That's That Thursday

Hello Team 201 Families!

Hooray! We are finished with the ELA portion of the PARCC test.   Next week, it is all about Math! Yesterday, we spent some time listening to some poetry readings.  Highlights included Maxwell's "Chipmunk" rendition and Sydney's "English Grandpa" reading.  Hysterical!  We will hear some more later today.   We also got familiar with poetic devices.  Here's a Mrs. Ginn original to help you ask your kids questions about what they are learning.

 Rhyme, Meter, Metaphor

Poetic devisces open the door

Onomotapea, Similie

Help us visualize and set the words free

In just a few minutes, we will begin working on the Chapter 10 Review. All students will come home with a fully corrected Review Test.  We will take the test Monday afternoon.

Next week, we will continue with our Poetry Unit! We will also finally finish Maniac Magee.  On Report Card Conference Day, out Maniac Epic poems will be on display. They are awesome!

This evening at home.....

• Study for the Math test!
• Read and Record x2. Each session should be 30 minutes or more. If you want a sticker, get a signature!
• Do the Poetry activity. You can use this for part of your reading time!
• finish Energy Science Fusion work. We started this two days ago. Parents, please check to see that this work is finished.
• Do you want make revisions on last night's homework?  It was handed back today.  We discussed the key differences and similarities between Poetry and Prose.  

That Was Tricky Tuesday

Today's math work was pretty tricky!  Today's lesson is all about finding patterns. There was plenty of struggle, but we came out on top in the end.  Great job pushing through, Team 201!

As you know, today was our first day of PARCC testing.  Tomorrow, we will rock our way through Reading/ Literacy Unit 2.

Yes, we will have Library tomorrow. Yes, it will be in the Library. Yay!

This evening at home...

• complete the homework and practice for today's Go Math lesson.   Read the questions with care and draw models to help you.
• complete the second page of the Poetry Tic Tac Toe
• Read and record.
• There are 6 students who have not handed in the Maniac Epic Poem.  I need these ASAP. You know who you are!

Watch these videos! What is energy?

Many Fire Drills Monday

Yes, it is true.  We have been out three times today!  Our schedule is out of whack!  We didn't have time to kick off our Poetry Unit properly today, and will make this our primary focus post- PARCC.

This evening at home...

• complete 10.5 in Go Math. We will be ready to test on Thursday.
• complete the My Treasures Poetry Bingo activity. You are receiving two Poetry Bingo sheets today.  The first one is for tonight. The second is for Tuesday night.

Tomorrow is DAY 1 of PARCC. We will be doing Reading all week. Please arrive to school on time!

Sunday Salutations

Hello Team 201 Families!  I hope that you all are enjoying this long weekend. For those who celebrate...

I have a few notes for you today....

• The pre PARCC pep rally will be held tomorrow, last period.
• PARCC testing begins this week and will be held Tuesday-Thursday.
• During testing, it is important to be at school on time. We will all take our bathroom break first thing in the morning.
• For the next two weeks, Pod 201 will be studying Poetry. We will analyze poems, learn about poetic devices and will try our hand at poetry writing too.
• Kids, if you have Poetry Collections at home, it would be great if you could bring these books to school. I am trying to build a Poetry Library for this unit.
• Our CAC project begins right after Spring Break.  Out topic is Making Waves. We will study sound waves, light waves, ocean waves, electromagnetic waves, and will learn about how waves transfer energy. 
• 201's special part in the show will tap into our interest in  Gods and Goddesses.  Parents, we will need to start collecting sheets to make Greek-style "togas" for each child. Let's start combing the thrift stores for solid white or light blue sheets.  No patterns, please!

Feels Like Friday Thursday

In a rush today!

This long weekend....

• make corrections on IL First People. You may submit on Google Classroom or on paper. "Paper" kids should have their graded responses in the Green Folder.  "Google Docs" kids can find their graded responses online.  A few kids submitted "View Only" documents and I was not able to add comments.  Please look over your answers! Only two students earned 100%. Congratulations to Nouran and Mahari! The questions are tricky and require a careful reread of the text.   Find the "Illinois First People" assignment on Google Classroom.
• complete 10.5.  We actually finished this in class! This should be "non homework" for most.
• complete the Math puzzle!
• Read or reread Ch. 29 and 30 in Maniac. Create a catchy Title for each! Make it meaningful. Rhymes are not essential!
• Finish your 5- or -more- verse Maniac Epic Poem. Give it a title and decorate the margins. We worked on this in class today. Your child should have only a verse or two to work on this weekend.  

Watch That Marshmallow Wednesday

Just 40 minutes ago, marshmallows were flying around the Science Lab.  Today's Lab time was dedicated to revising and redesigning our catapults.  This morning, we learned about how potential energy can be increased or decreased by a change in position.  We also learned about the inertia and the Laws of Motion.   In the lab, we were able to put some of that learning to a practical use.

We also spent some time sharing our Maniac Magee poems.  Students were able to join forces to share and create more verses.  By tomorrow, students will have created an Epic Poem that narrates our hero's many feats.

This evening at home...

• finish the classwork and the homework for lesson 10.4
• Complete Readers Notebook pages 308-311
• Extra Credit: If a square is a rectangle, why isn't a rectangle a square?  Prove it!

We will take a Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary test tomorrow. We will not include Spelling and Grammar this week.  

There is no school on Friday!

Report Card Conference Day is April 13th. I will create an online sign up soon!

