Take a Peak Inside Room 314
September
We have been working hard to get back in the swing of things!
Place Value, Multiplication and Division are the focus in Unit #2 in Math. We are reviewing place value and will continue our study of multiplication by adding two-digit by two-digit multiplication to our mastered lists!
In Language Arts, we worked on establishing reading and writing routines and talked about living a readers and writers life!
October
Place Value, Multiplication and Division are the focus in Unit #2 in Math. We are reviewing place value and will continue our study of multiplication by adding two-digit by two-digit multiplication to our mastered lists!
AREA and VOLUME are the focus in Unit #1, which we will be returning to at the end of the month in Math. We are continuing our study of area by learning to find the area of rectangles and square with fractional side lengths. Volume is introduced in this unit, students begin to understand what volume is and how to find the volume of rectangular prisms.
In Writing, we began writing our Personal Narratives. We are writing true stories about important moments in our lives.
In Reading, we will become a "FAN" of Patricia Polacco. She is one of my favorite writers and I can wait to introduce her to the students. She is a writer whose books are truly terrific and span a wide range of student friendly topics. Hopefully this will inspire the students to become "FANS" of the authors of some of their favorite books!
November
The students have been working hard in math, we have finished Unit 2 on Multiplication, Division, Powers or 10 and Place Value and are ready to move onto Decimals. Students will still be working on mastering their Multiplication Facts and applying all previously learned skills into our next unit.
In writing we are finishing up our Personal Narratives. The kids have worked hard on selecting the best topic for their Narrative and put the work in to truly make us feel like we were there with them. As this month comes to an end we will be beginning our next unit of writing with is Opinion Writing. Students will begin researching the pros and cons of having Chocolate Milk served in schools.
In reading we have been reading in the Realistic Fiction Genre, we have been reading Naked Mole Rat Letters by Mary Amato. We are also reading Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary in our book clubs. We are excited to dive in experience these books!
December
AREA and VOLUME are the focus in Unit #1, which we will be returning to at the end of the month in Math. We are continuing our study of area by learning to find the area of rectangles and square with fractional side lengths. Volume is introduced in this unit, students begin to understand what volume is and how to find the volume of rectangular prisms.
In Reading, We are continuing our new book clubs and are excited to see how we can make connections to the text, predictions for the future and use a variety of strategies to strengthen our comprehension. The reading logs will be slightly different in the coming weeks as we are focusing more on the quality of our work and not just quantity. Students will be required to read and log their minutes nightly, every week they will be given a list of 5 questions to choose from. The responses must be 5-7 sentences, the goal is for the student to read one book start to finish and truly focus on what he/she is reading and how we can relate to it. I am looking forward to watching the kids grow and really dive into different genres this year.
In Writing, We are in a big discussion as to Whether or Not Chocolate Milk should be served in Schools. Our writing piece will have the kids focus on researching the pros and cons for chocolate milk versus white milk and then persuade us as to why we should or shouldn't serve it in school. The kids are off to a great start researching and stating their opinions, at the end of the unit we will dive into one more topic that will surely ignite some fire in a writing!
January
In Reading, We are continuing our new book clubs and are excited to see how we can make connections to the text, predictions for the future and use a variety of strategies to strengthen our comprehension. The reading logs will be slightly different in the coming weeks as we are focusing more on the quality of our work and not just quantity. Students will be required to read and log their minutes nightly, every week they will be given a list of 5 questions to choose from. The responses must be 5-7 sentences, the goal is for the student to read one book start to finish and truly focus on what he/she is reading and how we can relate to it. I am looking forward to watching the kids grow and really dive into different genres this year.
In Writing, We are in a big discussion as to Whether or Not Chocolate Milk should be served in Schools. Our writing piece will have the kids focus on researching the pros and cons for chocolate milk versus white milk and then persuade us as to why we should or shouldn't serve it in school. The kids are off to a great start researching and stating their opinions, at the end of the unit we will dive into one more topic that will surely ignite some fire in a writing!
In Math, we are moving right along with Fractions, while still working to master our multiplication and division skills. For this unit we will be taking several mini quizzes to ensure the students are understanding concepts taught. We will also learn to work with coordinate grids, which is a fun and welcomed break from fractions!
February
In Reading, we are currently studying the Historical Fiction genre. We are reading Toliver’s Secret by Ester Wood Brady. Students are learning to analyze setting, track story elements, think not only about the characters time line but also they historical one and step into the characters’ shoes to understand perspective. Students are also using a new program Learning Ally to add a multi-sensory approach to reading. Please talk to you child about this new exciting program! Student login information is in your child’s planner ☺
In Writing, we are finishing up our Research Based Argument Essay unit, we have decided whether Chocolate Milk Should be Served in Our School and we are finishing up our persuasive pieces and will soon publish. When complete we will be moving right into our Informational/Informative Writing unit. Students will work towards creating an Informative book to teach us about the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War is a major focus for us in Social Studies! In fact we will be taking a trip to The Museum of the Revolutionary War in April.
In Math, we will begin our unit on Decimals Concepts and Coordinate Grids. This month we will be moving into working with decimals, discussing place value, the various ways to represent decimals, compare and order decimals and much more. The students will continue to work on continuing to master their multiplication facts and division strategies.
March
We are making giant steps towards mastering our reading skills, using daily language practice sheets to keep our skills sharp. We will begin working on Text Complexity and focus this next unit on Nonfiction texts. Students will be identifying the differences between Fiction and Nonfiction, Nonfiction Text Structures and Nonfiction Text Features. This unit will work hand in hand with our writing unit on Informational Writing.
This month we will be working hand in hand with our reading unit and discuss Informational/Informative Writing. Students will work towards creating an Informative book to teach us about a topic with in Westward Expansion. This is a topic we have covered in Social Studies and will be a great extension of that learning.
This month we will be again working with fractions, we will extend our previously learned knowledge of fractions, learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide. We begin with finding common denominators, reviewing the concepts of factor and multiples to help us.
April
This month in reading we are finishing up our Historical Fiction Unit and moving into the wonderful world of Fantasy. We will be reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, James and the Giant Peach, The Spiderwick Cronicles and Punished. We will be study the elements of fantasy, fantasy setting and theme.
In Writing we will be finishing up our Information Books on the Revolutionary War and beginning a Poetry Unit.
In Math we will end the month with NJSLA test prep, reviewing all the skills we have learned so far so we are ready for the test.
May
I can't believer we are already headed into May! This school year has flown by. This month in Reading we will be being a unit on the Fantasy Genre. We will be reading The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe, The Jumbies, James and the Giant Peach, The Spiderwich Chronicles, and Punished. We will learn the different types of Fantasy Settings and what it means to go on a Quest! In writing we will be publishing our own original poetry books!
In math we will being reviewing skills we learned this year as well as exploring different types of Triangles and Quadrilaterals.
We have a lot of fun planned this month and in June, so stay tuned for more information!