The B Hive 11.3

Good morning!  I feel like we finally hit fall.  Although the snow flake possibilities are making me feel more like winter.  We were busy this week.  Check out what we've been up to:

Reading - we did some regrouping this week for guided reading groups.  Students are now in a group with others who need help on a specific set of reading skills.  Those skills were talked about at conferences and they are within the text, beyond the text, and about the text skills.  They will be working with their group to really uncover what it means to think within, about, and beyond.  We are still reading and being grossed out occasionally by Joey in Joey Pigza Swallows the Key. 

Writing - we finished up our region articles this week and students will be or already have brought a copy home.  They will be up at EXPO in the hallway for all to see.  We worked hard on them.  We are now shifting our writing focus to fiction writing. 

Math - we began a unit on fractions.  So far we have talked about how we can equally share with a group of people and have begun to think about equivalent fractions.  Fractions can be difficult for many students because we are now thinking about part of something and not always a whole.  There is a new IXL log attached to the homework log to help focus their work on IXL at home. 

PBL - we are still working on the brain.  We have finished our research and will be creating models to teach others about a sensory organ that we have researched. 

A few things to note:

1.  Unit 2 post test will come home tonight in homework folder.  Check it out and use IXL to practice those skills.
2.  Unit 3 pre test will also come home tonight.  There is an IXL practice log and the homelinks.  Students should use these to help support their math work. 
3.  There is a new homework log format.  Students must answer four questions this week about their reading.  They are questions that help them think within, beyond, or about the text. 
4.  Calendar has been updated for next week.  Remember, there is no school on Tuesday. 
5.  DTE Energy forms are attached to homework log this week. Please fill it out and return it so we can get our hundred dollar classroom grant.