A Week Without Snow :)

Finally, we have a week of school with no snow days, late starts or early dismissals!
On Monday we will have a brief Valentines Day Party. If students wish to give out Valentines they may do so, but they should give one to everyone in the class and not a select few.
Students have been working on an Egyptian Scrapbook in social studies classes. This project will be graded and students have a descriptor of the requirements for this project. We have had the last social studies class where students worked on this project. The scrapbook now needs to be completed outside of school as homework. The due date for is Thursday, March 3rd.
One of our activities for the national Read Across America Day will be skyping with another fifth grade class in New Jersey. We will participate in a "Battle of Dr. Seuss Books." On March 2nd we will be celebrating this day with a guest reader, Jim Peavy, reading to our class. Students are also encouraged to dress up as their favorite book character on this day.
Expository writing is our focus for the third quarter. Currently students are working on an essay explaining a scientific process. They were given three topics to select from, and all three topics are ones they have covered in science class. Gathering factual information(note taking), using precise vocabulary(scientific terms) and writing a strong lead with a "hook" and a clear focus statement are writing skills we have focused on.
Adding and subtracting fractions with different denominators and simplifying them(lowest terms) have challenged the students in their thinking. Please remember your child and you can access the Everyday Math Student Reference Book from the student resources link on the school's homepage. This resource can be very useful when helping with homework.