Week of 11/16/15

Ahoy!

Can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving! I cannot believe how fast this year is rushing by! Here is what were are working on in class.

Reading: We are in the middle of our unit on Tigers! Through learning about Tiger's students are also learning how to find the main idea of an informational text, how to find the main message of a literary text, how to ask and answer questions about the text, comparing and contrasting characters, and looking at how characters in a story change! One of the most difficult concepts for our students to master is the difference between main idea and main message.

Main idea: Informational text. The who, what, when, where, why.
Main message: Literary text. What is the author trying to teach us through this story? Often looking at the events that the character goes through is helpful. Can be a universal truth.

Writing: This week is all about figurative language. Students are learning about similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia, idioms, and personification.

Math: We are continuing to work on our conceptual understanding of multiplication and how to use it. This week is focused around using facts that we know to help us solve facts we don't yet know. We are also having a strong focus on using visuals and diagrams to help the students solve word problems.

Typing:
Please have your student practice typing. Come the spring students will be participating in SBAC (state testing) this is all on the computer. It is really beneficial to the students if they are comfortable typing. We are also working on it at school.

Spelling: 
live
without
life
different
off
Earth
through
first
head
there
because
almost
always
new
too
page
got
another

Challenge Words: 
bicycle
habitat
consumer
endangered
threatened

Mystery Questions: 

1) Write down two similes and two metaphors.
2) What are three words uses as onomatopoeia in people's writing?
3) The book "The Giving Tree" is an example of (choose one): a) metaphor b)simile      c)personification
4) Name three other types of figurative language that we haven't learned in class yet.

Reminders:
Now-12/4: Stuff the Bus collection. Any non-perishable foods are accepted.
11/25-11/27: Thanksgiving Break
12/11: Game and Movie Night

Thanks for all you do!
Miss Irwin