This part of the year always seems to go by so quickly and it becomes very busy. I wanted to let you know of some things that are happening in the classroom and give you a glance ahead of some important dates coming up.

Math:

We have started unit 10 in the Everyday Math program, which is filled with some review concepts, as well as new material that is at a beginning/introductory stage. We only have 1 unit left! We finished our math project, “Journey North: Mystery Classes” and found out where in the world each place was located. The students worked very hard on calculating sunrise/sunset data for the photoperiods each week, as well as solving for the longitude. We even researched each clue that was given. This Friday we will receive pictures & info about each place. The students were very engaged and had a great learning experience!

Literacy:

As for reading, we have been working in reading groups/literature circles on  student-chosen books. We also have been continuing to strengthen our reading strategies with lessons from the Comprehension Toolkit and using our strategies when we read our Time for Kids magazines. Please continue to provide encouragement of reading every night for homework!

Awhile back we finished our biography unit and the students completed an amazing project of their chosen famous person. If you get a chance to view them, the projects are hanging in the hallway outside the classroom. They will stay up for our upcoming “Celebration of Learning” day (more to come on that in a bit).

In writer’s workshop, we finished up our fiction unit and I think the students felt proud of their first attempts at a developed fiction story. It was fun to see characters and plot lines develop. As soon as they are typed and into anthology books we will celebrate them with you. We have now moved into our poetry unit and are hard at work crafting beautiful poems.

Theme/Enrichment:

This past week we were able to meet author Kevin Hawkes! It was amazing to see how he creates illustrations/stories. We wish we could have stayed with him all day! Everyone left thinking what a fun job it would be to have as a grown-up.

Mrs. Smith (Lindsey’s mom) has started to come into the classroom once a week to work with the students with the Junior Achievement Program. It is a great way for students to learn about the community and how it functions.

Our unit on the Marsh has just begun and we will be learning about what makes the marsh so important. We will have the opportunity of visiting the marsh in June. Permission Slips should be coming out soon, so be thinking if you’d like to chaperone.

Important Dates/Events:

MAP Testing: May 17th Reading, May 24th Math (please remember extra sleep/good breakfasts/snacks)

May 20th: Donations for our “Friday Night Fun Basket” are due

May 26th: Carol Steingart visits for Marsh presentations

May 27th: Grandparent’s Day (event schedule-school website)

June 2nd: Spring Art Show

June 6th: Scarborough Marsh Field Trip

June 6th: Third Grade Concert in the evening

June 14th: Field Day

June 17th: Last Day of School

**Also, if there are any volunteers to help with some typing, it would be greatly appreciated. Just let me know!**

Happily Learning,

Chris Wentworth