Happy Saturday!!  I hope you all had a great week and are ready to enjoy a three-day weekend with the kiddos!

Science: This week in science the kids were given time to work on their research projects.  We had previously said that they would be due yesterday but I have given them a few more days to work on them because we had some changes to our schedule this week.  We also began setting up a Force Investigation in our science notebooks that will test the amount of force we need to use when pulling a toy car across a ramp covered in different materials (felt, aluminum foil, carpet, etc).  This investigation is a great way for us to review the steps in the scientific method.

Writing:  On Monday and Tuesday this week the kiddos worked to finish publishing their memoirs.  On Wednesday they were given an opportunity to share their memoir with our class if they wanted. They worked so hard and the memoirs turned out to be so heartfelt.  We are now getting ready to start our next unit on Argument/ Opinion Essays.  The kids seem excited!

Math: This week in math we have covered multiplying and dividing fractions (lessons 10.6 -  10.11).  We will finish up chapter 10 on Tuesday and then will review for our test on Wednesday and Thursday.  The test will be Friday, February 20th.  Please encourage your child to study more than a day in advanced for the test.  I will be sending some study material through email early next week.  Thank you for your support at home!

Reading: We are continuing to work in our test-preparation unit this week.  We have discussed how, as test-takers, we can predict the types of questions the test-maker might ask based on the genre of the passage.  We have also practiced predicting the answer to multiple-choice questions before even looking at the answer choices.  This helps us to not get tricked by the answers the test-makers has written.

Upcoming Events:

2/16: No School - President’s Day

2/17: PRISM Projects Due (please bring to school so they can be checked before Science Night)

2/19: Science Night

2/20: Math test

Please remember to send in the Middle School Form that was sent home on Tuesday.  You need to fill out the bottom portion and then rip off the yellow copy.  All I need back is the top copy (white form).  Thank you! Have a great weekend!

Miss DiFranco