April 27-May 1

Monday: The students have started Iowa Basics testing, which we worked on all day.

Tuesday: We are continuing to work on Iowa Basics.  For a break in between tests, we’ve been getting outside to take photos for language arts.  The challenge is to take pictures that represent an emotion/theme.  Some students have chosen anger or sorrow.  I am very excited to see their finished products.

Remember to get plenty of rest and eat brain foods in preparation of another day of testing tomorrow. 

NOTE: We will not have spelling homework or a spelling test this week

Wednesday: Testing and taking photos in between for breaks.

Thursday: In Bible we read about Paul’s journey to Thessalonica and Berea, and we completed a worksheet.  During our regular math time, we finished the last section of testing and took a break for about 15 minutes to celebrate being done.  During language arts, the students were put in two different groups and given a photo to write a story around.  The photos were the same, but had a slightly different feel to them, which the students did an excellent job of capturing.  I hope this will encourage them to consider how editing can enhance their photos and help each photo fit their theme.  In the afternoon, we wrote a formula poem on our theme and shared them for the class.  Later we read letters that were exchanged between the US and Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis and watched a short video to recap the events.  Lastly, we read science textbook pages 138-139 and noted differences between angiosperms and gymnosperms.  

Friday: What Tree is That?

In Bible, we read about Paul in Athens and completed a crossword puzzle.   We didn’t have math today so we went outside to make observations on our conifer.  Then we went into the computer lab to identify our tree and find facts about it.  During language arts, we had reading buddies and finished our tree identification project.  During grammar mini, we wrote two analogies to go with our emotion photographs.  The rest of the afternoon was spent on a Cuban Missile Crisis simulation.  The two sides started trying to make peaceful compromises but ended in World War III.

 

April 20-24

NEWSPAPER:: http://www.newspaperclub.com/make-a-newspaper-online

Monday: We read about Lydia this morning and drew illustrations to reflect on humility, honor, and kindness.  The students met in prayer groups and looked over their memory verse.  During language arts, we talked about the sections of a newspaper, warmed up with writing an informational article, and divided into editorial groups to work on a section.  We will be publishing a class newspaper in the coming days.  This afternoon, I allowed students to work on spelling homework in class.  Many students were able to finish their homework for the week.  We are on list 6: #5-14 with bonus word armistice.  Later on we played a review game for our science exam.  We are pushing the exam to Wednesday instead of tomorrow to give us more study time.  We also started a new unit in Heritage.  We read about the Korean War and filled out a cause and effect.

Homework: Science test on Wednesday and memory verse on Wed

April 13-18

Monday: We started a Bible worksheet and will also be working on a memory verse from Galatians 2:20-21.  In language arts, the students created a sequel to our play and shared their new endings.  We also decided to perform the play for the 3rd and 4th graders on Friday!  For grammar mini we worked on spelling (our new list is list 5: #30-35 and list 6:#1-4).  Then we filled out a short study guide on WWII.  We made final repairs to our arthropods, which are now being displayed in the classroom.

Homework: Spelling Homework on Wednesday

Tuesday: We finished the Bible worksheet we started on Monday.  Later, we created props for our reader’s theater play.  In the afternoon, we went to the Chief Theater to view the production of Honk!

Wednesday: We did not have a chapel speaker this morning, so we took prayer requests and then went outside to play.  During language arts, we talked about what we liked from the play yesterday, finished the props, and had a dress rehearsal.  In the afternoon, we talked about analogies and created analogies from our science reading.  We also played a game to review both invertebrates and vertebrates.  In Heritage, the students added information to their study guides and we played a study game outside.

Homework: Heritage and spelling test on Friday

Thursday: This morning we illustrated scenes from Acts 16 and completed a crossword.  For language arts, we played a few improv games to practice speaking and acting skills.  We had our final dress rehearsal before performing for the 3rd and 4th graders tomorrow.  The students did an excellent job; it was a very polished performance!   In the afternoon, we learned a few new Spanish words and used those words to draw details on stick figures.  We had a long science period after that where we made observations on annelids.  We had partner groups go to different stations to learn about the behaviors of the worms.

Friday:  We practiced our memory verse this morning and then went over the play.  Since we were down a student, we had some quick rearranging to do.  We went to reading buddies, took a spelling test, and had a fantastic performance of our play!  The students were fluent readers and were confident in their lines!  In the afternoon, we played a grammar review game and took a Heritage test.  Lastly, we completed science workbook page 72 to help us review the unit and played a card game to help review.

Homework: Science exam will be next Tuesday

April 7-10

Monday: No school

Tuesday: This morning we read a skit from our Bible textbooks and then read through the story in Acts where Paul was stoned but survived and went back in the city to preach.  What a crazy story!  During language arts, the students had time to work on an essay we started last week comparing and contrasting characters in our novels.  We have finished reading the Survivors book, and this is our final project on it.  In the afternoon, I had a small group that brainstormed and worked on finishing their essay while another group played Mad Gab.  We continued watching the D-Day video, and this will be the last day we watch.  Through watching the video, the students have come to realize the difficulties facing the Allies at Normandy Beach.  The last thing we did today was to start researching an arthropod that we will create a clay model of later in the week.

Homework: Please be looking through folders, etc. to make sure all Survivor worksheets are turned in.  Assignments we’ve done for the book will go into 4th quarter. 

No spelling homework or spelling test this week

Wednesday: Our chapel speaker talked to us about the sin of selfishness and what the fruits of the spirit will look like in a family.  Later, we viewed several minutes of the 7th and 8th grade reader’s theater piece they’ve been working on.  This was a great example of reader’s theater for our class since we will be working on performing a reader’s theater script too!  In language arts, the students read through our reader’s theater script, and we created a drawing of our assigned character.  They practiced inference by using what they knew about their character and time period to imagine that character’s appearance.  During grammar mini, we had time to finish today’s assignment in language arts.  During Heritage we talked about the Manhattan Project and made decisions on how we would have responded to pursuing atomic weapon research and how to use/not use the bomb.  Lastly, we went out the computer lab to work on research of our arthropods.