February 2, 2015
Dear Parents,
Happy February! It may be a short month, but it will be action packed. This week we will cheer on our classmate Dylan as he competes in the School Wide Spelling Bee! It’s also report card week! In the middle of the month we will celebrate Valentine’s Day (Thursday, February 12) with a party hosted by our wonderful homeroom parents. The following day will be conferencing day with a long weekend to honor the presidents. Later in the month we will have an art expert visit our class for the Art Goes to School Program.
PSSA Update:
We officially begin some PSSA practice this month since the testing is a few short months away. Familiarity with the test format is so helpful in reducing test anxiety. Since this year the common core format is being implemented by the state for the first time, it is especially important to be prepared for the new appearance of the test. We will review good test taking strategies as well as the content in class. You will notice your child being assigned one reading homework practice and one math homework practice each week as we work on reviewing. I am encouraging your child to try the practice on their own. It is fine for you to review it with them once they have had a chance to do it first. We will of course review in class as well.
Reading/Language Arts Update:
In reading we have begun Theme 7 where we will a lot about how moving water changes things. Wait a week or so and ask your child to teach you the helping verb song (we need to practice it before we can sing it with confidence!) One new tool we have begun to use for our reading homework practice is Lexiacore5.com. Please encourage your child to complete a minimum of a 20 minute session when they login to practice. I am tracking their progress.We will begin presenting our January book reports, the biography cubes, today right on time to celebrate Black History Month. The book report for the month of February is due on the 27th and is a free choice of genre and presentation.
Math Update:
After working hard to learn long division in Unit 6 we are now using this knowledge to help us understand fractions. Have you heard this statement yet? “A fraction is a division problem waiting to happen!” Did you learn the division dance? Or the coordinate grid cheer? If not, ask your child to teach them to you.
Science Update:
We wrapped up our unit in Magnetism and Electricity as the second marking period came to a close. Hopefully you heard lots of interesting chatter about circuits. Ask your child which circuit they would choose for Christmas lights. We have begun our new unit, Earth Materials. We have been observing and then deconstructing our mock rocks. Ask your child to share what they are learning as we study this exciting hands-on unit. See if you can recognize your child in their safety glasses (They were a source of entertainment for all!)