Final Posting for the 2016/17 School Year

Here we go!

ELA: Students will continue working on Genius Hour topics. I will give students the opportunity to present their topic to the class in a way of their choosing. Please discuss this with them. Some ideas are posters, song, song and movement, "talking puppets", oral presentation, diarama, etc...All students will be writing a final report, as well. The other main thing we are doing is book clubs once again. Based on my final reading testing, students are in groups where they read and react to chapters in the books. At times, they are asked to write summaries or personal reactions. They will also share favorite parts and favorite characters. Please ask your child about his/her story.

Math: I sent Unit 7 math tests home last week. We are now working on a unit that reviews place value; the thousands place has been added Students will be adding larger numbers where the answers may be in the thousands. We are also subtracting with bigger numbers. You can see why mastering basic facts is so important.

Science: Students will bring home a page on clouds. The instructions are on the page, but basically your child is asked to go outside and observe the clouds. It would be great if you could have a conversation about their observations. We continue learning about air and weather in many ways.

Social Studies: As we started learning about Detroit, it came to my attention that students don't have the full truth in their minds about the city. Many think negatively about it. So, it will be my effort to develop a fuller understanding of this city and what it has to offer. Whatever you can do on your part would be beneficial, too.

Thanks for reading!

Week Beginning May 15

Check out our week.

ELA: We will start our week with an evaluation of spelling months of the year. Daily language activities continue so students are learning about usage, grammar, capitalization, punctuation and spelling. Students will also be engaged in the Genius Hour topics they selected in the fall. This involves reading and writing.

Math: Our week will continue with story problems, arrays, and fractions. There will be a unit review, and possibly a test (if not this week, then early next week). Students will also be tested on basic facts; for some that is addition/ and or subtraction, while others have moved on to multiplication.

SS: Our focus this week will be on Birmingham history to prepare students for our field trip. I have also invited Mr. Gratch to come to class and share his knowledge of the history of Bingham Farms. He grew up in the community and has a unique story to tell. Thank you so much, Mr. Gratch!

Week of May 8-12

Here's a quick look at the week.

ELA: Students will practice their speaking and listening skills all week. They will have the opportunity to choose different writing genre. If your child has a favorite book or books that you deem is an appropriate reading level, please have your child bring it to school. We will review many skills like making connections, sequencing, cause and effect and more. I want students to see they use these skills with all books, not just the ones at school.

Math: We are working with arrays, fractions and more. Students will continue solving story problems using these concepts. There are still weekly addition, subtraction and multiplication tests. Study time for these is at home.

Science/SS: In science, air and weather are our topics. This week, students will create parachutes and see how they work. For SS, we will be learning about Birmingham's founders and change over time as we prepare for our field trip. Please expect two permission slips for our upcoming trips.

Thanks for checking in. Enjoy the week.

Week Beginning April 17

Here's a glance at our week:

ELA: Students are reading tales. Then they are discussing and comparing them. One was sent home this past Thursday. I hope your child read it to you. Please remind your child to return it to school on Monday. Our writing activities will keep your young authors busy. I can't say more since I don't want to give any hints about an upcoming celebration. Just know your child is doing his/her Bingham Best in this area. New words will be sent home Monday.

Math: Data and graphing are the topics of the week. Students will acquire data and learn various ways to graph it. There will also be timed tests for addition and subtraction.

Science: Our new kit on Weather has arrived. We will get started with that.

Thanks for checking in.

News For Week Beginning March 20

Here's a synopsis of the week ahead.

ELA: We are reading nonfiction and determining main ideas and key details. This continues from last week. Students often have free choice reading time. Some students continue to read "series" books. Others pick poetry, likely because we are working with that genre in writing. Please have your child do spelling sorts at home, as this promotes better reading and writing as they learn new patterns.

Math: Our unit on addition and subtraction with ungrouping will conclude prior to vacation. The students should be able to read a math story, know whether to add or subtract and solve the problem. They should also be able to solve 2-step story problems. Some students still need to memorize basic addition and subtraction facts.

Science: Tests on our plant unit were sent home Friday.

Thanks for checking in and I hope you are having a great weekend!

The Week Starting February 27, 2017

Hi Families,
Since I provided a synopsis of the week on the home page, I will not be doing it here. But, thanks for checking in!

Week Starting Monday, January 23

Here's a peek at the week ahead.

ELA/SS: Students will read about Flat Stanley and his travels as we build upon well established reading skills and geography. Look for information to come home this week that will need to be returned to school. We are going to finalize our "expert" writing with all about stories. Since the children have read biographies, they will write a mini-biography about a family member of their choice.

Math: This week will be used to review and strengthen key concepts in measurement and geometry. Students have been working with estimation and true measurements. They will continue to identify and create 2d and 3d shapes. A review done in class will also come home as a study guide.

Science: We will measure and observe our plants. Thank you Mrs. Rass for donating the mint seeds! We will get those planted this week, as well.

Please stress kindness and respect to all with your young ones. This will be an excellent way to build toward our Week of Kindness celebration.

That's it in a nutshell. Thanks as always for checking in.