Discovery Assessment

Today we took our story selection test over the comprehension and vocabulary for "Dragons and Dinosaurs."  Students had many dinosaur related questions after reading this story, and we are working to research and find the answers to these perplexing mysteries.

We also took our final Discovery Assessment Reading Test in the computer lab.  This test is simply a tool to help monitor children's progress throughout the year.  It does not count as a "grade," but it is a good tool to monitor the strengths and weaknesses that still need to be addressed throughout the remainder of the school year.

Dragons and Dinosaurs

Today we read the non-fiction expository text, "Dragons and Dinosaurs", on pages 672-685.  Students enjoyed this fact-filled dinosaur story and should reread it as their Tuesday night homework assignment.  We also discussed all vocabulary words necessary for the story, and we completed Practice Workbook page 151.  Our vocabulary and story assessment will be tomorrow.

Please remember to review for the spelling test on Friday.  The silent letters in the words make this unit a bit difficult, and we completed lots of practice in class on Monday.

Spelling Unit 26

Welcome back!  There are just six weeks of school left.

Today we worked hard to learn and practice our Unit 26 spelling words. These words are difficult because they all contain a silent letter.  We completed workbook page 103 together as we discussed each word.  Students completed workbook pages 105-106 in spelling as classwork.

Tomorrow we will be reading a story about dinosaurs.

Break Time!

Have a wonderful Spring Break!  Remember to read, read, read!

Here's a link to upcoming spelling words.  We will be on unit 26.  We took our unit 25 review test today.

http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~tarters/spelling

Terra Nova test scores are being sent home today.

Readers' Theatre

Today we worked on performing our Readers' Theatre, "Welcome to Chinatown," and we took our story vocabulary and comprehension assessment.

Unit 25 review spelling test is tomorrow.

Thank you to the students who made fun spelling word searches for our class to use!

Welcome to Chinatown

Today we read "Welcome to Chinatown" which can be found on pages 650-657.  This is a Readers' Theater production, so the focus is to be able to read fluently.  This story was a TV news feature, so the characters are reporters giving factual information on a real-life topic.  We also worked on the vocabulary for this story found on Practice Workbook page 143.  Tonight's homework is to reread the selection with an emphasis on each child being a fluent reader for their assigned role in this Readers' Theater.

Our Unit 25 Review spelling test will be given on Thursday.

Spelling Words

We will be working on spelling review unit 25 this week.  Due to our day off on Friday, we will be having our spelling review test on Thursday.  Here's a link to all spelling words:
http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~tarters/spelling

Today we completed Spelling workbook page 99-100.

Today we also worked on some fluency practice, and we continued our postcards from "Mangrove Wilderness."

Tomorrow we will read "Welcome To Chinatown."  It is a Reader's Theater activity.  

Mangrove Postcards

Today we took our spelling test.  The base words were much easier to study this week, so I'm anticipating very good scores.

We also continued to learn about Mangrove Wilderness, and we created factual postcards based upon this expository non-fiction story.

Here's a link to each unit's spelling words.  Next week is a review unit, unit 25.  Due to Spring Break, our spelling test will be given on Thursday.
http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~tarters/spelling

Pioneer Day

Today is our fun and educational Pioneer Day!

Tomorrow we will have a spelling test.  

Mangrove Wilderness Story Assessment

Today we read pages 644-645 in our reading book.  This was an encyclopedia article about mangrove trees.  Here's a short video about the mangrove tree:

http://vimeo.com/57894590

We took our story and vocabulary assessment today.  This genre of text was expository nonfiction (just the facts, only the facts!).

Tomorrow our language arts time will be minimal due to Pioneer Day.  We are looking forward to this fun activity.

Spelling test will be on Friday.  Words on this test are much easier to study if the base word is learned.  Adding the suffixes is the "easy" part!

Mangrove Wilderness

Our expository nonfiction reading story today is found on pages 628-642 in our reading book, and this text should be read again at home as homework.  We did discuss and review vocabulary words today in class, and we completed Practice Workbook page 143.

There is a spelling test on Friday.  These Unit 24 words are much "easier" to learn than last week's words, so I am expecting good grades!  By learning how to spell the base word, it will be easy just to modify the word with the suffix ending.

We reviewed past, present, and future tense verbs in Grammar.  We also continue to work on fluency.

Words with Suffixes in Combination

Today's spelling words contained suffixes in combination.  If students focus on studying the base word, adding the suffixes should be fairly easy.  Today we completed Spelling workbook pages 95-96.  Spelling retests were much better on Friday.  I've raised the gradebook scores to reflect the "higher" grade.

This week we will be reading "Mangrove Wilderness."  The red mangrove is a tree that supports a great variety of animal life along the southern coast of Florida.    We worked on fluency passages today.  Being a fluent reader is an important skill.  Any oral practice at home is beneficial.

Crickets and Insects

Today we worked on some factual research about insects and crickets.  We also took our spelling retest and will be moving along to a new spelling unit (unit 24) next week.  The words will be on the weekly newsletter.  Here's a link to all of the units:
http://highmail.highlands.k12.fl.us/~tarters/spelling

We took a verb review quiz in class yesterday and will be moving along to learn about pronouns.

Next week we will read the story "Mangrove Wilderness." Red mangroves are trees that support a great variety of animal life along the southern coast of Florida.

Verbs and Words

Today we reviewed for our Unit 23 spelling retest that will be given tomorrow.  We also reviewed and assessed our knowledge of action, helping, and linking verbs.

Tomorrow we will work on insect research.  We will learn about crickets ("The Cricket in Times Square") as well as other six legged creatures.

"A Cricket in Times Square"

Today we took the story and vocabulary test over "A Cricket in Times Square."  Students who enjoyed this story can look for the chapter book in the library to read more about the adventures of Chester, Harry, and Tucker.  Here's a link to a video from this 1960's classic story:

http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=cricket+in+times+square&vid=67030c861924d4c112e5d33e6d87bb04&l=24%3A41&turl=http%3A%2F%2Fts2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DVN.607991928386421605%26pid%3D15.1&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DUOHr27acEno&tit=A+Cricket+in+Times+Square&c=0&sigr=11a1gg4li&sigt=10pau81rn&ct=p&pstcat=sports&age=0&hsimp=yhs-fullyhosted_003&hspart=ironsource&tt=b

Our spelling test will be given on Friday.  It is a RETEST over Unit 23.  We are working hard to practice these difficult words.

Tuesday - Cricket in Times Square

Spelling Unit 23 tests were so awful that I would like to spend another week focusing on these words.  INSTEAD of learning the Unit 24 words that were listed on the newsletter for the week, we will revisit and retest on Friday over the Unit 23 words.  Any student who received a 75 % or higher may KEEP THEIR GRADE and is NOT required to retest unless they would like to try for a higher score.  Students who are retaking the test will be tested over all 20 words, not just the words that they missed.

Our very last Book-it was due TODAY!

Today we read "A Cricket in Times Square" in our reading book.  Story sheets were sent home to reread for homework.  We also worked on vocabulary for this story.  

Monday

Spelling Unit 23 tests were so awful that I would like to spend another week focusing on these words.  INSTEAD of learning the Unit 24 words that were listed on the newsletter for the week, we will revisit and retest on Friday over the Unit 23 words.  Any student who received a 75 % or higher may KEEP THEIR GRADE and is NOT required to retest unless they would like to try for a higher score.  Students who are retaking the test will be tested over all 20 words, not just the words that they missed.

Today we completed Practice Workbook page 136 as a spelling review.

Book-it is due TOMORROW!  It is our last Book-it month.

This week we will be reading "A Cricket in Times Square" in our reading book.