Classroom Snapshot of Events

February and March have proven to be such busy times in Room 116!   How is it possible that all these winter months have slipped away from us and we only have one more week until Spring Break?   

As a reminder, due to the make-up snow days, school will be in session this Thursday, March 20th and Friday, March 21st.  Spring Break runs from March 24-28th and we return back to school on Monday, March 31st. ISAT Testing is now officially over and we're back in the normal routine of learning this week. Wooohooo!  Here's a little snapshot  of what we've been covering in class:

Literacy:

Throughout the past month, the students have been working on the comprehension strategies of story structure, cause and effect, making inferences, sequencing of events, comparing and contrasting, and making and confirming predictions.   Moreover, during vocabulary time, we have been working on the concepts of idioms and multiple-meaning words.

This month, all students started a new novel and are having fun participating in Literature Circles.  During Lit. Circle time, each student put into a novel group suitable to their guided reading level. Independently, your child is assigned a chapter to read in their novel. Afterwards, each member of the group is assigned a particular job to perform that goes along with their reading. 

Additionally, the students have been working hard with learning how to compose an extended response question to short passages that they have read.   Moreover, we spent some time before taking our ISAT's to review various test taking strategies when given a comprehensive question.

During Grammar time, the students have been focusing on action verbs that involve present-tense, past-tense, future-tense concepts.   In addition, we have been studying irregular verbs, verbs of being, linking verbs, and verbs using contractions.   

Writing:

The students are really completing Unit 2 in our WEX Writing Program entitled "Response to Literature". At the beginning of the unit, together we read the book called Maria Isabel. Now we are taking excerpts from the book and learning how to describe and write about the character traits of the main characters. We are also having fun writing about particular moments in time that the characters have had to endure and comparing them to our own personal lives and situations. Throughout the lessons, the students continue to learn how to utilize the concepts of focus, details, and sentence mechanics to enhance their journal entries.   This week students will be writing a final piece in conclusion of our unit.

Math:

Our class recently completed Unit 6 that involved geometry.   The students learned about lines, segments, rays, parallel and intersecting lines.   Additionally, we were able to explore various concepts involving triangles, quadrangles, polygons, angles and turns, and symmetry. 

Last week we just started to dive into Unit 7 of math that focuses on multiplication and division facts and strategies and concepts.   It is important to have your student continue to review their math facts that they have been assigned to online at home in Xtramath.org.

Social Studies:

Over the past month, the students have been exploring Illinois History.   Our unit started off with students being divided into one of the following Illinois Native American groups:  Archaic, Woodland, Mississippian, Late Prehistoric, and Illinois Native Americans.   Each group was then asked to take notes and record their research in an online Googledoc.   Our new LMC director, Mrs. Mika, has been helping  our class with learning how to take notes accurately, efficiently, and rephrasing in their own words.  Currently, from their notes, each student has to produce a poster of their Native American findings in an app called "Pic Collage".    Our posters will be on display to teach other classroom members about our findings.   This week, as a whole class, we continue to dive into our Illinois textbooks to learn more about the history of our state after the Native Americans were pushed out of their territories.   

A BIG THANK YOU goes to all of our parent classroom volunteers:

I would like to thank Mrs. Silvestri,  Mrs. Rogers, and Mrs. Murray for planning and implementing a spectacular sundae bar, art project, and game to play at our party.    We would also like to thank Mrs. Ciccone, Mrs. Freels Von Oesen, Mrs. Osterlund, and Mrs. Riley for their assistance with these room moms at the wonderful party!   Your time and energy is invaluable!   

We certainly appreciate Mr. Silvestri, Mr. Murray, and Mrs. Petrusonis  for conducting a wonderful Art Appreciation Lessons for us.  So much fun!

We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Murray, Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Silvestri, Mrs. Osterlund, Mrs. Petrusonis, and Mrs. Berg for coming in to assist with our Reader's Theater groups.

I certainly appreciate Mrs. Ciccone, Mrs. Murray, Mrs. Petrusonis, Mrs. Rogers, Mrs. Silvestri, and Mrs. Barnett for coming in to make copies for our class too. I know that sometimes it is a battle with that machine and we greatly appreciate your time!

I personally cannot thank Mrs. Petrusonis, Mrs. Rogers, and Mrs. Silvestri for coming in to take inventory and organize our Science bins!   

A big thanks goes out to Mrs. Riley for posting our idiom projects outside in our hallway!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful, restful, and rejuvenating Spring Break with your families!   If you happen to be heading out of town for break, safe travels!   (Please make sure that you bring back some sun and warmth for your teacher!) :)