1. Every day after testing, Mrs. Lizik has sent in a small treat for the kids...the first day they had Skittles, the second day was lollipops and today was Fun Dip...the kids wait in anticipation for me to tell them what Mrs. Lizik has sent and thenn they squeal with delight! Thank you Mrs. Lizik!!
2. We have completed three out of four days of testing. We finished the Reading portion of MSA testing on Wednesday. Today we began the Math portion and will finish this part this Monday. The kids are working VERY hard, using their time wisely, reading directions carefully, and showing their work. I am VERY proud of each one of them. Today's test was especially long...three 30 minute sessions, not including directions!
3. Which makes our afternoon plans even more fun...we are celebrating meeting our Soaring with Pride quota this afternoon (well a little bit of it we celebrated yesterday, too!) We will be headed outdoors to play class basketball games like "knock out" and "HORSE" and we will also play class football...for our friends that do not want to play, they will play on the equipment. Yesterday's portion was a free 1/2 hour in the computer lab after completing their power point presentations...and Ms. Maenner provided a fun snack for yesterday, too! Thank you, Ms. Maenner!
4. Other things we've worked on this week:
- explored probability using color tiles and paper bags, the kids used fractions to show the probability of drawing certain colors and then completed three trials to analyze if the probability matches the actual outcomes...very interesting discussion
- we discussed how to answer a question completely using details and examples...we read another chapter of 21 Balloons and had a class discussion
- we observed different types of soil, analyzed the soils' textures, colors, and materials found within...(I have great pictures of this activity that I will post once I am home this weekend)....then we gathered information about the different types of soil using books and video clips
- we continued our study of the water cycle by participating in a clever and creative Reader's Theater that helped us visualize what happens to each drop of water
- we have almost finished the review of all capital cursive letters...expect most of your child's work to be required in cursive the last quarter of this year...if your child needs extra practice...try exploring the link at the right called Zaner Bloser...you can make your own worksheets based on which letters your child needs to practice
The last day of testing is probably the hardest...not because the content is harder, but because they are so ready to be finished...so continue to encourage your child to give it his/her all on Monday...make sure they have a good amount of sleep and a yummy breakfast! Thanks for being my partner in ensuring your child has a positive testing experience!
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to email me at any time...have a good weekend!
