Weekly Update 5/29/2017

Updates/Reminders - Mark Your Calendars!! 

• Spring Pictures went home a couple of weeks ago.  Please remember that if you plan on purchasing your child's photos, to return the photos that you do not want along with a check purchasing the ones that you plan to keep.  If you are not interested in purchasing these photos this year, please just return them to school with your child. 
• School yearbooks went home last Friday.  If you would like to purchase your child's yearbook, please return $16 in the envelope or pay online (checks can be made out to Strawbridge Studios).
• Student Led Conferences are happening this week and next.  Please visit this link to sign up for a conference: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4dafa62fa13-endofyear1
• Reading EOGs are scheduled for Wednesday, June 21st and the Math EOGs are scheduled for Thursday, June 22nd.  If you know that your child will be absent for this assessment, please let me know as soon as possible, so a make-up day can be planned. 
• Meet the Teacher for the 2017-2018 school year will be on Tuesday, June 27th from 5:30-6:15PM.  
• End of the Year Class Picnic will be on Wednesday, June 28th from 1:15-2:00.  Parents are welcome to attend.  You may bring your child a special lunch that day or they may purchase one, as usual from the cafeteria.  

What We Are Learning This Week:
Reading: 

This week the students will work on studying the genre of traditional literature (folktales, tables, myths, and legends).  On Friday, they will take a fiction assessment on both realistic fiction and traditional literature texts.  The students will learn to apply the following strategies when reading traditional literature:

         •Readers identify how a character changes throughout a text.

         •Readers identify the problem and lesson learned

         •Readers make a mind movie to better understand how a character feels.

         •Readers make inferences about a character based on their dialogue and actions. 

         •Readers reread and reword test questions to better understand what is being asked.

         •Readers use “read around the word” and “fill in the blank” to determine the meaning of unknown words.

Students will continue to have two reading passages to complete for homework each week that coincides with the genre we are currently focusing on.  Students are required to annotate their thinking by showing their thought process as they are reading, as well as applying the strategies they have learned thus far.  

Questions You Can Ask You Child At Home:

*What are the characteristics of the traditional literature genre?

*What reading strategies do good readers use when reading traditional literature texts?

*Show me how to annotate your thinking when reading traditional literature..

*What inferences can you make about the main character? 

Writing: 

This week in writing, the students will continue to work on their free choice persuasive writing assignment.  The students are all working at their own pace and are working on adding the following items that are below:

•The introduction should include:

*clear wording

*stated opinion

*supporting details

*a hook

•The body paragraphs should include the "FAB FIVE" (topic sentence, 3-5 details, strong vocabulary, 3-5 transition words and end with a concluding sentence) t

Questions You Can Ask You Child At Home:

*What changes did you make to your paper?

*What do you feel you need to work on most as a writer?

*Who will be your audience?

*In which format would you like to write? (blog, letter, essay, etc.)

Math: 

In math, the students will take the customary measurement assessment on Wednesday.  Starting Thursday, the students will work on line plots.  They will be working on plotting fractional numbers on a line plot and then interpreting what that data describes.  On next Tuesday, they will take an assessment on this standard.  For the remainder of next week, the students will work on reviewing past taught math concepts in preparation for the EOG.  

Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 

*Why are line plots used?

*Can you show me how you would construct a line plot?

*What areas in math do you feel like you need the most help with in preparation for the EOG?

Science: 

This week, the students will begin this quarter's science unit: Landforms.  To begin, the class will brainstorm what they know about landforms.  Then, they will define landforms and learn many examples of landforms.  They will learn that the earth's surface is constantly changing.  Finally, the students will study how weathering, erosion, and deposition contribute to these changes.

Questions You Can Ask Your Child At Home: 

*What is a landform? 

*Can you give me some examples of a landform? 

*How is the earth's surface constantly changing?  Can you provide me with some specific examples?