Week of October 25-29

I hope everyone had a restful, fun, and relaxing Fall Break!  Welcome back!  There are a few important reminders for this week.

1)  It is Red Ribbon Week!  Don't forget to wear red on Monday!  Tuesday we will were hats, and Friday wear camoflauge!

2)  Picture Day is Thursday!  Dress appropriately...this image will be in the yearbook!

3)  Parents, please start calling now to sign up for conferences.  You can sign up for Thursday, November 4 or Tuesday, November 9 from 2:40pm-6:00pm.  I encourage everyone to please sign up.  I think parents and teachers have the best influence on children when we work together.

4)  Progress Reports go home Wednesday, November 3rd.
***5)  I was mistaken!  November 10 is also our next Early Release Day.

Here is what's coming up this week in Mrs. Whitley's room!

Facts tests!  Facts tests!  Facts tests!  We are starting a new math unit over division and you're not likely to be very successful with division unless you know those math facts, so we will be having lots more facts tests!

Math:  How do I divide whole numbers and decimals?

This week we will begin a 2 week unit on division.  It is going to move fast!  We will cover division of 1 and 2-digit whole numbers, estimation strategies in division, and dividing decimals.  Please learn those facts, kids!

Reading:  How do I effectively participate in literature circles?

This week students will begin reading their literature circle books and completing a variety of jobs requiring them to use and understand the story elements, to summarize what they read, and to participate in weekly discussions over their reading.  Perhaps the most important life lesson learned during literature circles though is time management.  It is important for students to complete all assigned tasks by each literature circle meeting.  Reading and assignments are primarily intended to be completed during class, but can be taken home to complete if necessary.

Social Studies:  What were the first colonies in the New World?

We will begin a new social studies unit this week examining the 3 original English colonies in the New World--Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth.  This unit will help students to understand why these colonies were successful or not as well as the hardships of creating a new settlement in a new land.

Word Study:  How do words change when you add the suffixes -ed and -ing?

Students will learn rules for adding suffixes to the end of words.  Please see the websites on my Links page for extra practice.

Writing:  How are we scored over On-Demand Writing and what skills do I need to work on in order to improve my personal On-Demand scores?

Students will look at their scores on the On-Demand Writing task they completed prior to the break and use the scoring guide to understand how to improve their writing.  They will also have individual conferences with me regarding their successes and their areas for improvement.

It's going to be a fun and exciting week with Red Ribbon Week upon us!  As always, please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns!