The Week Ahead 4/4-4/8
Updates
When students return to school on Monday, 4/4 they will have reading logs due. They will also take a vocabulary test on the geometry terms that were sent home last week. New vocabulary words, that will be tested the following Monday, 4/11 will be sent home. In addition, reading logs will be due the following Monday, 4/11.
State Testing
Our class will be taking the English Language Arts (ELA) Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) this week. The two days we will be testing are Monday, 4/4 and Tuesday, 4/5. Some of the students have expressed a little anxiety about the testing. We had a talk in class and I emphasized that they while they should take the tests serious and do their best, they do not determine whether they advance to 5th grade or what scores they receive on their report cards. The best way you can help your student prepare for state testing is to make sure they get plenty of rest the night before and eat a good breakfast that morning. Let me know if you have any questions about this test or anything that has to do with state testing.
Reading
Each student is currently in a book group. The groups meet weekly to discuss their books and then each student completes a written response to a question I ask them about their book. Check in with your student and ask how their book group is going. Have them tell you about ways that a character has changed throughout the story. Ask them if there is a lesson that could be learned from the book, and make sure they give you evidence from the text to support their answer.
Writing
We have been working on writing opinion papers. Some of the skills we have practiced are writing a strong thesis statement, supporting our thesis with at least three reasons, then using supporting details to clearly explain our three reasons, and finally writing a conclusion.
Math
On Friday we took the end of module 5 math test. When students return on Monday, they will get their scored test back. Please go over the test with your child and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Our next module will cover the wonderful world of decimals! We will begin by studying tenths.
Science
In science we have been studying how the earth is constantly changing through weathering, erosion, deposition, and movement of tectonic plates. We've learned that the movement of tectonic plates can cause earthquakes and volcanic activity. In our study of earthquakes we have been checking the USGS Earthquake Map daily to monitor earthquake activity. Many of the students observed that most of the earthquakes we have seen have occurred within close proximity of a large plate boundary. The only exception was in Oklahoma, where we noticed a lot of earthquake activity in a location not near a large plate boundary. This has lead to a class inquiry into why there is so much seismic activity in Oklahoma.
Continent Club
The next Continent Check Day will be on Wednesday, 4/20. Africa will be the continent that is checked. The study materials can be downloaded from the West TV PTC website at http://www.wtvptc.org/continent-club.html
Upcoming Dates
When students return to school on Monday, 4/4 they will have reading logs due. They will also take a vocabulary test on the geometry terms that were sent home last week. New vocabulary words, that will be tested the following Monday, 4/11 will be sent home. In addition, reading logs will be due the following Monday, 4/11.
State Testing
Our class will be taking the English Language Arts (ELA) Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) this week. The two days we will be testing are Monday, 4/4 and Tuesday, 4/5. Some of the students have expressed a little anxiety about the testing. We had a talk in class and I emphasized that they while they should take the tests serious and do their best, they do not determine whether they advance to 5th grade or what scores they receive on their report cards. The best way you can help your student prepare for state testing is to make sure they get plenty of rest the night before and eat a good breakfast that morning. Let me know if you have any questions about this test or anything that has to do with state testing.
Reading
Each student is currently in a book group. The groups meet weekly to discuss their books and then each student completes a written response to a question I ask them about their book. Check in with your student and ask how their book group is going. Have them tell you about ways that a character has changed throughout the story. Ask them if there is a lesson that could be learned from the book, and make sure they give you evidence from the text to support their answer.
Writing
We have been working on writing opinion papers. Some of the skills we have practiced are writing a strong thesis statement, supporting our thesis with at least three reasons, then using supporting details to clearly explain our three reasons, and finally writing a conclusion.
Math
On Friday we took the end of module 5 math test. When students return on Monday, they will get their scored test back. Please go over the test with your child and let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Our next module will cover the wonderful world of decimals! We will begin by studying tenths.
Science
In science we have been studying how the earth is constantly changing through weathering, erosion, deposition, and movement of tectonic plates. We've learned that the movement of tectonic plates can cause earthquakes and volcanic activity. In our study of earthquakes we have been checking the USGS Earthquake Map daily to monitor earthquake activity. Many of the students observed that most of the earthquakes we have seen have occurred within close proximity of a large plate boundary. The only exception was in Oklahoma, where we noticed a lot of earthquake activity in a location not near a large plate boundary. This has lead to a class inquiry into why there is so much seismic activity in Oklahoma.
Continent Club
The next Continent Check Day will be on Wednesday, 4/20. Africa will be the continent that is checked. The study materials can be downloaded from the West TV PTC website at http://www.wtvptc.org/continent-club.html
Upcoming Dates
- Monday, April 4th - State Testing - English Language Arts - Computer Adaptive Test
- Monday, April 4th - Reading Logs Due - Geometry Vocab Test
- Tuesday, April 5th - State Testing - English Language Arts - Computer Adaptive Test
- Tuesday, April 19th - State Testing - English Language Arts - Performance Task
- Wednesday, May 4th - State Testing - Math - Computer Adaptive Test
- Thursday, May 5th - State Testing - Math - Computer Adaptive Test
- Tuesday, May 17th - State Testing - Math - Performance Task