Hello Parents!  We have been busy little workers here at school ever since we returned from Spring Break.  Here is a quick curriculum update:

Reading:  We began a new unit in our Journeys reading program on Monday.  In the coming weeks, students will be reflecting on our big idea of: To reach a goal takes hard work.  This week's readings focus on famous athletes overcoming obstacles in their lives in order to achieve their goal.  We are also practicing identifying the main idea and supporting details within magazine articles and stories. 

Spelling:  Our spelling pattern this week is understanding the VCCV pattern.  Each of our words contains a vowel consonant consonant vowel pattern.  We have been practicing splitting the syllables in between the consonants. 
Examples:  per-son        Sun-day        hel-met

Writing:  Students are in the middle of taking their fictional stories through the writing process.  The stories need to include dialogue, similes, and sensory details.  Many of them have finished peer revising and are getting ready to teacher edit.  They can't wait to "publish" their final copies. 

Math:  We started Unit 9 Multiplication and Division on Monday.  This unit has four main areas of focus:
* To multiply and divide with multiples of 10, 100, and 1,000
* To use mental math to multiply
* To share money
* To find products of 2-digit numbers
Students are strongly encouraged to practice their basic multiplication facts at home for quick and accurate recall.  Knowing these facts will help them focus less on calculating and more on understanding the more difficult skills being introduced. 

Social Studies:  We completed Chapter 5 in our Social Studies Alive! textbook.  This chapter focused on cultural diversity.  Students began Chapter 6 on Monday and students learned about people who have made changes in their communities.  The figures they are studying include Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Judy Heumann, and Lois Marie Gibbs.  Students are creating "human monuments" to demonstrate the important work of these exceptional figures.  Ask your child for more details!

**We are still running low on pencils so if you have any extras at home, we'd appreciate the donation!

Have a great rest of the week! 
Mrs. Johnsen
johnsen.jill@iccsd.k12.ia.us