Happy Mother's Day!

The children enjoyed making a Mother’s Day card for their moms in the computer lab on Friday! They took the pictures of themselves using their computer, and they typed their card entirely on their own. (I only helped shrink the text if they needed more room!) I found that the notes they wrote were very endearing, I hope you did too! They also asked if they could make a tissue-paper flower for their moms… We hope you enjoyed them!

Additional items to note:

* I can't thank you enough for the wonderful words, cards, flowers, (and upcoming lunch!) I received in honor of Teacher Appreciation week! My desk converted into a miniature garden over the course of a few days! It feels so great to be appreciated, and I absolutely felt it 10-fold this week. As I mentioned in my email, my real treat is working with your children!

* The children participated in an oil spill simulation as we wrapped up our 'Save the Earth' unit!

* The children finished their Junior Achievement lessons with Ms. Younan. They each received a certificate of participation!

* * We prepared for our trip to Australia!

* * The children took their Unit 5 Reading Assessment on Friday. We begin our last unit of the year on Monday!

Spelling

This week was a review week, so again the children chose their own spelling words to work on. I was pleasantly surprised to see the level of words the children chose for themselves! Many of them chose words that came right out of our science/social studies units, which was an excellent way to build their understanding and bridge their learning between science and spelling! They are such intuitive kids!

Reading/Writing

The children completed another week of the 6-minute solution! Look for their reading graphs from the last three weeks to come home on Monday. You will notice that their fluency scores started lower (in blue) at the beginning of each week, but grew higher after practicing! I also noticed that their overall graphs seemed to be taller at the end of the 3 weeks than they were at the start! It was perfect practice before the children completed their last fluency assessment with me this week, known as their “CBM!” We also met with our reading groups, and we put finishing touches on our fairy tales! Finally, the children took their Treasures reading assessment for Unit 5. It covers the large range of skills we have been working on over the last 5 weeks of school. We begin our new unit on Monday!

Math

We spent the week working on: making change by counting up to $1.00, $5.00, and $10.00, exploring the area of several shapes, and working on place value, practicing numbers up to the ten thousands place! Next week the children will also be exposed to solving problems with parentheses, and will begin to think about the order of operations! Our Unit 10 assessment will be next week.

Science

The children had such a fun and engaging time during our science lessons! We wrapped up our Save the Earth lessons by reading a book called Oil Spill! and then simulating an oil spill using water, oil, cinnamon, and marshmallows. The children noticed how the oil covered the bowl and the marshmallows, and when they were asked to attempt to remove it from the bowl, they realized just what a difficult task it was. The children really seemed to develop a strong understanding of just how much our planet needs us to protect it!

Social Studies

After creating our suitcases, assembling our passports, and packing for our trip, the children “flew” to Australia! Now that we have arrived, the children will be learning all about how life “Down Under” is similar, and different, to life here in the United States.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Mother’s Day!