Classroom Update - Week of February 18th

Updates & Reminders:

• Spring Pictures are THIS Thursday, February 21st. Class pictures forms were sent home over a week ago. If you are interested in getting a class photo, this must be paid for in advance. If you need another envelope, please let me know, as I have a few extras. Everyone will receive individual portraits taken and they will be sent home for you to preview before purchasing.

• Registration has begun for this years STEM Night and Science Fair. This year’s event will be held Thursday, February 21st from 6:00-8:00pm. To register, please Complete Registration Form online by Friday, February 15th . To participate, all projects must be pre-registered. A flyer will be going home in Friday Folders.

• Keep sending in paperwork and payments for our beach field trip scheduled for April 26, 2019. All fees are due Thursday February 28, 2019. After reading the first two pages of the packet, please complete the last two pages and return them to school, even if you are not paying immediately. If you would like to chaperone, please email me with the name of the chaperone. All track 4 chaperones will need to drive or carpool to the beach. There is not space on the bus for chaperones. You must be a currently registered volunteer in order to chaperone.

• The deadline for our school fundraiser for Jump Rope for Heart is February 28th. You can visit the MES site HERE.

• Mark your calendar - MES 5th Annual Stampede 5K is coming soon! This is a time for community, family, fitness and fun… and warmer weather! Join us for the 5th Annual Stampede 5K on Sunday, May 5 from 2-5pm. The proceeds from this fun family and community event will go directly to the MES PTA to fund educational resources, programs, and school improvements.

E.L. Education:

This week, the students continued to read the drama Divided Loyalties. This drama focuses around a family living during the American Revolution and the difficulties that they face. The students have and will continue to practice their oral reading fluency as they perform the drama aloud (in a readers' theater style) and after each scene we work together to determine the gist and unfamiliar vocabulary. We have also spent a lot of time each day analyzing the different characters and their reactions to problems and situations that arise. The students are especially focusing on writing a clear character sketch that give elaborated support and evidence from the text to describe why a particular character responds to certain situations. On Wednesday, they will have a homework assignment that will correspond with this concept.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

• Read stories and informational books about the American Revolution.

• Encourage your student to tell you the main idea and to provide supporting details of informational texts you read together.

• Encourage your child to summarize informational texts you read together.

• Watch documentaries about the American Revolution.

• Visit museums or exhibitions about the American Revolution.

• Read a play together with your child and talk about how the stage directions help the story.

Math:

In math this week the students will work on converting mixed numbers to improper fractions and vice versa. They will be using visual models to show how they are equivalent and then will work on adding and subtracting mixed numbers. All of the fractions that they will be expected to add and subtract will have common denominators and they will primarily rely on the strategy of drawing fraction bars to help support this skill.

How to Help Your Child at Home: ​

Discuss with your child the following questions:

• Can you show me a visual model for the mixed number 3 3/4?

• How would you write the above mixed number as an improper fraction?

• Show me how you would solve 2 1/5 + 3 3/5 =

• Show me how you would solve 3 1/3 - 1 2/3 =

Social Studies:

This week in Social Studies the students will learn more about some of the wars that are a part of North Carolina's history. They will be focusing on the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, and the Civil War. The students will be expected to understand who fought in these wars, what they we fighting for and who won the war. We will also be covering the role that North Carolina and its citizens played in these wars. There are some great videos on Discovery Education that we will be viewing in class to further illustrate these topics. The students will take an open notes assessment next Monday, February 18th. Looking over the materials in their Social Studies folders will help them prepare for this test.

How to Help Your Child at Home:

Discuss with your child the following questions:

• Tell me about the French & Indian War. Who fought in it? What were they fighting for? Who won?

• Tell me about the Revolutionary War. Who fought in it? What were they fighting for? Who won?

• Tell me about the Civil War. Who fought in it? What were they fighting for? Who won?