Vertebrae, Views, and diVision!

The first week on the new quarter has started and we are continuing to work hard!  Here's what's going on in Rom 25 this, and next week:

Language Arts
Word Study
This week's words focus on the /er/ and /or/ sounds, including different ways these sounds can be spelled.  Additionally, students will be expected to identify antonyms of each word as well.  The quiz will be taking place next Tuesday, November 2nd.  Here are the words for the week.

Writing
This week we are focusing on reflection writing that follows our Owl Pellet Science experiment.  By now, the students are able to make inferences on what the owl ate based on the bones that were dissected from the pellets.  Additionally, we are finishing up our Greek Mythology unit by writing comparison essays based on two characters that share similar characteristic traits.  Next week we will get back to more persuasive writing.

Reading
As already mentioned, the we have finished our Greek Mythology unit on Wednesday.  We took the opportunity to watch Disney's Hercules on Wednesday to see the common characters we have read about in scenes together.  Although we are moving on from Mythology, the students have been practicing the play Pandora's Box and will be performing it in class next Friday, November 4th (letters home will be sent soon!).

On Thursday and Friday, we will begin focusing on Point-of-View in fiction.  This will also include a writing assignment where the students will rewrite a story from another character's perspective.

Science
We are finished with the Owl Pellet experience and the class's work is proudly displayed in the hallway!  To finish-up our Science unit, we will be making fold-able projects that display all of our learning in regards to animal classification (vertebrates and invertebrates)

Math
Division is upon us!  Students received their graded Chapter 3 Test on Monday and I was extremely proud of their success!  This week in division we are focusing on the basics of division with remainders.  Next week we move into the different strategies for longer division.  This week we focus on using models to understand remainders and then figure out what those remainders mean.  Click on the picture below for a cool video explaining the process.

Have a wonderful week!  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Plants, Problem-Solving, and Personality Traits!

The final week of the first quarter is upon us!  We've come far in the first 10 weeks and we will continue to work hard and think critically!  Here is what is happening in Room 25 this week:

Science
This week we continue with our classification of living things.  Monday and Tuesday we will observe and read about different types of plants (vascular and non vascular) and begin observing animals and their characteristics and classifications (vertebrates and invertebrates).  Our animal observations will be with Darkling Beetles; where we will observe and collect data regarding their life cycle and physical characteristics.  This should be lots of fun!

Math
Your students will be bringing home a multiplication strategy quiz on Monday or Tuesday that was taken last Friday.  Chapter 3 has focused primarily on different 2-digit multiplication strategies in order to solve computation problems.  This we will focus on multi-step word problems so that these strategies can be used in real-world situations.  We will work on this on Tuesday and Wednesday, and end the week with the Chapter 3 test on either Thursday or Friday (dependent on the progress we make).  I'll be sure to let you know later in the week which day the test is on.  As a reminder, here are the strategies that we have covered:

• The Area Model and Partial Products: (click the image for video)

• The Regrouping Method: (click the image for video)

Language Arts

Word Study

The words for the week can be found here!  The quiz will be on Friday.  Remember that the students are held accountable for the word throughout the week and if it is not completed by Friday, it is homework over the weekend.

Reading

This week we finish up our Greek mythology focus.  During the past few weeks we have read many stories of the Greek gods, specifically focusing on the personality traits of the characters.  This comes to an end through a class play of Pandora's Box that we will all be performing in a few weeks (stay tuned for invitations to be part of our audience!).

Writing

In addition to the play, we will be writing a constructed response; comparing two similar characters from Greek myths.

Have a great week!  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @misterholmes25 for updates on class activities!

Multiplying, mythology, and mold!

Three weeks left in the first marking period and we are making lots of progress!  Here is what's going on in Room 25 this week and next:

Math
Last Friday we took the Chapter 2 Test and the graded tests will come home on Monday.  This week we begin Chapter 3: Multiplying 2-Digit Numbers.  This chapter takes everything we learned in Chapter 2 and simply adds an extra digit.  This will include multiplying by multiples on ten (Tuesday), estimating products (Wednesday), and multiplying using the Area/Partial Product Method. There will be homework on Tuesday through Thursday this week to review these strategies. Remember to log in to Think Central for access to instructional videos, games, and examples used in class.  Here's an image of the Area/Partial Product method we will focus on this week (click on it for a video!):

Other multiplication strategies we will be covering are Partial Products, and the "old school" Regrouping method.  Keep in mind that I do not care which strategy is used, as long as the students can accurately show their work!

Science

For the rest of the marking period, I am attempting to stay on an alternating schedule of READ about, then DO SOMETHING about it.  Every other day we will observe/experiment/set-up a scientific experience, and the following day we will read about it.  This week we are classifying living things through kingdoms.  Look forward to hearing about our mold-growing experiences this week!  In addition, Tuesday/Wednesday the students will receive a cell-building project that will be worked on at home.  This will be due next Friday, October 14th.

Language Arts

Reading

We will continue our focus on Traditional Literature and the different types of Folktales. Both this week and next week will focus on Greek Mythology; tying in character traits, drama, theme, and conflict.  The culminating activity next week will be a performance on Pandora's Box!

Word Study

This week we will take our Work Study quiz on Tuesday.  The new words for the week are all homophone pairs (words that sound the same, but are spelled differently).  We will emphasize the difference in meaning this week, which is important when writing context-clue sentences.  There will be SIX options this week due to the need to focus on meaning and part of speech.  Here are the words for the week.  These words will last until Friday, October 14th.  The quiz will take place on that day as well.

Writing

We're working on finishing up our persuasive essays from last week,  Stay tuned!  In addition to finishing our persuasive essays, we will be writing many reflections during independent reading, as well as reflecting on our Science observations and experiments.

Have a great week!  Don't forget to stay updated through Twitter at @misterholmes25.