FIELD TRIP
Tuesday, April 24 is our field trip to the
Springfield Symphony Orchestra. We have to board the bus at 9 a.m. sharp to
insure that we arrive in Springfield at 9:30. Please be sure your student arrives to school on time Tuesday so
they don’t miss out.
READING
– NEW UNIT ON HISTORICAL FICTION
This week we begin our unit on historical
fiction. Our class read-aloud text is Number the Stars, a book about the
escape of a Jewish family from Denmark during World War II. During the unit students
will work in small groups to read and discuss a common text, like a book club
model. Ask your student about characteristics that make a book historical
fiction. Do you have any historical fiction favorites?
WRITING – NEW UNIT ON LITERARY
ESSAYS
Students will learn how to write a literary
essay. This type of essay is not a summary of the plot or characters, but
rather a critical and careful analysis of a theme or big idea of a story.
Students will support their ideas by citing evidence from the text. You may
notice this unit builds on the work from our last unit on persuasive essays.
MORNING MEETING – PROBLEM
SOLVING
For the past several Wednesday mornings we
have been learning about problem solving strategies, the last bend of our
Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum. In the last session we
discussed some ways to resist peer pressure and stay true to ourselves. It’s
not always easy to do, but students agreed that it’s really important!
GARDENING
Right before vacation we had our first spring
gardening class. Students selected seeds for the plants they would like to grow
this season. We also prepared the beds
for cultivation. A lesson on photosynthesis connected wonderfully to our science
unit on energy transformation. We head over to the garden again this Wednesday.
SUPPLIES NEEDED
Our supply of sanitizing wipes for cleaning
desks and tables has run out. Any donations of wipes would be appreciated.
