The Week Ahead 4/20-4/23

There will be no school on Friday, 4/24. It will be a Staff Development day. I will not be sending home a spelling packet or assigning reading logs again until we get done with our state testing. The Monday you should expect to see a spelling packet come home will be the 4th of May.

 The children did a great job during the first week of state testing! I appreciate how each child has been giving their best effort. A difference between the tests this year and tests in past years is that we will not know the scores until summer. The previous state tests were multiple choice so each child was given a score immediately after finishing the test. The new tests include short answer, paragraph writing, and showing your work. This requires that they be scored by people, which takes time. If you have any questions about testing please let me know. 

 Students have been researching information on their assigned body system. On Monday I will give them poster boards for their presentations. The presentations will take place on Thursday, 4/23. Students will be given plenty of time in class to work on this project, they may do additional research or preparation for their presentation at home, but it is not required.

 Next week we will start an Arts for Learning unit. It will incorporate reading nonfiction texts, persuasive writing, and the visual art of collage. To start the unit we will have a class discussion on what makes an everyday hero. Once we come to an agreement on what an everyday hero is, we will research and gather evidence about the famous baseball player, Roberto Clemente to determine if they judge him to be an everyday hero. Students will represent qualities of everyday heroes in collage art pieces. The most exciting thing about this unit is that an artist will be teaching lessons on collage at the end of it!

 The second book group meetings will take place on Wednesday, 4/22. Each student is reading a mystery book. Ask your child to tell you about their book. Ask them specific questions like:
  • What is the conflict in your story?
  • Who is the protagonist?
  • What is something suspenseful that has happened?
Scholastic book orders are due Thursday, 4/23. You can order online at https://clubs2.scholastic.com/. Our class code is DKQ9P.

 Upcoming Dates
  • Monday, April 20th - ELA State Assessment (PT)
  • Tuesday, April 21st - ELA State Assessment (PT)
  • Wednesday, April 22nd - Mystery Book Group Meetings
  • Thursday, April 23rd - Scholastic Book Orders Due - Class Online Code is DKQ9P
  • Thursday, April 23rd - Body System Presentations
  • Friday, April 24th - No School - Staff Development
  • Wednesday, April 29th - Math State Assessment (PT)

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