Week of 2/26/18

Highlights for the Weeks of 2/26/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 20 - Homographs

This week's list includes homographs, which are sets of words that are spelled the same but have multiple meanings (Examples: bank or ring). The final TEST is scheduled for Thursday, 3/1.

ELA / Reading - Journeys - Grandfather's Journey

We will finish our study of the story Grandfather's Journey. We will write a paragraph that compares the author to his grandfather, and use that information to conclude how their similarities helped the author to feel close to his grandfather.  Also, students will read a Time for Kids magazine that looks at the Olympic Athletes. The QUIZ for the TFK is scheduled for 2/28.

The final copy of the Hero essay is due on 2/27. Students will proofread, edit and submit in school that day. 

Social Studies - Midwest Just Look Book Project / The Ojibwa
The Just Look Book projects are due on 2/28. Students will present that day. We will also study the Native Americans of the Midwest, The Ojibwa. Students will learn about how the Ojibwa of the past used their natural resources to survive and how the Ojibwa of the present keep their traditions and culture alive.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class -  Unit 5 - Multiplying & Dividing Fractions


The Whole Number Times a Fraction CHECKPOINT is scheduled for Monday, 2/26. Multiplication of two fractions using area models will be our focus for the rest of the week.

Student leader Billy shows off computation done by our amazing mathematicians.

FYI...

3/2 - No School - Teachers' Institute

Pretzels & collaboration ...

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 2/19/18

Highlights for the Weeks of 2/19/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 19 - Greek Roots

Words this week will contain the Greek Roots "uni", "bi", "tri" and "quad". Students will study the definition of these roots and words that contain them. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 2/23.

Reading - Unit 2 - Journeys
What does it mean to go on a journey? How can a person be changed by a journey they have experienced? These are the questions that we will pose to students as we begin the second unit in Reading titled "Journeys".  We will begin by reading and discussing the short story, Grandfather's Journey by Alan Say. 

English - Explanatory Essay

We will finish writing the Hero essay by adding transitions and introductory and concluding paragraphs to the organizer. Students will begin typing the rough draft of their essay in Google Classroom on Thursday. The due date for the rough draft is tentatively scheduled for 2/26. We will also have some minilessons in English that focus on homophones. The words that we will study are "there, their and they're", and "too, to and two".

Social Studies - The Midwest "Just Look" Book Project

Students will begin working on a project for the Midwest called the "Just Look Book". The project description will come home on 2/21, and research will be due on 2/23. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 5 - Multiplying and Dividing Fractions

Strategies for multiplying whole numbers by unit and common fractions will be our focus this week. I will also introduce how to multiply two fractions by using area models.


FYI...

THANK YOU to all the parents who contributed to make our Valentine's Day celebration a huge success.  The craft and games were a blast, and the treats were yummy. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Passing out cards & treats

Fun crafts!

Time for snacks!

Can you find your partner?

Unwrapping Hershey Kisses with mittens on is not as easy as it looks!

Valentine BINGO

Lucky BINGO winners!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 2/12/18

Highlights for the Weeks of 2/12/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 18 - "ch" & "tch" 

The final TEST that was originally scheduled for 2/9 will be given on Monday, 2/12. There will not be a new lesson this week due to the short week/snow day.

ELA / Reading - Explanatory Writing / Reading Comprehension

Work will continue on the explanatory essays. Students will add support, elaboration, and transitions to their hero essays, then begin the process of writing and editing a rough draft. A Time for Kids magazine that focuses on national monuments will be handed out on Monday. A comprehension QUIZ that covers the magazine is scheduled for Thursday, 2/15.

Social Studies - "Chapter 8 - The Midwest"

The chapter 8 TEST is on Wednesday, 2/14. Students will receive a study guide on Monday and we will review in class on Tuesday. We will work on completing the Midwest portion of the U.S. Map at the end of the week. 

Science - "Adaptations"
The chapter 3 TEST will be on Monday, 2/12. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4  & Unit 5 - Multiplying & Dividing Fractions
The Unit 4 TEST has been rescheduled for Tuesday 2/13. 

On Wednesday we will begin Unit 5 which is multiplying and dividing fractions.

FYI

2/12 & 2/13 - Spring Conferences
2/16 & 2/19 - No School

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 2/5/18

Highlights for the Week of 2/5/2018
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 18 - Words with "ch" & "tch"

Words this week will contain the letters "ch" or "tch". Students will learn that if the final "ch" sound comes after a consonant or a two-letter vowel, the ending is -ch. If the final "ch" sound follows a one letter vowel, it's usually written -tch. The final TEST is scheduled for Friday, 2/9.

Reading / English
The Time for Kids comprehension QUIZ on for the 12/15 edition is scheduled for Monday, 2/5. Students should thoroughly read the magazine and have it at school on Monday to use while taking the quiz. Our focus in Language Arts this week will be Explanatory writing. We will add key ideas, supporting details and elaboration on our Lou Gehrig and Hero essays. 

It was a pleasure to view the Profile in Courage presentations. The students have grown tremendously in their research and speaking skills. Below are some photos from the presentations...

Sitting Bull

Thomas Jefferson

Anne Frank

Harriet Tubman

Desmond Tutu

Elizabeth Blackwell

Sacagawea

Moses

Princess Diana

Abraham Lincoln

Mahatma Gandhi

Mother Theresa

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt

Angelina Jolie

Clara Barton

Helen Keller

Jane Goodall

Lewis & Clark

John Brown

Jane Adams

Amelia Earhart

Social Studies - Bountiful Midwest Farms
The crops of the Central and Great Plains will be our focus this week. Be sure to ask your child why certain crops grow better in one area than another and about why farmers use crop rotation. Look for the Chapter 8 test to be scheduled for the week of 2/12.

Science - How Do Living Things of the Past Compare with Those of Today?
We have reached the end of this chapter and will review for the Chapter 3 TEST which is tentatively scheduled for 2/12. Look for a study guide to come home with your child on Tuesday.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4 Multiplication & Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals
The Multiplication Algorithm CHECKPOINT is scheduled for Monday, 2/5. The rest of the week will feature a switch to division and its relationship to multiplication. The Unit 4 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 2/12.

Students continue to impress me with the ease in which they apply the SIX multiplication strategies that we have studied in Unit 4. They have truly become "thinkers", not memorizers when it comes to the multiplication of larger numbers. Below is a photo showing students sharing three different methods for solving the same multiplication problem.

Mrs. Karen Bell