Time to Rhyme Tuesday

Finally, we have connection!

Yesterday's post is lost in cyberspace.   I apologize for the delay in communication.  This week, we are working on  forces, motion and simple machines. We will be back in the lab tomorrow to revisit our catapults.

This evening at home....

• write another verse for your Maniac poem. Make sure that you are following the format. You should have 2 or more verses.
• make sure that your Maniac panels have captions and a catchy title. I will collect them tomorrow.
• complete the Text to Text section in Journeys.
• complete the math homework and practice for lesson 10.3
• your SS vocabulary is due tomorrow! The assignment is posted on Google Classroom.

Top Of the Morning To You Thursday

Today's title credit goes to our principal, Dr. Hagstrom. Thanks for the inspiration!  Kids are looking sharp in their green get-ups today. Mahari brought us a special treat. We are all wearing St. Patrick's Day beads, thanks to her!

Use these examples to help you write a Limerick!

This evening at home....

• complete the Show What You Know pages in Go math
• cut out the Vocabulary Cards and keep them.
• write a limerick. Use the examples to help you. 

Machines Make Work Simple Monday

Today we spent some time with our friend Bill Nye the Science Guy.   We will spend this week working on Simple Machines. We also began our unit on the Midwest, which will lead us straight into Illinois Territory.   You may notice the Assignment on Google Classroom. This is classwork! Students will have the next few days to work on this.


This evening at home...

• complete the Go Math homework for lesson 9.6. We will be ready to test on Thursday.
• work on the Spelling and Vocabulary activities/handout.
• read and record.
• finish your Simple Machines foldable, if you did not do so in class today. Remember to include a definition of each Simple Machine in the flap- book. Use the extra space on the pages to record a few examples of each type of Simple Machine. For example, A See Saw is a lever.  Use the information of Google Classroom to to help you.
• If you can, watch some of the videos or play the Simple Machines games posted on Google Classroom.

What's The Theme Thursday

This evening at home....

• complete homework for lesson 9.5
• finish up the Theme Cell Phone activity
• finish up, or begin, the Theme Poetry activity. 
• study for spelling!
• read and record!

If you have time, work on IXL. You can do your prescription. Then, move on to MONEY!

Watch the brainpop on Comparative and Superlative Adjectives.

Terrific Temp. Tuesday

Kids are outside enjoying today's balmy breeze.  I hope that be refreshed and ready to create when they return.

Today we....

• compared tenths and hundredths
• worked on our Solar System research
• finished up, mostly, the scripts for our Black American  Adobe Voice projects
• began creating ( some) our Adobe Voice projects
• spent some time with Humphrey
• went to Music
• watched a music video called Humble and Kind.  We took advantage of  a "teachable moment" and spoke about how to respect differences and be our "best selves" to others.
• created original Solar Systems, complete with planets, moons and life forms.

This evening at home...

• complete the  Humphrey "Character Interview" activity. 
• complete the 9.3 Homework and Practice.  Show your work!
• finish your Solar System diagram.  We spent 45 minutes on this today.
• complete page 284 and 285 in the Readers Notebook.

Mischievous Mission Monday

Today we read about Humphrey,  a clever hamster on a quest to get some peace and quiet. In the process, he teaches his owners a thing or two about family time and unity.

We also introduced comparative and superlative adjectives.  Our brains may be a bit bigger than they were yesterday.  Our biggest lesson was about reading the choice with great care!  Superlatives and comparatives can be tricky, especially is English is a second language!

Today we worked on relating decimals to fractions. We worked up to the hundredth place and got lots of practice independently and with partners. Stumble. Struggle. Support. Success. This is our new math motto.  It's code name is S to the power of 4, but I can't type that here.

This afternoon, we will visit the Solar System, as we continue our study of the inner and outer planets.

This evening at home......

• complete the homework and practice for lesson 9.3
• work on the double sided vocabulary page.
• complete the spelling practice.
• read and record

That's My Voice Thursday

Right now, your kids are "playing/learning" with our new app: Adobe Voice.  We have created a class account. We will use this cool new platform to present our current Social Studies project. Ask you kids to show you the assignment. It can be found on Google Classroom.

This evening at home....

• 9.1 Homework and Practice
• In Journeys, do Compare Texts: Text to Text. Details. Evidence. Enough said.
• complete the abbreviations sheet. On the directions, it mistakenly says "contractions." This is a typo.  Find abbreviations!
• read and record

Have you turned in your Black History Quest questions? Please get them to me by Monday morning. 

Wax and Wane Wednesday

We will soon head up to the Science Lab to build our Moon Phase Models.

This evening at home....

• complete the Check What You Know in Go Math Chapter 9. Cut out the vocabulary cards too.
• finish the Sacagawea questions that you began last night.
• in the Readers Notebook, complete pages 247-250

Third Month Tuesday

Thank you, Henry, for today's title. Maybe I should call it Thinks On His Feet Tuesday!

This evening at home...

• Study for tomorrow's  Math Test!
• Finish the first side of the Reading Comprehension. Don't forget the details!
• Do some IXL Math!

This just in....

• I have posted the Reading Questions on Google Classroom. You will find instructions there.
• Don't forget that we are having a Spelling/LA/Reading Test tomorrow Friday.
• I will be available to go over Review Questions tomorrow morning before the test.
• Last week's Chavez test results are available on Think Central. I shortened the test to include key questions. Our focus was on including text details to support our answers.