I just love being around your children this time of the year. April showers don't just bring growth to the flowers, they bring growth to the students. I am so proud of how hard your kids have worked this year and I am so proud of their accomplishments!
We have built upon so many skills this year. I recently showed the kids their first fluency readings (timed readings). So many of the kids have managed to improve their words per minute by 50-100 words! Think about how impressive that is. They deserve bragging rights.
There is also a hot race to the A.R. finish line. Our leader has over 80 points. Currently a whole crew of them are battling for 2nd and 3rd place. Second place right now is held with just over 40 points and 3rd has right around 39. The majority of the kids are closing in on third place. I strongly encourage everyone to write down the titles and authors of books that have been read at home (they can be ones that you read to your child). I can't wait to see how the race ends. There usually is an awards ceremony at the end of the year where the winners are announced. Readers "ARe" you ready?
Dodgeball: Speaking of battles, The Stormtroopers took first place at the Dodgeball competition. Way to go Trey, Luke, Noah, Wylie (Jessa and Kendra)!
Science: We are going to be starting our unit on rocks. I am trying to arrange a walking field trip to the TinTina for the 21st. Please keep your eyes open for a permission slip. I missed the trip last year but heard that it was wonderful. Mrs. Schlepp always does a great job!
Math: Hang onto your hats, we are about to start borrowing from not just the 10's column, but also the 100's! Wish us well. Feel free to make up some of your own problems at home (I wouldn't let them help balance your checkbooks yet). This is tough stuff.
Reading: Oh what fun we had with our bagel story this week. Ask your child about our Rice Cakes Vs Bagels taste test. It was great and we had fun graphing our results (the Bagels won). Warning: most of your children are hoping to go to the Bagel stores in Bozeman and/or Helena the next time that you visit!
story: biography titled, My Name is Gabriela
fluency: we will continue to read with emphasis on pausing/stopping when we see commas/periods.
grammar: continue to look at antonyms (opposites)
phonics/spelling: /o/ words with -aw or -au(gh)
claw, fault, draw, haul, crawl, lawn, sauce, paw, caught, saw & because
vocab: accent, native, beyond, noticed, create, award, literature, grand, aspire & ACCOLADE (wowzers)
Chapter Book: We just finished reading Danger Joe and the Baboon Bungee Rescue. Ask your child how Danger Joe saved the baby baboon.
Ok, I am down for now.
Jaime