March 27 - 30

Reading:
We learned about poetry (line, rhyme and stanza).
Students received new Latin/Greek - test April 6.
They will get new spelling words April 3.
We are back on Edmodo. Please remember to check this to see how your child is doing on weekly assignments.

Writing:
We finished up our three types of writing based on one article and did some poetry. Their poems are hanging in the hall.

Projects:
Many students are done with their project. They have been helping other students finish up.
We plan on presenting April 6 @ 2:30 in the cafeteria.

Misc:
Thank you for coming to conferences. If you were unable to attend, please ensure you come sometime after school this next week with your child.

We will be revisiting a lot of standards this quarter to review and possibly bump up to mastery on our report cards.

Spring Break / Upcoming

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing spring break - It flew by as time off tends to do. 😁  Can you believe we are in the 4th quarter already? You (& me, too😢) almost have a 4th grader!! That makes me a little sad, actually.

Here's what is coming up:

Reading -
*Your child will receive new Latin/Greek roots on Monday.
*We will go back to using Edmodo and reading books in our reading groups, rather than Scholastic articles; however, they will remain non-fiction.  I am mixing the reading groups up a bit, so your child may be in a new group.
*We will continue focusing on reading graphs, timelines and charts to build this skill.
*Monday starts the beginning of our poetry unit.

Writing - We have been practicing writing in different styles based on one article (informational, narrative and opinion). Your child has written two so far and will write the third the week we come back.

Grammar - We learned about capitals in titles. This is often a bit tricky because author's don't necessarily follow the rules - they have creative freedom.  This next week we will be using our grammar time to practice for our student-led conferences on Friday.

Projects - We are continuing our adaptation project. Your child's animal is looking so cute! I love this project and how creative everyone gets. You will get a sneak peek at conferences.

CONFERENCES: Conferences will be held Friday, March 30 from 9:00-1:30. You may come in at any time during this block with your child. They will be running the conference. I will be there for any questions you may have, that your child can't answer. Please keep in mind that other students and their parents may be in the room at the same time.

Testing :o(
Our big tests start at the end of April. We try to make this as "fun" as possible by providing lots of yummy food and breakfast each day. As it gets a little closer, I'll send out a SignUp Genius for snacks, breakfasts, etc. Doing this actually relieves a lot of the stress about the test, ensures each kiddo has brain fuel, and gives us something to look forward to each day.

March 6-9

Reading:
We read short passages on whether or not dogs should work. Students highlighted evidence that supported the author's opinion. This next week they will determine their own point of view from that of the author.

Students took a Latin/Greek test. They were not handed their spelling. They will receive it 3/13 and receive extra time in class to study. These words are all high frequency words they've had on their past spelling lists.

Writing:
Students wrote informational papers about bullies. They took evidence from two texts and wrote their own paper using these resources.

Projects:
Students continued their adaptation project.

Misc:
Spring break begins 3/20
Yearbook orders are due soon!

Support Oasis Students

Many of the Oasis students are dancing this Saturday, March 11. Come support them and the swing dance teams, it's for a good cause! 

February 27- March 2

Reading:
This week we continued identifying text structure. I have been assessing, so students have been working together or independently to read and complete assignments. They took a spelling assessment on Thursday and will receive new words Monday.

Writing:
Students took two articles with similar topics and wrote their own informational paper using these articles as resources.

Grammar:
We learned the proper placement of commas in addresses. To do this, we wrote pen pal letters to Mrs. Moon's class. The students had to address the envelope correctly in order for it to mailed.

Projects:
Students finished typing their animal information and began working on their habitats. Many students are close to finishing these habitats and will begin working on their animals. I'm excited to see how they turn out.

Misc:
*New pictures
*Two weeks until spring break!
*Parent conferences are on March 31. These will be student-led.
I can't believe the 3rd quarter is just about over. Your children are so amazing - I'm not ready for them to move on to 4th grade :o(

Feb. 20-23

Reading:
We finished up learning about the different text structures. Next week we will start practicing identifying them.
Students had a LG test on Thursday. They'll receive new roots on Monday (27th) and will have a spelling test 3/2.

Writing:
We finished our deep sea creature papers on Monday and started a new assignment on Tuesday. Students are learning how to write an informational paper using two article sources.

Grammar:
We finished up our lessons on shades of meaning.

Projects:
Students finished identifying the adaptations their animals will have. We will begin sketching, labeling and creating supply lists early next week. Then, they will start building their habitats. Please send your child with a medium-large shoe box for his/her habitat. 

Misc:
We had fun looking at FFA's animals on Tuesday. I'll post pictures later.
Yearbook orders are due soon!

Habitat Boxes

Students will start building their habitats in the next two weeks. Please send your child with a large sized shoe box, as this is what their habitat will be created in.