Week of 12/13/10 - 12/17/10

Highlights for the Week of 12/13/10 - 12/17/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

English

Students have been busy studying figurative language while preparing to write their, "I Remember When..." descriptive paragraphs. The rough draft of their paragraph is due on Monday, 12/13. We will write the final copies in school that day.

Social Studies - The Southeast

We will be finishing our study of the climate of the Southeast.

Science - How do the Bodies of Animals Help Them Meet Their Needs?

We will be finishing chapter 3, lesson 1 with a look at natural selection. Ask your child why it is rare to see a light gray peppered moth. Students will have a QUIZ on this lesson on Wednesday, 12/15.

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling

Our reading class will only be meeting 3 days this week due to the bowling & Tivoli field trips. Therefore, there will be NO spelling lesson this week. When we return from holiday break, we will begin a new routine for spelling. Due to the low number of students that have passed the pretest, we will no longer be taking it. We will use that time to focus on reviewing the spelling rule for the week, and familiarizing ourselves with the meanings of the words. All students will be completing the same cursive page and the workbook pages for each unit.

Reading

The first strategy that we focus on this week in reading is making inferences. A writer doesn't always explain every fact or detail about when writing a story. The writer expects that readers will fill in missing information from their own experience. Good readers do this by putting together what they already know and what they have read to make the best guess they can. When readers add information from their own experience to what is stated in a text, they are making an inference. We will also study the reading skill of comparing and contrasting. Students will practice comparing pieces of literature that are similar and different. After studying these skills, students will practice them with the story of The Polar Express.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Chapter 6

Elapsed time on a calendar, changing units of time and temperature are our topics for this week. We will not be testing on this chapter until after the holiday break.

Don't Forget...

December 16 - Bowling Field Trip (afternoon)

December 17 - All School Field Trip to the Tivoli

December 20 - Winter Break begins

January 3 - Classes Resume after Winter Break

The permission slip and fee for the Tivoli field trip is due by Monday, 12/13.

Hot lunch will be available for students on the day of the Tivoli Field trip on 12/17. However, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that your child bring a sack lunch that day in order to avoid the long lines in the lunch room.

There is a test in PE on Tuesday, 12/14. The test will cover the bowling unit.

Thank you to all the families who have contributed to the Project Challenge collection for the needy. They will be collecting food, toiletries & toys through 12/13.

Mrs. Karen Bell