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.