Week of 4/15

Odds and Ends: 

IAR testing is done! The kids worked hard and I am so proud of them! Way to go!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

* Thurs. 4/18:  Early Dismissal at 11

*Fri. 4/19: No School: Happy Easter

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We are continuing to read The One and Only Ivan. It is such a great story! We are talking about figurative language, point of view, and inferencing as we read and discuss the story.

*Spelling: A new word sort and activities will be sent home Mon. 4/15. The test and activities will be due on Fri. 4/26.

*Social Studies: We have been learning so much about the Great Chicago Fire. We have read about it from several different sources and watching some fascinating videos about the fire. We are writing stories about the fire from Mrs. O'Leary's cow's point of view. We will also be working on making brochures about cool places to visit in Chicago.

* Mrs. Olsen's Math Class: We are busy learning all about the attributes of different polgyons in geometry. There is SO much vocabulary in this unit, so please ask your child about the new math words and what they mean: words like acute angles, obtuse angles, right angles, perpendicular, parallel, quadrilateral, vertex, and more.  These are not "everyday" words, but they are present in everyday life. Go on an "angle" hunt in your home and find examples of the different angles. Same with lines...can your child find perpendicular and parallel lines in their everyday worlds? The more they practice, the more they will understand these concepts. Thanks!

We will also work on 4's division this week with a test on Mon. 4/22 due to the shortened week.

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen

Week of 4/8

Odds and Ends

I hope you all had a relaxing and fun Spring Break. The students were so excited to tell me all about the things they did.  My family drove to the sunny, warm beaches of Florida and we've been dreaming of the beach every since. Summer is just around the corner in Chicagoland..now we just need the sunshine and warm weather! 



IAR Testing: The students have been doing a fabulous job on their IAR testing! Just 2 more tests to go..ELA next week Tues. and Wed.  Way to go Panthers!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

* Mon. 4/8: Math: 11's division test 

*Tues. 4/9: IAR ELA test 1

*Wed. 4/10: IAR ELA Test 2 

*Fri. 4/12: Spelling: Test and 3 activities due 
Math: 3's division test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

* ELA: We started Unit 3: Stand Up for What You Believe In and began reading one of our favorite novels, The One and Only Ivan. This is a heartwarming story about a gorilla named Ivan. We will read the story together every day in class and have class discussions. We will focus on figurative language, point of view, and making inferences. We also will work on figuring out the meaning of the unknown words using context clues. 

*Spelling: We are working back on spelling again. We will have a test on Fri. 4/12 and 3 activities are due on Fri. Please check in with your child to see what they have done and what they have to finish by next week.  They have been given class time this week to work on it, so hopefully they are using their time wisely! 

* Social Studies: We are busy learning about the history of Chicago. We took our first graded quiz today. We will begin studying about the Industrial Revolution and the Great Chicago Fire next week. 

* Mrs. Olsen's Math Class: We have been working on the IAR test so we will officially begin unit 6 on Monday. We will focus on geometry and begin by looking at the attributes of polygons. We will take the 11's division test on Mon (rather than today due to IAR testing) and the 3's division test on Fri. 4/12. 

Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Olsen 

Week of 3/15

Odds and Ends: 

*We are excited to be taking a field trip the Chicago History Museum on Tues. March 19th. Please send your child with a disposable lunch that day.  We have been talking about the World's Fair and the Great Chicago Fire to prepare for our trip. 

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Tues. 3/19: Field Trip

*Wed. 3/20: Author Tom Watson visits 

* Thurs. 3/21: Prefix and Suffix Test

*Fri. 3/22: Math: 10's division timed test 
SPRING BREAK 2019 BEGINS! Have fun and stay safe!

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We are wrapping up our unit on non fiction features and structures.  We will work on reading non fiction text as we learn about Chicago. We will use the features we learned about to help answer comprehension questions. We are also working on finding evidence to help answer our questions. Students are expected to TQA (turn the question around) and use CS (complete sentences). 

* Spelling: We will wrap up our unit on prefixes and suffixes this week. We will take a graded test on Thurs. The packet is a great way to study for the test. A blue sheet was stapled to the packet that has circled prefixes and suffixes on it that your child should know. 


* Social Studies: We will continue our study of Chicago. 

*Mrs.Olsen's Math Class: We will begin unit 6: geometry. We will work on 10's division facts with a test on Fri. 3/22.  Looking ahead, we will do 11's division the week we get back and then 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, and finish with 12's. 

Happy St. Patty's Day! It's my very own leprechaun's 5th birthday on St. Patrick's day so we have a lot of celebrating to do! 

Best, 
Mrs. Olsen 

week of 3/11

Odds and Ends: 

Chicago History Museum Field Trip: We are looking forward to visiting this museum as an extension of our Chicago unit. Please send in a permission slip by Wed. 3/13. Thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS: 

*Mon. 3/11: Culture Day Presentations Begin 

*Wed. 3/13: Jr. Achievement #4

*Fri. 3/15: Jr. Achievement #3 
Math: 5's division test  and Unit 5 test 
PE: Basketball Test

A LOOK AT NEXT WEEK: 

*Reading: We are applying what we know about non fiction text features and structures to our study of Chicago. We will be taking some graded reviews about both non fiction text features and structures. 

* Spelling: Our focus for word work for the month of March is prefixes and suffixes, rather than the words their way spelling words.  We will be working on this every day in class and take a graded review before spring break. 

* Science: We are finished with our unit of magnets and forces. We will focus on social studies and our Chicago unit. 

*Social Studies: Chicago...my kind of town! We began our unit on Chicago and will be focusing on early Chicago (way back to the ice age) and how the area began to change and develop into a community. 

*Mrs. Olsen's Math Class: We are working on division and multiplication, focusing on how to write and solve story problems using these skills. We are wrapping up our unit next week as we work onf finding area. A study guide/practice test was sent home today and is due on Thurs. 3/14. The test will be on Fri. 3/15. We will work on 5's division facts this week, with a test on Fri. 3/15. 

Have a great weekend! Warmer weather? Yes... Please!

Mrs. Olsen