Week of March 3, 2014

Math:  We will have math only on Monday/Tuesday of next week. We will be focusing on finding common denominators for addition of fractions. 

Writing:   Students will continue to work on their final draft of their Response to Fiction essay. (2 paragraphs describing a main character's traits). 

Reading/Novels:  We will be working on the Wax Museum projects during our reading time, when we are not testing for ISAT. The Wax Museum is where students get the opportunity to read the biography of an influential person in history (no celebrities/sports figures), research them, and then eventually portray that person for the school/parents at the end of March. (March 19th... mark your calendars). This will count as their monthly book report project. Students will also be expected to write a monthly letter about their historical figure. 
MONTHLY LETTER: MARCH TEMPLATE

Social Studies:  We will continue to read Chapter 14 of History. We will be working on a project in which students have to think of an object/item that requires 3 parts to function, similar to the 3 branches of government. Ideas in the past have been very creative- 3 primary colors, 3 vs. 3 soccer game, etc. Please help your child brainstorm! 

Special Events:
ISATs: Here is the updated schedule: Please make sure your child gets PLENTY of rest, has a water bottle if they want it, and a healthy snack in between tests. No treats will be provided by teachers. 

Week of February 24, 2014

Math:  We will be working on 6.5, 6.6, 6.8, 6.9 and problem solving. We will cover topics including sample size, frequency tables, using benchmarks, and finding common denominators. 

Writing:   We will work on lessons 14, 15 & 16 and a close reading lesson  using the book,"The Liberation of Gabriel King".  Students will begin working on their final paper for this unit. 

Reading/Novels:  We will be doing practice extended response writing and comprehension questions. We will also look at a variety of genre passages and focus on comprehension. 

**STUDENT LETTERS, NONFICTION NOTES, AND NEWSPAPERS are DUE this week!! **

February Letter:  Make a Copy & Title it with Your Name

February Book Report: 

Take Notes before making your project: Pre-planning   You can either type & share this with me OR print & turn in a hard copy. 

Make a Newspaper Using this templateUse This!

Social Studies:  We will start Chapter 14 of History Alive on Monday. We will talk about the 3 branches of government and their individual responsibilities. It is a short chapter, and students can expect a text early next week. 

Special Events:

• 2nd Grade show 2:30 on Wednesday
• Measurement Day (FRIDAY AFTERNOON!)
• ISATS will be next week, beginning March 3rd. 

Week of February 17, 2014

Math:  We will be working on Unit 6. Look for a Family Letter in your child's math section to see the key concepts that will be covered. We will aim to complete lessons 6.1, 6.3, 6.4 and problem solving. We will skip around a bit, as we covered a lot of the same information in Unit 5 on data. 

Writing:   We will work on lessons 12, 13, 14 & a close reading lesson  using the book,"The Liberation of Gabriel King".  Students will be continuing to use text evidence to show character traits. 

Reading/Novels:  We will be doing a practice extended response Tuesday/Wednesday. On Thursday & Friday, we will do Comprehension Toolkit lesson 10 which gives students strategies for determining the meaning for unfamiliar words using context clues. Students will practice in pairs & independently. They will also have time to work on their February projects. 

Our February Genre is... NON-FICTION! Start looking for non-fiction books that interest you, challenge you, and are grade-level appropriate. 

February Letter:  Make a Copy & Title it with Your Name

February Book Report: 

Take Notes before making your project: Pre-planning   You can either type & share this with me OR print & turn in a hard copy. 

Make a Newspaper Using this templateUse This!

Science:  We will be finishing up our science unit on Watery Earth this week. We will learn about how water is treated before and after it leaves our homes. We will also differentiate between needs/wants. Next week we will go back to History Alive Chapter 14. 

Science Links: 

Village of Arlington Heights (Where do we get our water?!)

Use the tabs on the right to view the divisions of where we get our water!

http://www.cityofevanston.org/utilities/water-division/distribution/

***Tour Water Supply Treatment:(Tuesday/Wednesday)***

http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw/watertreatmentplant/flash/index.html

Water Treatment

http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/wuww.html

Animated Water Cycle

http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/kids/flash/flash_watercycle.html

Quiz Game!

http://www.epa.gov/ogwdw000/kids/flash/flash_qagame.html

Special Events:

• No School Monday! 

Week of February 10, 2014

Math: This week we will finish lessons 6 & 7, the final two of the Hands-On Equations unit. We will do some review on Tuesday, and have a test on Wednesday. We will also do  a couple days of problem solving and practice how to show our work and describe our steps. 

Writing:   We will work on lessons 9, 10, 11, and 12 using the book,"The Liberation of Gabriel King".  Students will be continuing to use text evidence to show character traits. 

Reading/Novels:  Students should have finished their novels last week & turned in their final extended response to them. For the next couple weeks we are going to focus on non-fiction texts and responding to them in writing. We will also be using the Comprehension Toolkit lessons that discuss inferencing and differentiating between facts and opinions. 

Our February Genre is... NON-FICTION! Start looking for non-fiction books that interest you, challenge you, and are grade-level appropriate. 

February Letter:  Make a Copy & Title it with Your Name

February Book Report: 

Take Notes before making your project: Pre-planning   You can either type & share this with me OR print & turn in a hard copy. 

Make a Newspaper Using this templateUse This!

Science:  Students have a quiz on Monday the 10th going over Chapters 5 & 6. We will learn about water in the air, condensation, evaporations, and the water cycle this week. 

OLYMPIC PLANNING: Here
We will be decorating our door & following the Olympic's progress as a school. 

Special Events:

**January Stars Lunch celebration on Thursday! 
**Valentine's Day Party at 2:15 on Friday the 14th. Please remind students to bring their boxes/bags to collect their Valentines! 

Explain Everything!

Are you wondering what we saw at the Oriental Institute? Here are some "Explain Everything" videos where our class explains some of the fascinating things we learned!

Joshua & Jason

Christina

Noah

Erica & Penny

Gianna & Hailey