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!

 

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!