February 1-5, 2016

Greeting Families!

Important Dates

Feb. 5 - 2nd Quarter Awards 9AM

Feb. 12 - Teacher Workday

Feb. 14 - Teacher Workday

Feb. 22 - 26 - Book Fair

****DUE TO THE FACT WE HAVE AWARDS THIS FRIDAY, I AM MOVING OUR SPELLING ASSESSMENT TO MONDAY****

This week we will end our mClass assessments on Wednesday. All our students did a great job and I am so proud of their growth. Please make sure that your student is completing all  aspects of their homework. If your child is missing their homework, we have a green basket by our door that has extra packets. You may also download the homework on my blog. If you do not have access to a printer, please have them use a separate sheet of paper.

This week I am starting my after school tutoring. If your child received an orange slip in their agenda, please sign this and return before Wednesday.

In the Lions and Tigers group this week we will read the story Pushing Up the Sky by Joseph Bruchac. 

This is the second story in our Unit 3: People and Nature.  This story is grounded in Native American tradition--that of telling stories that give meaning to the existence of the natural world.  This story creatively explains the existence of stars.  It was written as a play, which the students will have an opportunity to perform in small groups on Wednesday.  The theme of the story is cooperation, as the various tribes and animals had to work together to push up the sky successfully.  
Students will have the opportunity to practice writing a summary of this story on Tuesday, and  to type up their summary on the Chromebooks. I will have a link to their summaries for you to see next week.

In the Bears group we are reading Adelina's Whales. This is a photo essay that follows the life of a young girl. Adelina Mayoral lives in La Laguna, Mexico. Each January, the gray whales arrive in the lagoon near La Laguna and stay for three months before migrating farther north for the summer. Whale watchers, scientists, and photographers visit La Laguna from all over the world to observe and interact with the whales.

We are continuing with our text feature study and will begin our text feature project next week. We are also reviewing Fact and Opinion this week. We have learned, and will review, that a statement of fact can be proved true or false. You can use a reference book or your own knowledge, or ask an expert, to prove it true or false. A statement of opinion cannot be proved true or false because it expresses a belief or a judgment.