Literature Circle

This week in literacy we focused on writing. Students worked really hard on their short stories and they are looking amazing! I cant wait to publish them. For the long three-day weekend, students were allowed to take their rough drafts and start typing them on their google classrooms accounts, so I can start making edits. I would love for them to spend some time this weekend making some progress. Students need to be completely finish with this projects by next Thursday. Students were also assigned to read La campeona de canicas. They will need to be ready for our book club discussion on Tuesday.

Don’t forget we have Camping Day on Friday, June 1st!

Science

Focus Question: Can an unknown chemical be identified by its solubility?

This week students received an unknown/mystery material. Based on the information explaining the properties of six different materials, students had to design a their own investigation to find our what the mystery material was.   Students had to determine the mass of the “mystery material”  and how much it would take to saturate 50 ml of water, and then, compare the value to other solids thus identifying the material.

The science concepts included:
• A solution is saturated when as much solid material as possible has dissolved in the liquid.
• Solubility is the property that substances have dissolving in solvents. Solubility is different for different materials and can change with temperature and different solvents.
• Simple solutions are composed of two components: a liquid solvent and a solid solute dissolved in the solvent.

Math

This week we finished our properties of triangles unit and began our next unit Three dimensional shapes. Our objectives were:

  • Understand and apply the properties of parallelogram, rhombus, and trapezoid
  • demonstrate understanding and mastery of the properties of geometric figures (relationship among angles and sides)
  • demonstrate understanding and mastery of the properties of a triangle and four-sided figures and their own special properties
  • Identify and classify prisms and pyramids
  • Identify the solid figure that can be formed from a net

History

This week we finished out Civil War unit. Our objectives were:

  • I can work with a group to come up with Reconstruction solutions
  • I can read about how Reconstruction was successful and unsuccessful
  • I can define and illustrate the main idea of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments
  • I can reflect on what I have learned about the Civil War

Spelling

This week we finished our rotation and began a new one. Our rotation days were:

  • Spelling City: Students had a chance to practice their spelling online at Spellingcity.com
  • Writer’s Workshop: Students were tasked with revising and editing their spelling sentences.
  • Blind Sort Test: Students tested each other on their spelling using the Blind Sort method
  • Word Search: Students received a word search with their new spelling words. They were tasked with finding and sorting their new words.

There is no spelling homework due next week! Our next spelling test is on June 5th!

Character Education Bake Sale

Thank you all for coming out and supporting our “Buy a Goat” Bake Sale! It was an amazing success and we raised almost $450!! ($448.75 to be exact). Wow! Thanks so much for donating, buying, and showing up to the sale. Your generosity is amazing! The 4th and 5th graders did a great job of hosting it and we are proud of them. Next week all classes will have the chance to vote on the animals we purchase through Heifer International.