Updates from Room 201
What a week it was last week! We had our first experience with MSTEP. Surprisingly the students said that they felt it was easier than they thought it would be. They also said that it was long and hard, but not as bad as they thought. Unfortunately when we go into the unknown, we always think the worst. In this case, I think it was a good thing because they thought it would be much more difficult that it was.
Next week Thursday we have the math MSTEP.
Reading and Writing
In reading and writing we have been researching in a groups on a specific animal. Students have already written a chapter to make a “book” of their first animal. They are now studying a new animal and writing two chapters each about this animal. Next week they will write an introduction and conclusion together.
Math
These next few lessons on math are heavy on vocabulary. It is one of my favorite units to teach, but students need to pay attention and learn the terms. A vocabulary sheet is coming home tonight. Please put it in a safe place to use for homework and studying.
Social Studies
We have begun studying the geography of Michigan. We’ve learned about absolute and relative locations. Some students did not know their home address. Check with your child and see if they can tell you your address. This is good to know for safety reasons! Today we talked about landforms such as islands, peninsulas, and mountains. We are moving quickly to get in as much social studies as we can over the next few weeks.
Upcoming Events
FORT DAY: Wednesday, May 12. Students may bring in a (clean) blanket to use to make a fort. There will only be two people per fort and it will be the same person that they sit with at lunch.
MSTEP: Thursday, May 13 (possibly 14) in the morning
Jet’s Pizza Night: Thursday, May 13. If you don’t feel like cooking, call Jet’s Pizza on Baldwin and tell that your child is in my class and we could win a class pizza party!