(I just realized that this was not sent prior to the break, my apologies! I hope you all had a great break!)
I cannot thank you all enough for the week of teacher appreciation. Not only was it wonderful to receive so many treats, gifts and flowers, but I was picked for the raffle and won a gift basket. This was the first time I have won in my 21 years here!! What a lovely surprise!
It was also a magnificent week for our class. There has been a very mature sense of diligent work style and focus. Everyone has been working hard to complete their Expert Report Essays and I have seen a great deal of self responsibility this week. I really am very proud of everyone.
Upon the return of Break, we will focus on getting the Expert Report Digital Books completed - on "Book Creator". This is the same APP we used for the Picture Book Project earlier this year. I hope you all are making progress on the tri-fold display boards at home. Please remember to refer to the Rubric pages near the end of the Red Expert Report Booklet to be sure to meet expectations.
In math we have switched our focus from fractions into geometry. We started with basic polygons and will be moving into lines, angles and area through this unit. The kids are enjoying all the hands on work we are doing while exploring.
We finished up the Short Story Study during our Reading time. This was a great way for kids to read some well known literature, build vocabulary, recall facts and discuss plot with classmates. After break we will move into more traditional reading /literature circles to continue this type of work.
As you have probably learned, the month of April will house the Illinois State testing - AKA - PARCC. There will be Reading/Language Arts and Math components to the test. We have been taking some time in class to help make the kids feel "CC&C" Calm, Confident & Comfortable. Whereas we do not believe in teaching to the test, I do believe in helping kids to feel in control of the testing situation so they can show their best ability, especially since this is a skill to be developed over time that will serve them well in the future.
We also concluded our focus of the Underground Railroad and have moved back into exploring the regions of the US. We are currently spending time learning about the MidWest - our very own area of the country.
Once again, I hope you all have a wonderful break & holiday.
Happy Spring!
Fraction game with Ms. Campbell
Decimal Line - up
Tango Time!
Exploring Polygons
Author Visit - Who Was . . .?
Art Institute
Gifts of Appreciation!
