The Week Ahead 5/13-5/17

Reading
The state tests have thrown our historical fiction book groups out of wack a little bit. On Monday, we will spend some time getting organized and figuring out which groups need to select new books and which groups need to get themselves back on track. Check in with your student and ask if they have been keeping up with their pages in their historical fiction book. 

Idiom of the week: gray area

Math
Last week we wrapped up our geometry unit. Next week we will begin a study of measurement. This unit will involve both metric and US customary units. We'll begin with metric units. A strong understanding of place value will be essential for students to convert between between units. By the end of next week your student should be able to tell you what centi, milli, and kilo mean. Also, they should know in which situation a person would use liters, meters, and grams as units of measurement.


Inquiry
The final drafts of our migration papers were due Friday, 5/10. They submitted their final drafts on Seesaw, so take a look at your student's hard work. The expectation is that they have an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. No more time will be spent in class working on this paper, so it will need to be completed at home if it isn't done yet. 

Students will begin studying watersheds as we dive deeper into our sharing the planet inquiry with the central idea that natural resources have a structure and function within a community. We plan on taking one more field trip, to a local watershed as part of this unit. Look for information to come home about the watershed field trip sometime next week. 

State Testing
Next week students will complete the English language arts performance task (PT). This assessment will have less questions than the computer adaptive test (CAT) they took last week, but it will include an essay. We will be taking the test on Tuesday, 5/14, Wednesday, 5/15, and Thursday, 5/16. The best way you can help your child do their best on the state tests is to make sure they get plenty of sleep and eat a good breakfast. 

Upcoming Dates
  • Monday, May 13th - Art Lit
  • Tuesday, May 14th - Reading Log Due/Vocab Test - State Testing ELA (PT)
  • Wednesday, May 15th - State Testing ELA (PT)
  • Thursday, May 16th - State Testing ELA (PT)
  • Friday, May 17th - West TV Carnival 5-8
  • Monday, May 27th - No School Memorial Day

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