March 24th Post

Information and Announcements

• Monday, March 27 (8:40): Lent prayer service
• Monday, March 27 (3:20-4:15): Stations of the Cross practice
• Thursday, March 30 (3:20-4:15): Stations of the Cross practice
• Friday, March 31: Mission Awareness Jeans Day
• Friday, April 14 (2:30-3:15): Stations of the Cross Prayer Service

Religion:

This week students began learning about the period of Judges and Kings. There will be a quiz over chapter 17 on Wednesday. This 26-point quiz will include ten questions that are matching and four short answer questions worth two points each and one short answer question worth eight points. Beginning Thursday, we will learn about Samuel and Saul. Samuel was the last and the greatest Judge and Saul was the first Israelite King.

Stations of the Cross practice has been coming along great. I am also grateful for those individuals that agreed to join the choir. 

Social Studies:

This week students enjoyed teaching their classmates about different Muslim beliefs. Working in groups, they studied the material and then prepared a Google slides document and other visual images. The information they shared, along with my notes will help prepare them for the test.

The chapter 8 test is scheduled for next Friday. The format of the 44 point test is - 
- Explain the vocab term - 7 questions/14 points (I provide the word, you define)

- Multiple choice -  15 questions/15 points

- Essay -  1 question/15 points

Reading: 

This week the students made a Poetic Portrait - a description of themselves using poetic words. They included a baby picture of themselves, and it was so fun to see how much they have changed (or not). We used our main character from the novel, Billie Jo, as a model for the writing.

We continue with weekly vocab quizzes, and communal reading of the novel Out of the Dust.

Language Arts:  

We are poets! Students started a poetry unit this week. We will be looking in-depth at forms of poetry, different poets, and figurative language. Students will be reading and composing several poems in the next couple of weeks, as well as memorizing a famous poem from a list they will receive next week. At the end of the poetry unit, they will take a final test over the terms and forms of poetry we learn. This grade will be factored into the overall poetry grade, which will also include the writing they do as well.

Math Period 1:

The students continue to work on problem solving strategies such as number sentences and diagrams.  Next week we will introduce a few new strategies and then practice mixing the strategies together.  I will put copies of the examples that we do in class on Google Classroom so the students can refer back to the problems, as needed.  There will be a problem solving assessment tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th.  

Math Period 4:   

The students practiced simplifying fractions and adding mixed numbers.  On Friday we began to subtract fractions with regrouping.  Next week we will practice adding and subtracting fractions on Monday and Tuesday, and there will be a quiz on Wednesday, March 29th.  We will then begin to multiply fractions with the focus on understanding that multiplication means finding part of a number or repeated addition.  Manipulative and diagrams will be used prior to teaching the algorithm. It is important that the students discover the meaning before teaching the shortcuts of algorithms. 

Math Period 5:    

The students continue to work on problem solving strategies such as number sentences and diagrams.  Next week we will introduce a few new strategies and then practice mixing the strategies together.  I will put copies of the examples that we do in class on Google Classroom so the students can refer back to the problems, as needed.  There will be a problem solving assessment tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th.  

Science:

The students are bringing home their chapter 3 test over the weekend for you to review and sign.  We are beginning a chapter on minerals.  During this chapter we will be making crystals.  Your child will need a glass jar, without the lid,  by the end of next week.  Please wash out the jar.  I did show your child good sizes such as a jelly jar, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, or a mason jar.  If this is a problem, please let me know.  Next week we will be identifying minerals and there will be a quiz at the end of the week over the properties of minerals and identifying minerals.