Week of 1/4/10 - 1/8/10

Highlights for the Week of 1/4/10-1/8/10 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Lesson 14- "More Prefixes"

The final test for lesson 14 will be on Friday, 1/8. "Words to Know" are pretty-Saturday. Workbook pages and Master 14A will be collected on 1/7, and menu work is due on 1/8.

Reading - Clarifying

Our new reading strategy is clarifying. At the beginning of the week we will be reading passages about storms and tornadoes, and analyzing the text structure to make the meaning more clear. We will be reading the novel The Night of the Twisters in small groups while focusing on strategies to make the text more clear, such as identifying the author's purpose and themes of the chapters.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

Holiday break is a perfect time to enjoy reading a good book! Don't forget to read for at least 20 minutes every day!

English - Adjectives

We're unpacking our adjectives! Adjectives will be our new unit after break. This week our focus will be on "What is an Adjective?"

Social Studies - The Fight for a Continent

The Spanish are coming to North America, and they're ready for a battle! The first lesson in Chapter 7 describes the competition between the Spanish and other Europeans for control of North America. We will be reading and taking notes about this exciting time in our history.

Science - Ecosystems & Change

The effect that people have on ecosystems is our topic this week. The message of the last lesson in Chapter 6 is "Recycle, reuse & reduce!" The open note assessment for chapter 6, lesson 3 is tentatively scheduled for Friday, 1/8.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Our new chapter covers perimeter, area & volume. We will begin by taking a look at how to find perimeter, how to estimate and find area, and the mathematical relationship between perimeter and area. Students will study vocabulary and formulas to assist them in this unit!

FYI...

Iowa testing is scheduled for the week of 1/11/10. We hope that students will be well rested during the testing period.

It's hard for me to believe that the holiday break is upon us already! We have had a tremendous start to our year, and I am looking forward to a fabulous finish in 2010!

Happy Holidays to You & Yours!

Mrs. Karen Bell