December 14th-18th

General Announcements:	Whew!!! The holidays are almost here! It's hard to believe we are half way through the school year! We feel very blessed to work with your wonderful children every day! It is our hope that you and your family can enjoy the extra time you will have together!     Our holiday party is Friday, December 18th. Please don't forget to send the items from the sign up genius with your child to school on Friday!   We will dismiss at 11:00 am this  Friday, December 18th. This is the end of the second 9 weeks. Please continue to check your child's grades in iNow.   Please note Monday, January 4th, 2016 is our first day back to school after our break.   If possible, please replenish your child's pencil supply and glue sticks for the start of the second semester. Many students also need scissors.We appreciate your support!
Language Arts:	We are finishing up our story "Stray." We will test on the 5 vocabulary words on Tuesday, December 15th.  The final reading log is due Wednesday, December 16th. We will have a cold read test over a story that the kids have never read before on Thursday, December 17th. This is nothing they can study for, just pay attention and participate in class.
Social Studies:	We are finishing up studying the American Revolution. We will test on Wednesday, December 16th.
Math:	We are reviewing for our Fractions Unit Test.  The Fractions Unit test is Wednesday. Here is a link to the answers for the Fractions Study Guide.  ANSWERS to Fractions Study Guide :-)  IXL contract assigned last Monday is due Thursday.  The IXL skills due: Level F-Q 5, Q 16, R2, R3;   Level G- C 13 and V 5.
Science:	NO RESEARCH PROJECT this week!  This project has been delayed until January to allow more time.   We are doing a hands-on lab with chemical reactions.  We are going to make crystallized ornaments using Borax, pipe cleaners, and hot water.   We will also enjoy Science World magazines.  I plan to take a grade from the Science World activities.

December 7th-11th

General Announcements:	Our TEAM HOLIDAY PARTY is December 18th. We will send more information later this week. It will be a breakfast for the kids. School gets out at 11:00 AM on December 18th. We will send home a sack lunch form on December 14th for students staying in after school care. It will be due December 16th. Please continue to check iNow for your child’s grades. December 18th is the last day of the 2nd 9 weeks. We are still collecting Box Tops. Please send them in bags of 25 with your child!
Language Arts:	We are finishing up our reading story “In the Time of the Drums” and working on sequencing events today. We will begin the story “Stray” and answering questions with text evidence on Wednesday. We will have a comprehension and vocabulary test on Tuesday, December 8th. The reading log is due Wednesday, December 9th. Grammar IXL skills are due Friday: I.1, I.2, I.3, I.4. A new reading log will come home on Wednesday, December 9nd and it will be due Wednesday, December 16th.
Social Studies:	We are concluding our study of the American Revolutionary War. We will be filling out our study guide in class on Tuesday and going over it Wednesday. We will test on Wednesday, December 16th.
Math:	We are working on our understanding and application of fractions: comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators, improper and proper fractions, and fraction equivalents. Cumulative Review #11  came home Monday and is due Wednesday.   There will not be a Cumulative Review quiz this week. We will have a Fraction Unit test next week. Look for more Fraction homework Wednesday and Thursday night.   A new Math IXL contract came home on Monday and not due until next Thursday.
Science:	We are studying Earth & human interactions with the environment. We are looking at the impact of oil spills on the environment and ways they can be cleaned up.  We are testing different methods of cleanup.    We are also going to be doing a "Human Impact on the Environment" research project the end of this week and next week for a grade. This information will be posted under the Science page of the blog soon.