Updates February 28-March 4, 2011

We are at the mid-point of the third nine weeks. You should have seen a progress report come home on Tuesday. If your student had a low grade (D or F) I sent an updated report on Friday with detailed assignments that were missing that would bring up their grade when completed.

Reading
This week we will focus on the genre characteristics of a Play. We will read a couple of plays throughout the week to give students practice reading them aloud and reading them independently. Look for vocabulary words to study and questions to answer at the end of the play, The Case of the Runaway Appetite page 460 in the reading textbook.


Writing
Students are working through the writing process by publishing their own book through a publishing company. All steps can be worked on at home except the actual kit. That must be completed in class. Ask your child what they are writing their book about.

There will not be a spelling list this week.

Important dates:

Wednesday....early dismissal
March 15.....book publishing project due
March 18.....all make-up work due for 3rd nine weeks
March 24.....end of 3rd nine weeks
March 25.....Planning Day
March 28-April 1...Spring Break
April 4.....school resumes

Happy President's Day!

No school Monday, February 21, 2011.

Hope everyone has a great long weekend!
R. O'Steen

Week of February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! The kids get sooo excited and enjoy passing out their Valentine's to all of their friends! It was a nice way to start off the week!!

This week we will not have our usual reading, vocabulary, and spelling focus since we are benchmark testing 3 out of our 5 days. The testing schedule is as follows:

Monday: Reading sessions 1 and 2
Tuesday: No benchmark testing
Wednesday: State practice test retake for Reading
Thursday: Math sessions 1 and 2
Friday: Science sessions 1 and 2

As you can see there will be lots of testing. Please be sure to encourage your child to do their best throughout the week!

Dates to remember:
Donuts with Dad: Monday and Tuesday
Early dismissal: Wednesday

Please be sure you are signing your child's agenda nightly, and Friday yellow and white folders weekly.

Thanks and until next time,
R. O'Steen

Thank you for your patience!

I have been trying to access my blog for weeks now and it kept saying the username and/or password was incorrect. I tried having it sent to my email but never received anything...so long story short I decided to try once again and voila it accepted the same username and password I have been trying (and knew was correct) and let me have access! Hooray!!!! Now I can continue :-)


Reading Updates:

We have now finished Theme 3 in our textbook and have moved onto Theme 4. This week students will focus on comparing and contrasting while reading. This is when students tell how things are the same or different in a story. This week's selection story is Yang the Second and Her Secret Admirers. Students will have a vocabulary list and questions to complete throughout the week. Look for reminders in their agenda.

Students are still being assigned a reading log. This is being completed with a Roald Dahl book that was assigned back in December. Their reading goal for the 3rd nine weeks is 6 chapter books at least 100 pages each.

Students are also being graded on keeping their Reading binder complete. Each week they should have the anchor or focus lesson for the week, vocabulary definitions and questions from the story in their binder. I grade them on Friday of each week.

Writing Updates:

We have finished informational writing and have moved on to procedural writing. This is where students write directions for something they know how to do. Ask you child what they are writing directions for.

After we finish this genre of writing, students will begin working a book publishing project. They will get to choose what they want to publish and have a hard cover book to keep.

Important Dates:

February 14: 3rd Benchmark tests begin
February 21: Holiday-President's Day