Week 8

 Dear Parents and Students,

We have had a very full week – albeit an unexpectedly shorter one – complete with a number of tests, and preparation for our first oral presentations for the year. We have also begun preparing for our Halloween performance, which is also coming up in a few weeks.

In the Classroom:

Maths

We have completed Topic 4, and we held our topic test on Tuesday. We have also completed a benchmark test covering everything we have done so far this year.  We will begin Topic 5 next week, which will return our focus to multiplication.

Literacy Workshop

With our Personal Narratives completed, we spent a little more time focusing on grammar this week. We will continue our study of nouns for one more week before we review the unit.We also read a new story, Tomás and the Library Lady, and then discussed the story in our Reading Circles. This week, we were investigating writer’s craft, and appreciating how words and pictures can combine in books to convey emotions and set an atmosphere.

Science

Our investigations of surface changes continued this week, including a practical task in which we created and studied a two-dimensional model of a canyon. We made observations of the types of fossils that may have been found there, and drew conclusions about the types of environments that had existed over millions of years. We then applied our conclusions to our investigation into the Ashfall Fossil Beds. Next week, we will explore how landforms on Earth can change more rapidly.

Social Studies

We have continued with our new chapter in Social Studies, and we have been discussing topics  such as democracy and its beginnings in ancient Greece, and we have just begun to explore economics, and how it affects our lives. We are also preparing for our upcoming presentations about patriotism, and we will all enjoy learning from one another when we take turns to present next week.

Extra

MAP testing begins next week, beginning with Math on Wednesday. Please see the full schedule on the post below this one. There is no way to effectively study for these tests, but the best preparation is to rest well, get to bed at a reasonable time, and to eat a healthy breakfast and morning snack each day.

With such a busy week behind us, I’m sure that everyone is looking forward to another long weekend! I hope you all enjoy the break, and I will see everyone back in class on Wednesday!

Dates to remember:

Mo-Tu Oct 9–10: 10/10 National holiday – school closed

October 11–20: MAP testing

Fri        Oct 20:     SD Halloween Carnival

Tue Oct 31: Halloween / Dress-up day

Wed Nov 1: Fun Day

Th-Fr Nov 2–3: Mid-semester break

Mo-Fr Nov 6–10: Parent/Teacher meetings