Classroom Snapshot of Events

February and March have proven to be busy times in Room 171!   How is it possible that we only have a few more days until Spring Break?  

As a reminder, because of the school make-up Snow Days, school will be in session this Thursday, March 19th and Friday, March 20th.   Spring Break runs from March 21st through March 29th.  We return back to school on Monday, March 30th.   

PARCC Testing is officially over for the month of March and this week we were able to return back to a normal routine.   Here's a little snapshot of what we've been covering in class:

Literacy:

Throughout the past month we've been working on the reading comprehension strategies of cause and effect, making inferences, comparing and contrasting, and finding evidence in the story to confirm our prediction and answers.  We also learned and practiced reading comprehensive test taking strategies.

Last month your student was individually assessed in the area of comprehension and fluency.  As a result of the assessment, new guided reading groups were formed.   Information regarding your child's new level was sent home with your child's report card last Friday.  Your child's reading level was also adjusted online in Raz-Kids.com.

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

Writing:

The students have just completed Unit 2 in our WEX Program entitled "Response to Literature".  At the beginning of the unit, together we read a book called Maria Isabel.  Using excerpts from the book, students learned how to find evidence, analyze, and write about  character traits of the main characters in our book.  We also had fun writing about particular moments in time that the characters in the book had to endure and compared them to our own personal lives and situations.  Throughout the lessons, the students continued to concentrate on the concepts of focus, details, and sentence mechanics.

In collaboration with our Solar System Unit, students have been also learning how to write persuasive   paragraphs.   The students have been learning how to compose a persuasive paragraph using the "OREO Method":

O= Stating an opinion of persuasion

R= Providing reasons in our research to support our opinion

E= Citing specific examples to give support to our reasons

O= Forming a conclusion that reinforces our opinion

Math:

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

This week were are starting to dive into Unit 7 that focuses on multiplication and division facts, strategies, and concepts.   Using a pre-test, your student has been placed into a differentiated math workshop group for math lessons and activities.   

Science:

Throughout this past month, students have been exploring the Solar System.   Through experimentation and class lessons, the students have been learning about what causes day and night, the Earth's rotation and revolution, the moon's phases, and constellations.  

Students have also been put into research groups to explore a planet and write a persuasive speech for our upcoming Solar Awards.  More information and pictures of our research findings will be coming to you at a later date as we dive more into the project!    

In addition, once a week, students get to meet with Mrs. Cerniglia and Mrs. Kleist for an hour in the LMC.  The students have been learning how to effectively use search engines to research topics and information.   During personalized learning time, students will learn how to research and discover findings about an essential question they have involving a space topic of their choice.   

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

• We would like to thank Mrs. Corwin, Mrs. Kuhn, Mrs. Tiedge, Mrs. Wengronowitz, Mrs. Butler, and Mrs. Davenport for coming in  to help conduct our Reader's Theater groups..  
• I also greatly appreciate Mrs. Leu, Mrs. Owen, Mrs. Kuhn, Mrs. Tiedge, Mrs. Wengronowitz, Mrs. Lesniak, and Mr. Stahr for for coming in to do all of our copying over the past two months.
• Thank you Mrs. Wengronowitz for conducting a wonderful Art Appreciation lesson on Marc Chagall. 
• We loved when Mrs. Davenport came in to teach us all about Chinese New Year!
• A big thanks goes out to Mrs. Corwin for reshelving all of our leveled reading books in our book closet!
• Much gratitude goes out to Mrs. Tiedge, Mrs. Wengronowitz, and Mrs. Butler for hosting a wonderful Pizza Party!

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! :)