Thursday, December 22nd, 2022

Happy Thursday Families!

As the calendar year comes to a close, I can't help but look back on all the wonderful things our students have done so far this school year!  As we reflect on the hard work that they have done so far this school year and the progress they have made, our students will leap into the new year and continue to work towards meeting their academic and social-emotional goals. 

Here are the concepts we are focusing on as we continue to work after Winter Break:

Literacy
Our students just wrapped up reading our shared text, "Angel Island".  The text told about the history and hardships surrounding immigrating through Angel Island in the early 20th century.  As we worked through the text, we practiced identifying while comparing and contrasting the author's point of view and the evidence they used to support their points.  When we return from break, our students will continue to practice this skill using various non-fiction texts and take their end of cycle assessment to test this standard. 

Writing
Our students are working to wrap up their current analytical essays.   The prompt given was "Which classroom pet would be best for the classroom?".  As we work towards their end product, we will continue to focus on students' organization, explaining how the evidence in their papers support the key ideas and the overall thesis, and writing effective and engaging lasting impressions within their conclusions.  

Math
Students have worked hard to master the standard algorithm of multiplication for both 2-digit by 2-digit and 3-digit by 2-digit problems.  Students took a checkpoint on this skill yesterday and the results of the assessment will be available after the break.  We will spend the week when we return from Winter Break to work on long division.  This skill will not be formally assessed for mastery until closer to the end of the year.  After multiplying and dividing whole numbers, our next unit will focus on multiplying and dividing fractions.

Social Studies
When we return from break, we will shift our focus to the Colonial Era.  Through reading various texts, discussions, and activities, our students will work to answer how facing the complexities of America's past could help us to meet the challenges of the present?

Science
We are starting to wrap up our studies about the Earth's systems.  Recently, we analyzed how farming and industries negatively impact Earth's four systems (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere).  We also discussed ways people could protect the Earth, which involved the conservation of resources, such as fossil fuels.  In our investigation yesterday, we took on the role of engineers and used various materials to design a water filter that could remove dirt and produce clean water.  Through this investigation, we explored the consequences of pollution and ways to protect the Earth's systems.

Upcoming Events

December 22nd - January 9th(Thursday): WINTER BREAK

January 16th: No School (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day)

Friendly Reminders

*As winter weather approaches, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

*Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

*Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

*Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

*Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Break and that you are able to take time to rest and be surrounded by Peace, Love and Joy!

Enzie Pangilinan

Sunday, December 4th, 2022

Happy Sunday Families!

Happy December! I hope that everyone had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving break! Included within this week's email that was sent, there is a family letter regarding our upcoming unit in math, which focuses on multi-digit multiplication. We also have MAP testing this week, starting with Reading tomorrow, Monday, December 5th.

 

As we begin to wrap up 2022, here's what's going on within our classroom!

 

Literacy

This week, our shared text featured an excerpt of the novel, Hatchet. The text tells the story of Brian, a thirteen-year-old boy, who encounters a completely unexpected and unfortunate event that leaves him stranded in the Canadian wilderness to survive by himself with nothing but a hatchet. Using Hatchet, we discussed Brian's thoughts, actions, and feelings in order to analyze the challenges he faced and determine the overall theme. We also practiced our summarizing skills by identifying the main events and character responses in the text.

 

Writing

Our analytical writing focuses on the students' opinions of what type of class pet we should get. After researching, students have been utilizing graphic organizers to organize information into reasons and evidence that support their animal. We will be practicing more with writing an engaging introduction, keeping our body paragraphs clear and organized, and writing strong conclusions. Ask your student which class pet they chose and why!

 

Math

We wrapped up our math unit on decimals and place values by reviewing learned concepts and taking the end of unit assessment. The Unit 3 targets included reading/writing decimals, comparing decimals, rounding decimals, and adding/subtracting decimals. Our upcoming unit encompasses mulit-digit multiplication. Students will be learning how to use the standard algorithm to multiply. In Number Corner, we will measure our height and feet length within inches. Throughout the month of December, we will regularly plot the data onto a line plot. We will also be plotting the data onto a scatter plot to analyze the correlation between height and foot length.

 

Science

We are beginning to get deeper into our unit about the Earth's systems. We have learned about Earth’s four systems (biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere). We will be analyzing how farming and industries negatively impact those four systems. We also discussed ways that people could protect the Earth, which involves the conservation of resources, such as fossil fuels.

 

Upcoming Events

Monday, December 5th- MAP Testing

Tuesday, December 6th- MAP Testing

Tuesday, December 13th -  Early Release (Dismissal @ 2:05pm)

Friday, December 23rd - Sunday, January 8th - Winter Break

 

Friendly Reminders

• As winter weather approaches, please make sure your student is properly dressed for recess.

• Please remind your student to charge his/her iPad and Logitech Crayon every night.

• Orchestra & Band Parents: Please make sure your students have their instrument on assigned days.

• Please remember to send your student with a healthy snack - nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!  

• Please continue to have your student practice their multiplication facts up to 12.