Week of 2.3.20

Highlights for the Week of 2/3/20
in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling -  Unit 16 - Greek Roots
This week's list includes words with the Greek Roots micro, mega, hydro, astro, hydra and path. Students will study the meaning of these roots and words that contain them. The final TEST for this lesson will be on Friday, 2/7.

Reading - Unit 1 - "Courage" - Profiles in Courage Culminating Project

Students will begin the research and the slideshow for the Profile in Courage project. They will be given time in class to work, however, they should expect to also work on it at home. The tentative due date for the slideshow is Monday, 2/10. Presentations will begin that day.

We have completed Unit 1 (Courage) in Reading, so it is time to take the unit posttest. On Wednesday, students will take the informational text portion of the unit posttest, and on Friday, they will take the literary text portion. These tests are simply a data-gathering tool for teachers in order to measure student growth. They will not be entered in the grade book.  

 Our final mythology project was presented on Monday. The presenters are pictured below.

"Cyclops"

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 2/10.

Science - Energy Conversions
We will work on refining the design of our wind turbines. The first attempt at building a model of a wind turbine was a lot of fun. Below are photos of our "engineers" working together to build their turbines.

SUCCESS!!!

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) - Managing Anxiety

This week's lesson focuses on how effectively managing your anxiety makes it easier to focus and succeed in social and academic situations. The objectives are that students will be able to identify situations that cause anxiety and to apply what they've learned about calming down to anxiety-provoking scenarios, including academic challenges. 

In an effort to connect what we talk about in class to your home, the Home Link that accompanies each lesson in the Second Step curriculum is going to be part of your child's homework. The Home Link typically includes a conversation or short activity that your child will complete with an adult or another family member. My hope is to increase awareness of language and techniques that your child learns about at school regarding their social-emotional learning and health. 

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 4 Multiplication & Division of Whole Numbers and Decimals

We will prepare for the Unit 4 TEST which is scheduled for Thursday, 2/6. 

FYI...

2/11-2/12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Focus on math)
2/13 - Valentine's Day Celebration - 1:30
2/14 - No School
2/17 - No School - Presidents' Day

CODING is the new passion in our homeroom classroom. Coding is the process of using a programming language to get a computer to behave how you want it to. Students have had a ball creating dance parties and working with Star Wars and Minecraft figures. Ask your child about it...they're completely absorbed with this mind-stretching activity, as you can see below!

Mrs. Karen Bell