Book-it

February Book-it was due today, and a new March Book-it calendar is being sent home today.  Book-it is a requirement in class and counts as a homework grade.  I cannot say enough about the importance of reading at home.  There is one month left for Book-it.

We will be bringing home an ISAT practice folder today.  Please take a look at the hard work and preparation that your child has completed in school.

Next week we will not have a spelling test.  There will be no homework assignments (other than March Book-it) due to testing all week.

Extended Response

Today we read a story called "Tukama and the Duppy" and another story called "The Race at Moonbeam Lake."  We were able to compare and contrast these two tales.  One was an American Indian Tale, and the other was a Caribbean tale.  We used the stories to work on an extended response answer in preparation for next week's ISAT tests.  Students will bring their whole ISAT practice folder home tomorrow to show you.  Please take a moment to look through it to see how hard they have been working.

Book-it calendars are due tomorrow.  If lost, students can turn in a note from home verifying three hours of reading for the month.  If the book review page is lost, students can simply write a book review on a blank sheet of notebook paper.  Reading for Book-it is a required monthly homework assignment, and one of the few homework assignments that I give in language arts.

There is a review spelling test tomorrow.

Prefixes, Suffixes, Root Words

Today we reviewed and practiced Prefixes, Suffixes, and Root Words.  A root is the basic part of a word that gives the word its meaning.  We talked about some unusual prefixes, such as "giga" (one billion, as in "gigabyte") and "milli" (one thousand).  We completed Practice workbook 34.

We also completed a practice ISAT paper about Narrative, Persuasive, and Expository passages.

Book-it is due Friday with a short book review.  Our spelling review Unit 20 test will also be given on Friday.  Students should be working to be prepared for these two tasks on a nightly basis.  I've been encouraging them not to leave anything for the last minute.

More Practice!

We continue to practice each day for our ISAT tests by working on "Extended Response" reading questions.  We will be taking two tests each day of next week.  Remember that we are off school on Monday.  Students will take the tests in their HOMEROOM.

Next week:
Tuesday -  Reading & Science tests
Wednesday - Reading & Math tests
Thursday - Reading & Math tests
Friday - Math & Science tests

This week:
Spelling test Friday, as well as our due date for Book-it.

Practice!

Today we took a look at our unit 20 spelling review words and completed Spelling Workbook page 79. Our spelling test will be on Friday.

We also worked on reviewing more skills for our upcoming ISAT Reading tests.  We learned to distinguish main ideas and supporting details.  Students will bring home their ISAT practice folders on Friday so that you can see what we have been learning.

Book-it is due on Friday.  A "good quality" book review is part of the Book-it requirement.

Figurative Language

Today we worked on using "Figurative Language" such as personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms.  Students should be able to identify these examples in a story or passage.

We also took our spelling test and practiced ISAT Reading skills.  Our ISAT tests are the week of March 4.

Book-it is due on Friday, February 28.  All students should please be reading at home.

Practice

We are continuing to practice for our State Reading tests.  Today we read a passage called "Treasure in the Field" and we worked together as a class to answer story questions and to complete an "Extended Response" written answer.  Students are keeping all of these practice ISAT materials in a folder that will be sent home next Friday.

Spelling test tomorrow!  Book-it due on 28th.

Upcoming ISAT

Our Illinois State Achievement Tests will be administered the first week of March.  Students will be taking important READING tests.  We are practicing how to read and compare passages and how to write an "Extended Response" answer.

We will not be having a reading story this week, but the spelling test is still on Friday.  Book-it is due February 28.  There's one month left of Book-it.

Next week is Spirit Week! Monday – Pajamas (“Get Rest for the Test”) Tuesday – Crazy Glasses  (“Read Carefully”) Wednesday – Sweats Day (“Don’t Sweat It!”)

Thursday – Crazy Footwear (“Sock it Out!”) Friday – Spirit Day (“Soar to Success!”)

Spelling Practice

Since this week's spelling list is a bit challenging due to some possessive words on the list, we spent time discussing the meaning of each word.  We drew examples to show singular or plural words, and we talked about ownership (possessives).  The spelling test will be give on Friday.

There will be no reading story this week or next.  I would like to use the time to practice and review skills for our Illinois State Assessment Tests to be given in March.

Book-it is due on the 28th, next Friday.

