State Assessments are Done!!!

Students did a great job finishing up state assessments this week and we are happy to be done!

We finished up with our Kansas Science Assessment this week, which we took on Tuesday and Thursday. The students worked hard on this assessment and feel good about their success.

Miss Burns has been teaching full time the past few weeks, and I'm happy to say that she's been doing a great job. The students have responded well to her and her lessons are highly engaging and motivating.

In MATH, we have started our chapter on decimals. All three groups are working with decimals in some capacity, including writing decimals correctly, reading decimals correctly, comparing, adding, and subtracting decimals. This is a short chapter, so we will continue with decimals next week, and some groups may even finish the chapter next week. A great way to practice decimals is with money. Keep the newspaper ads or go on-line and find the price of different things and have students add up how much it would cost for them to purchase everything they want.

In READING, we finished our novel study on Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes. The students took their test on Wednesday, and these should have come home yesterday. Next week, we will learn about Fables and complete a poetry activity. We will begin a new novel study the following week.

In SOCIAL STUDIES, we started learning about the Northeast region of the United States. The students have gotten information on Maine and New York so far. We will continue this unit next week, learning about each of the 11 states in this region. There will not be a research project for this region.
We also took a field trip to the Isaac Goodnow House on Claflin Street. The students got to tour the house as well as the Hartford House that came over on the Hartford Steamboat back in the 1800's.

As one assessment closes, another one opens. Students will be taking their end of the year MAP tests for reading and math beginning next week. We will take our reading MAP test next Tuesday, April 30, and our math MAP test on Friday, May 3. We will also take our end of the year SRI (lexile level) the week of May 13 so all students will have their end of the year lexile level for their summer reading.

I hope all of you received the information about the field trip we will be taking on Tuesday, May 7 to Topeka. We will be visiting the state capital building as well as the Kansas History Museum. These are both very exciting places to visit in Topeka and students will learn a lot about Kansas history.

Don't forget that we will have Early Dismissal on Friday, May 17 and Field Day on Tuesday, May 21st from 9-11am. Feel free to come join us for field day! Our last day of school will be on Thursday, May 23 with a half day of classes. No lunch will be served on the last day of school.

As always, should you have any questions or concerns, please let me know! I can't believe we are closing in on our last few weeks together. This year has gone by so quickly! Have a wonderful weekend!


PICTURES OF OUR FIELD TRIP TO THE ISAAC GOODNOW HOUSE

State Assessment Week

Students have been working hard the past few weeks in preparation for the math state assessment. We will be taking this test on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week from 9-10 am. This means that students need to make sure they are getting a good night's rest, breakfast in the morning, and getting to school on time in order to get their full hour to work on the test. Students will be taking these in their leveled math groups each morning.

In MATH, we have been reviewing skills needed for the state assessment. Students have been reviewing geometry/shapes, input/output boxes, mean/median/mode/range, and other problem solving skills. It seems that most students are feeling good about being ready for the test. Please give your child a word of encouragement as they leave the house the next three days to make sure they feel good about themselves taking this test and doing their best. It would also be beneficial if you talk to them about how important it is for them to take their time on each problem. We have found that many of them would rather guess the answer than take the time to solve the hard problems.

In READING, Miss Burns has started a novel study with the class. They are currently reading SADAKO AND THE THOUSAND PAPER CRANES. This is a very interesting book about a little girl who gets leukemia as the result of the atom bomb that was dropped on Japan. It ties in well with World War 2 history, while at the same time, addressing the reading skills. Ask your child about it when they get home each night to see what they have read about each day. This book has some wonderful life lessons in it!

In SOCIAL STUDIES, students just finished up their West research projects. Each student researched a state in the west region and completed a project of their choice on their state. You should have seen these project grades come home last week. This was a big part of their social studies grade, so be sure to ask your child how they did on their project.
We are now moving on to SCIENCE to review for the state science assessment we will be taking next Tuesday and Thursday, April 23rd and 25th. We will be reviewing electricity/magnetism, water cycle, nutrition, and solids/liquids/gasses. The science state assessment is given in fourth grade at the elementary level, so it's your child's lucky year!

The students and I are all looking forward to assessments being over at the end of next week. This is a high stress time for your child, so make sure they are getting the sleep they need each night in order to be prepared for the thinking they will be doing the next day. Their scores will reflect their effort, and we want nothing but their best effort on these tests. Thank you for your help at home to make your child feel comfortable about these tests at school.

Let's continue to cross our fingers that spring weather will continue so we can have outdoor time at recess! Have a great week and let me know if you have any questions or concerns about what's happening in our classroom.