Weekly Reminders 1/25/10

ear Room 20 & 21 parents and students,

The wet weather will continue this week, although we anticipate less of a deluge than we experienced last week. Please make sure that your family is prepared for this rainy period with appropriate rain gear, including jackets, hats, gloves, and sturdy shoes/boots if possible!

One super exciting development this week is our lunchtime auditions for Room 20 & 21's fine arts performance, "U.S. Presidents." Remind your student that good preparation is the key to a confident and relaxed audition. We can't wait to see the amazing talents that emerge during this week and our upcoming rehearsals!

Just a quick reminder that our blogsite addresses are:

Room 20 (Scourkes) http://rockhopperroom20.blogspot.com
Room 21 (Roels) http://gtfroom22.blogspot.com

Curriculum:

Language Arts

We continue our study of Dear Mr. Henshaw as literature. In conjunction with our book, students have learned business letter format, and are working on completing timelines in addition to their comprehension and literary analysis activities. Also, in language arts, students have been working through the writing process to complete personal multiparagraph essays, and we will soon be revisiting summary writing. We continue to work on grammar, including correct and more complex sentence structure.

Math

In 4th grade math, we're moving into our study of fractions and decimals this week. We first will focus on fractions. Many of our initial activities will be designed to give our students a clear understanding that fractions are portions of a whole "thing"- whether that whole "thing" is a pizza, a pocketful of change, or a group of people. In-class work will involve hands-on work creating parts of a whole in several ways.

In 5th grade math, we are beginning our study of data collection and graphing. Students will be reviewing concepts learned in prior grades and then applying this knowledge to double graphs, circle graphs, line plots and analysis of various types of graphs and when it's appropriate to use a particular type of graph as opposed to another.

Social Studies

Our unit of study on explorers is coming to a close and the test is scheduled for Thursday, February 4. A study guide will be provided as well as study tips and hints for reviewing. This week students will be given the expectations for creating a Keynote presentation on a particular explorer with a partner in class and then transferring information gathered into a research essay. There is no due date set for these projects yet.

Science

We're fully into our new unit entitled Living Systems. This week we finish up Investigation 2, which is focused on vascular plants. We will be involved with leaf classification on Monday, followed up by some supporting reading on Wednesday, and on Thursday we'll check our understanding of our second investigation with another I-Check open book/note assessment. Friday, we'll start Investigation 3, which begins with food production. It's another action-packed week of science, for sure!

Calendar of Events:
Mon., Jan. 25 - Jeff Savage, Author Assembly
Mon., Jan. 25 - SSC 3:00
Tues., Jan 26 - 8:15 am Parent/Principal Exchange
Wed., Jan 27- 4/5 Cicero's Pizza Night
Wed., Jan 27 - 6:30 p.m. 4/5 Washington, DC Meeting
Thur., Jan. 28- I-Check: Investigation 2 in Science
Fri., Jan. 29- Spirit Day (Career Day)
Tues., Feb., 2 - Hyde Middle School - 6th Grade Parent Information Night
Thur., Feb. 4 - Social Studies Explorer Test
Thur., Feb. 4 - 4/5 Winter Band Concert
Thur., Feb. 4 - 7:00 p.m. Kennedy Middle School- 6th Grade Parent Information Night



MYSTERY STATE CLUES:
The first coeducational, interracial college was founded in this state.
The first professional baseball team was established in this state.
Seven U.S. presidents were born in this state.
This state's flag is the only state flag shaped like a pennant.
The Professional Football Hall of Fame and the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame are in this state.
Which state is it?



Sincerely,

Mr. Roels and Miss Scourkes
Rooms 20 & 21
Rockhopper Village
Portal School