March Newsletter

Here is what we are focusing on this month:

1. Math- We are finishing Unit 5 (measurement) this week. Unit 6 will start next week. Unit 6 is all about fractions, including adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators, mixed fractions, adding and subtracting mixed fractions, and multiplying whole numbers and fractions together.

If students get below 80% on a classroom assignment or test, they are allowed to correct the problems and turn them back in. If I see that the student clearly understands his/her mistake, I will give back half a point for each corrected problem. Please encourage and help your child to do this! We all learn from correcting our mistakes!

2.Reading- We are more than halfway through our class 40 book reading challenge! Students keep track of books in their reading notebook portion of their data binders. Please encourage them to read at home at least 20 minutes a night. Reading minutes should be written in the planner each day and totaled at the end of each month. Minutes need to be signed by a parent/guardian to count! Students also keep track of their reading minutes in their data binders.

We have learned how to pick books that are a "good fit" for us. We are also working on behaviors while we read to ourselves and others in class. We are building stamina to be able to read for long periods of time without stopping! A list of behaviors is listed on the side of this blog.

3. Writing- We are learning about how to write an opinion essay. We will be typing these out for our final drafts. We are also learning about the trait of Organization in our 6 traits of writing study. For grammar, we will be learning about adjectives. We will be able to recognize them in a sentence and use them in our writing properly.

We are also enjoying learning how to write letters each month to our pen pals! Our pen pals are my niece's fourth grade class in Woods Cross. It is really fun to see how motivated we are to write when we have someone to write to!

4. Social Studies- We just finished a unit on the mountain men and explorers of Utah. Pioneers will be next. We will be learning about why these people came to Utah and how they helped to shape Utah into what it is today.

5. Science- We are finishing our unit on rocks and soil this week with a test. In a few weeks we will start a new unit on fossils. We will learn about the different types of fossils (trace, imprint, preserved, mold and cast, and mineral replacement) and how they are formed.