesson 16.  Students completed workbook pages 63 and 66.  Our spelling test will be on Friday.

We are also getting ready to read the story, "So You Want to be an Inventor?" and we read a book about inventions, both old and new.  Tomorrow night students will be reading "So You Want to be an Inventor" as their homework assignment.

Please remember that Book-it is due at the end of the month with one good quality book review.  The Six Flags Reading Program is optional and would be handed in to your child's homeroom teacher.

More Pronouns

Today we worked on learning about subject and subject Pronouns (workbook page 59) and we made posters to show different types of pronouns, such as possessive (his, hers, theirs, mine), interrogative (who, what, whom, whose), reflexive (himself, herself, itself, myself), demonstrative (those, these, that, them) and indefinite (many few, lots, several, everyone).

Please continue to read for January Book-it, and please practice spelling words for next week's test.

Grammar Skills

Today we worked on grammar pages 55-56 to practice pronoun usage.  Pronouns take the place of nouns.  We identified reflective pronouns, such as themselves and ourselves.

We will not have a spelling test this week.  We will start our story and spelling unit next week due to the days off school.  We are using the time to review and practice skills.

Book-it is a homework REQUIREMENT due January 31.  Students were given an OPTIONAL Six Hour Reading Club form that would be due back to school by February 19 in order to receive a free ticket to Six Flags.  The Six Flags form would be returned to your child's homeroom teacher.  Students CAN count Book-it hours toward this ticket, but you must fill out a separate form for the Six Hour Reading Club.  Please ask if any questions!

Welcome Back - 2014

What a CrAzY start to the New Year!!!  With our two extra days off school, I've decided to postpone our reading story and spelling unit until NEXT week.  We will use the classroom time to practice skills for upcoming Illinois State Tests.  We will also work on some of our grammar skills that need a bit of extra review.

Book-it for December was due today.  January Book-it was also distributed today and is due on January 31.  Book-it is a classroom homework requirement.  There is no other language arts homework today.