Testing this week:
Students will take the ELA PT Tuesday April 25th, Wednesday 26th, and Thursday 27th, from 10:30 to 11:30 with more days available for any student who needs more time. These tests are not timed and I encourage students to take their time and do their best. Students should get a good night sleeps and eat a good breakfast and snack before the test. Please let me know if one of these things doesn't happen and we can always decide on a better day for your student to test. Last week we discussed, previewed and practiced the format of this test. You can always look at the test at home too. Reading Last week students handed in their book commercials. This week we will have an opportunity to view each others commercial, but most days our reading block will be used for testing. Writing We move forward with opinion writing this week. Students have gotten very excited about the different opinions they feel strongly about! Social Studies Our Oregon trail unit began last week and we continue learning about the landmarks and hazards of the trail this week. Science This week students will begin their individual science inquiry project. The overall topic of the inquiry is plant structures and functions and we will be looking particularly at bulbs. This week we will begin with an introduction and exploration of bulbs and then students will begin to plan their inquiry.
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I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend. Looks like we're back for another rainy week. But we can look forward to those May flowers. Thank you to everyone who visited during our celebration of learning! It was very exciting to hear students share about their work and to hear all the thoughtful questions that parents asked. The students all work very hard, so it is awesome to have an opportunity to show off the results of that hard work. If you have not yet turned in the bright green registration form or the permission slip for our field trip on May 11th please make sure to do so ASAP! A note about iPads: Your students' iPad is a treasure trove of work they have completed in class. Students can show you the assignments they have turned in on google classroom by clicking on the assignment. Once I have graded the assignment they can show you the grade too. They can show you presentations they have made in Google Slides, writing pieces in Docs and Pages and videos in Educreations and iMovie. Please ask and take a look! SBAC Testing Update: ELA CAT All students have completed this test! English Language Arts Performance Task (ELA PT) This week we will practice for the ELA PT in class. This test is the most writing intensive test, in which students read three articles, answer three short answer questions and write an essay-like response to a prompt. Going through the different sections in class, practice navigating the sources, working on note taking techniques and discussing what the final product should look like will prepare students to take the test the following week. Students will take the ELA PT April 25th, 26th, and 27th, with more days available for any student who needs more time. These tests are not timed and I encourage students to take their time and do their best. Health This week begins our 4th grade health curriculum, which focuses on the changing body, mind and emotions during puberty. The letter that was previously sent home about this curriculum is included here. Students will bring homework for these lessons home most nights this week. They will need a trusted adult to complete the homework with, since it is mostly interactive homework. Health will be taking place during our normal literacy block time.
Writing
We are beginning a new writing unit on opinion writing. I think of this as the essay writing unit. Students will choose an idea, like a thesis, to defend in their writing and we will work on the 5 paragraph format of introducing the idea, defending it and drawing the piece to a poignant conclusion. In the past I have seen students write the most passionately in this unit as they expound upon points of views and ideas. they truly believe in and care about. Oregon Trail You may have noticed at our celebration of learning that we have been studying the movement West in the United States. Our "pockets" were meant to introduce students to the concept of Westward movement and now we will be digging in deep to the Oregon Trail. We will begin with some introductory lessons that give students necessary background information before launching into a dramatic simulation game of the pioneers' journey West. Finally, I will be out on Friday at an all day mandatory training. Celebration of Learning:
Our celebration of learning event is this Thursday, April 13th. The following is the letter I sent home on Tuesday, which gives you directions to sign up for a time to come in: You all received an email before spring break entitled: “Hoover Spring Celebration/Conferences April 12 - 14”. This email included all the vital information necessary to understanding how spring conferences will run this year. Here is how it will specifically work in Room 14. Wednesday April 12th
Thursday April 13th Student-led conference day! This is how we are scheduling this day in Room 14:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gfE9QsEx2vzfQstMWJ5yic5wU2DDlkNcMDQ0rHolE4U/edit?usp=sharing
Friday April 14th Teacher prep day. Let me know if you have any questions about conferences! I am excited to see you all and celebrate the learning that has occurred so far this year! Other Updates:
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