Mr. Kohler's Classroom News
Wednesday, March 5
Book Fair
March is Reading Month
Below you will see attachments for the daily calendar events/activities. You will also see a blank march calendar. Please sign any day that your child reads for at least 20 minutes at home. If you child gets 21/25 days they will receive a prize.
Upcoming Events
March 7 Class Pizza Party for getting 379 AR Points last Friday!!!!
March 10 Book Fair Parent Night 5-7 pmMarch 11 Book Fair Classroom Shopping Day 9:15-9:55
March 11 Battle of the Books @ BCES 4:00
March 25 AR Points Due by the end of the day
March 25 Kindergarten Round-Up 7pm
March 26 Kindergarten Round-Up 11am
March 28 End of Marking Period
April 3 March Madness Assembly 2pm
April 4 Frankenmuth Carnival (this is a reschedule date)
April 7-11 Spring Break
Reading
The 5th grade is reading Number the Stars. This is an historical fiction book that takes place in Denmark during World War II. I am able to incorporate a lot of the history and facts from this time as we read the book. The students really enjoy the story, and they should be able to tell you about some of the key points people (Jewish and Non-Jewish) faced during this time.
The 4th graders are reading There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. This is a realistic fiction story that the students love. It involves Bradley (the main character) who starts out the book as someone who is not well liked, and he gets in a lot of trouble. As the book goes on we see Bradley begin to mature and make better choices because of his new friend, Jeff. The students really enjoy the humor in this book, and there are many days I hear them laughing as they are reading silently.
Just a reminder that AR points will be due on March 25th at the end of the day. 4th grade students need 14 AR points, and 5th grade students need 15 AR points. You should have seen (with their progress report) how many points your child currently has.
A lot of the students have gotten into the "Sammy Keyes" series. I read one of these books as a read aloud, and most of the students really got into the book. This is a good mystery series that is at 5th-6th grade reading level.
Math
The 5th graders have been working on their unit that focuses on exponents and the different concepts of negative numbers. The students did very well picking up on how to create and solve different problems involving exponents. The concept of negative numbers was a bit more tricky for them, so we have spent a little more time on that. Now your child should be able to add/subtract negative numbers, order numbers that involve both negatives and positives, and multiply negative numbers. They have spent the past 3 days doing whole group lessons with the 4th graders on angles. They have learned how to find vertical angles, supplementary angles, adjacent angles, and congruent angles. They also reviewed how to use a protractor to find the measure of different angles. Look for a study guide on Friday, and your child will be tested on these skills on Wednesday of next week.
Writing
Today the students started a Google Doc with 1-2 partners. The story is titled "Candy Shop". The students were spaced out around the room and had to both work on the story at the same time. The only communication they could have was by using their comments section in the doc.
Any of these documents can be opened at home to view. Just have your child sign-in to their school account on your home computer, tablet, or laptop. I also encourage the students to work on these writing pieces at home if they have time.
Social Studies
The 5th graders have been learning about the early settlements of the United States and Canada. We have talked about how explorers searched for the Northwest Passage, but it was never found. Some of the early settlements we have covered or will cover are: Roanoke Island, Jamestown, Plymouth, New Amsterdam, and Quebec.
Check with your 5th grade student to make sure that they are working on their Explorer Maps at home. They are due on Monday, and the students will have had about 1.5 weeks to work on them at home. If you have any questions about this please email or contact me.
Each grade has just over a week left in their units. So you should expect a study guide, over these units, to come home sometime next week.