I don't know about you, but I feel like this year is slipping away faster and faster and I am not ready! I have enjoyed this class of students so much and I am just not ready for them to move on in a few short weeks! Thank you for entrusting your children to me, they are incredible and you should all be proud!
ELA:
This week we will be working hard to finish our essays on our Native American Tribes. The current plan is that rough drafts will be due by the end of class on Wednesday. We will be editing them on Thursday and submitting the final draft at the end of class on Thursday.
We will not have any more quizzes before ISATs. I try to lighten the testing load as much as possible before testing so that students can put all of their focus there.
Math:
This week in math we will be moving to Topic 16, but it is still covering geometry. We have been talking in class a lot about thinking critically about the math problem. Often times when students see complex problems, they freeze up and feel they cannot solve the problem. I have been encouraging them to start by asking themselves "What do I know?" This gives them a starting point and often from there they are able to work through the problem, rather than feeling defeated. :)
Science Fair Project:
Today your student will be bringing home Step 3: Testing your Hypothesis for their science fair project. This is where the fun really happens! Students need to be sure to take pictures of the process and take notes as they go. This will insure they are ready to go for the final step, which is creating their presentation.
I have included all of the steps in Infinite Campus. This is because at this point projects may progress at different rates. If your student is able to finish Step 3, they are welcome to look at Step 4 and begin putting things together. I would caution to not make anything permanent on their board yet because they may want to make changes as we talk about them in class.
The Science Fair will be on Thursday, May 15th from 5:30-7:00. This is a drop in style event and your student is welcome to take their project home at the end of the evening.
ISAT Testing:
We are coming up on state testing time. I wanted to make sure I let you know the dates of testing so that you can plan ahead and make sure your student is here for that. Also, it helps to make sure your student is getting consistent good sleep leading up to testing. There are two parts to both the ELA and Math ISATs. They are the Performance Task (PT) and the Computer-Adaptive Test (CAT). We will give these on different days so that they kids aren't overwhelmed. That means we will have 4 days of testing total.
ISAT Party:
ISAT Dates:
4/29: ELA CAT
4/30: ELA PT
4/6: Math CAT
5/7: Math PT
Each year I throw an ISAT party for my students to celebrate all of their hard work after they have taken the ISATs. This is different than other class parties because students have to earn an invitation to this party. They can earn an invitation in one of two ways.
1. By scoring a 3 or 4 on the ISAT or moving from one level to the next. For example if they were a 1 in 3rd grade but scored a 2 in 4th grade, that is moving one level.
2. By working really hard leading up to ISAT testing to do their best. I understand that test anxiety is a real thing. Those students who work really hard and don't keep their classmates from succeeding by being a distraction, can also earn an invite to the party even if they don't get the score that they want. Students with a significant amount of missing work, may not get to attend because they aren't meeting this requirement.
Students who do not earn an invitation to the ISAT party will spend that time completing work in another classroom. I will let you and your student know if they are at risk of not earning an invitation to the party while they still have time to turn things around. :)
House Colors Thursday:
Now that I know students all have something in their house color because I have gifted it (hat and socks) or they have gotten a shirt, I am offering a house point for each student who wears their House Color on Thursdays! I am still making shirts for students as they bring them in. I also had some amazing donations from parents to buy vinyl and had one parent send in vinyl so if your student already brought in a sweatshirt and would like a t-shirt (or vice versa), they are welcome to bring in the other while the vinyl lasts. :) Again, if your student would like a house shirt but it is not within your budget right now, please let me know and I can help out with that!
I also had a parent donate extra shirts for students who may not be able to afford one! Thank you so much! If your student would like one of those, please let me know! It will be a first come, first served basis. :) I have 1 each of Amistad and Rêveur.
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