Week of 10/8/12 - 10/12/12

Highlights for the Week of 10/8/12 
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling
Due to the 4 day week, there will be NO spelling lesson this week.

Reading - Text Organization
We will continue focusing on the reading strategy of text organization. Many non-fiction authors organize their selections in time order. They also use features such as headings, pictures, captions, and charts to help the reader better understand the information. Students will independently complete an assessment on this topic on Tuesday.  We will also take a peek at syllabication.

English - Capitalization and Punctuation
Our new unit in English is Capitalization and Punctuation (Chapter 5). On Wednesday, students will be taking a pretest that will assess their expertise in the topics that we will study. Students who demonstrate proficiency on the pretest will have the opportunity to do independent challenge work in place of the regular lessons. The first topic in this unit will be writing correct sentences. Be sure to ask your child what happens when punctuation takes a vacation!

Social Studies - "The Beautiful Northeast"

We will finish the last lesson in chapter 4 this week.  The TEST is tentatively scheduled for Monday, 10/15. Students will be receiving a study guide for the test, and should focus on reviewing the textbook pages, workbook pages & notes to prepare for the test.

Science - What are Some Life Cycles of Plants?
Photosynthesis and life cycles of plants are the first two topics that we will study in our new science unit. We will be conducting an investigate to find the answer to the question, "Does a Plant Need Light to Germinate?".  We will also be reading the 9/28 edition of the Time for Kids magazine which looks at exploration of the Earth's poles.  Students will be taking a comprehension QUIZ on the articles in the magazine on Friday, 10/12. It is IMPERATIVE that your child bring his/her TFK to school that day to use while taking the quiz.


Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class
Time to start chapter 3 - "Using Addition and Subtraction for Algebra".  We will begin by studying 3 properties of addition and subtraction - the associative, commutative & identity properties.  Then, we will move on to the study of writing expressions and equations.A QUIZ on lessons 1-3 of this chapter has been tentatively scheduled for Friday, 10/12.

Don't forget...

10/8 - No School - Columbus Day

10/12 - PV Movie Night - Permission slips are due by 10/10

10/18/12 - Mark your calendar for the PV Book Fair from 6:30-8:00.  Classrooms will not be open, but you can support your PTO by attending the fair!


Enjoy the long weekend!
Mrs. Karen Bell