Week of 1/12

It's sure to be a great week at school! I am really excited to see all of you at Math Fest on Tuesday night. Students are pumped about getting to make their own Mathematician visor to wear during math class each day. An added incentive is that each student who participates in Math Fest gets a 100% class participation grade! 
Important Dates:

• 1/13 - Math Fest 6 - 7:30
• 1/16 - Fundraiser begins
• 1/19 - No school - MLK
• 1/20-21 - Reading benchmark test (CPA = checkpoint assessment, which is the "new name" for the benchmark tests)

• 1/22-23 - 2:20 dismissal
• 1/23 - end of second quarter
• 1/26-27 - No school - teacher work days
• 1/28-29 - Math CPA
• 2/5 - Report cards issued

Here's a glimpse of what we'll be working on this week:

Language Arts:

Story: Your Dad Was Just Like You

Phonics: Digraphs ch, sh, ph, th

Strategy: Generalizing

Skills:  Context clues, drawing conclusions, reference sources

Grammar: Past/present verbs

Writing: "How to...", complete/varied sentences, transition words

Math:

The children did a great job with equivalent periods of time and calendar! This week, we are continuing the strand of measurement with our exploration of temperature (SOL 3.13). They will learn how to read a thermometer to the nearest degree from both Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers. Keep working on IXL to review skills from beginning of year - place value, rounding, comparing numbers, time, money, adding/subtracting, word problems, etc. And please keep practicing multiplication facts! Math Fest night is Tuesday and it wwill be a great way to learn how you can help your child excel in math! 

Science: (with Mrs. King)

Mrs. King is continuing with Earth cycles (SOL 3.8). Students have learned about seasons, day/night, and moon phases. There will be a test on Thursday; study all notes and vocabulary!

Social Studies:

We'll start a review of North American geography, which is a review from 2nd grade. Students have to be able to locate the following on a U.S. map: James River, Mississippi River, Rio Grand, Appalachian Mountains, Great Lakes, Richmond, and Washington D.C. My class will have a map quiz Wednesday, Mrs. King's will have their map quiz Thursday.