We also worked on completing our "Parts of Speech" posters and reviewed different different kinds of narrative tales (Practice wkbk. p. 117)

Discovery Assessment

We used the computers today to take a practice test in the area of Reading.  This test is administered throughout the year to help me plan how to be a better teacher for your child. As we discussed at conferences, it does not count as a grade, but it helps me to gauge progress in the areas of comprehension, phonics, literary forms, etc.  Our state tests will be administered the first week of March.  We want all students to do their very best.

No spelling test this week, but please prepare for next week since the word list is rather difficult.  Please continue to read for Book-it due on February 28.  Optional Six Flags Reading Club would be returned to your child's homeroom teacher by Wednesday, February 19.

We will not have a Tuesday reading story next week.  We are going to use the next two weeks to cover skills that were weak in the above mentioned computer test, and we are going to practice writing "Extended Response" answers to story questions.  Students will be keeping an "ISAT Test Prep" folder at school, and they will bring home their papers to show you when we have reviewed sufficiently.

Narrative Forms

Today we reviewed the various narrative forms, including tall tale, pourquoi tale ("why?"), fable, myths, and fairy tales.  We used our chart to help us take a quiz over these narrative forms. We also listened to "Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life" again before taking our story and vocabulary quiz.

This week students are taking Discovery Assessment computer tests to practice for the state ISAT tests in March.  They are taking practice math and reading tests.

Please keep reading for Book-it.

Hewitt Anderson

Today we read "Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life," and students should reread it for this evening's homework (pages 466-489).  We discussed the vocabulary from this story, and students will take a story test tomorrow.

We are learning various genres of narrative text, including tall tales, folk tales, myths, pourquoi tales, and fairy tales.  All of these forms have an element of fantasy, were first told orally, and may include animals as characters.  They usually reflect the values and beliefs of a culture.

Please keep reading for Book-it!

Spelling test is NEXT week!

So Busy!

We are back to work with a "regular" week.  There will be a Tuesday night story assigned to read at home tomorrow(Hewitt Anderson's Great Big Life).

Today we completed Practice workbook pages 111 and 112 together in class.  Page 111 introduced our spelling words for NEXT week, but they are a bit difficult so we decided to get a head start.  Page 112 helped us to learn more about comparative adjectives (big, bigger, biggest).

We also worked on our "Grammar Rocks" posters to learn more about different parts of speech.

We are also learning about narrative literary forms, such as fables, folktales, fairy tales, myths, tall tales, and pourquoi tales.

Keep reading for Book-it, due February 28 with one good-quality book review.

Grammar Rocks!

After participating in the "Grammar Rocks" musical and watching the "Schoolhouse Rocks" grammar video, we divided into teams and learned about different parts of speech ( conjunctions, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, etc.).  Students created posters and projects based upon their assigned part of speech.

We also took our spelling test today.  We will NOT have a spelling test next week, but the students DO have a newsletter with the words for the week of February 17 to 21st.

Keep reading for Book-it!

Show TIme!

See you tonight for our musical at 7:00.  Art Showcase starts at 6:30.

Spelling test tomorrow!  Spelling workbook page 73-74 was available for extra credit.

Musical Rehearsal

Today we practiced for our "Grammar Rocks" musical.  Students should wear jeans tomorrow and they will have their "Grammar Rocks" t-shirt here at school.   Thursday's Art Showcase begins at 6:30 p.m., and students should be in their homeroom close to 6:40 to prepare for the 7:00 show.

As an extra credit assignment, students were offered the opportunity to complete spelling workbook page 73-74 to help them prepare for Friday's spelling test.

Please continue to read for Book-it, due February 28.

Last Testing Day!

Today we finished our Terra Nova tests.  Only "make up" tests still will need to be completed.

There is a spelling test on Friday, and students should still continue to read for February Book-it.

We will be practicing tomorrow and Thursday for the "Grammar Rocks" musical.  See you there!

Testing, Day 4

We are still very busy this week working on our Terra Nova tests.  Today students took their Mathematics tests.

We are still going to have a spelling test on Friday.  The words all contain prefixes such as "under/over/sub," so the main goal is simply to practice the base word.

This week we will also be busily practicing for our musical, "Grammar Rocks."  The musical will be held on Thursday evening.  We will also present to the Ridge students on Wednesday and the Prairie students on Thursday.  There's a lot going on this week!

Don't forget to read for February Book-it, and optional Six Flags forms would be due to homeroom teachers on February 19th.