WEEKLY UPDATE

Families, this week I am adding something new to our blog.  You will see a page to the right called WEEKLY RESOURCES.  I will be adding helpful resources for our weekly focus in each subject on this page.  This is intended for kids to have extra resources as needed and also to support appropriate iPad usage at home.

Concerning the iPads, we have had an unusual amount of breakage this year.  I put a hold on taking them home so I have a moment to revisit our routine.  Most of the time, the breakage is due to a little but of mishandling or just not being careful enough.  I am talking to the kids about being All-Stars with these devices and making sure they know they come at a high cost (financially, environmentally, and culturally).  We have screen protectors that came with the devices which I will send home to have kids put them on with guidance from an adult.  Please help your child attache the screen protector carefully.

Focus for this week:
Reading: Book Shares!
This week, readers can work on a book share for their last book.  We will expect 7 completed by Spring Break.

Writing: Explorer Narratives.
We will be drafting our narratives using techniques we drafted in class.  Kids will be expected to use commas, quotations, include character thoughts, actions, and words in a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Math:  Fractions.
We will connect fractions to decimals and percents this week.  There will be a fraction test on February 12.  I know this is the Valentines Day party but I want to get the test out of the way before the weekend.  If your student has done their best in class and practiced at home, they will be prepared.  I will also make sure there is a study guide.

Social Studies: Colonies.
Our next focus will be on the differences of the 13 colonies and their regions. Students will be compiling information about the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies into group websites to share.
Science: Mixtures!  After we finish up our tree diagrams on Monday, our focus will be on properties of mixtures.  We will relate our activities to our overall them this year of litter and stream organisms. The actual objectives we are focusing on for February are:

·         Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances

·         Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved