Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

March 15, 2019

 

Greetings from Room 116!

It finally feels like spring is just around the corner – next week in fact! We are doing our best to contain our spring fever, channeling that energy into positive outlets. Please find some of this week’s highlights below:

ELA: We practiced the double consonant rule regarding –ed and –ing endings for short vowel words; while we finished our historical fiction books, examining character development over time. In addition, we used our Drop Everything and Doodle time to create story boards for our animal stories. We also read several mentor poems and poetic books, which will help us to write our own poetry.

Math: We started the Module 6 exploration of Data by collecting and displaying information in tally charts, picture graphs, and bar graphs. We also learned how to read and interpret graphically displayed data. This work involves careful reading and multi-digit addition/subtraction. Traditional algorithms are used for these multi-step problems.

Science/SS: We learned about an American WWII hero who risked her life to help fallen American airmen in France. We also created a geological timeline to visually represent biological evolution.

Other: We continued to build test-taking skills on Study Island in preparation for the MCAS, which will take place on April 3rd and 4th. We also worked on our biography unit in Library.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

Most Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney

Springing Forward!!

March 8, 2019

 

Greetings from Room 116!

It was great to meet with everyone this week to celebrate student progress. We have such an amazing class and a truly special set of families. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Following is a quick recap of our wonderful week:

ELA: We focused on double consonant words in Spelling and reviewed possessive pronouns. We continued reading our historical fiction books and practiced another MCAS passage.

Math: We worked on equivalent fractions and compared fractions with different numerators and denominators. We also took our End-of-Module 5 Assessment.

Science/SS: We learned more about evolution and natural selection.

Other: We continued on our biography unit in Library and Computers and enjoyed a school-wide DEAR.

Remember to “spring forward” this weekend!

Most Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney

 

P.S. Students can access Study Island, a test-prep website, from home for additional practice if desired.

Baby Lambs!!!

February 15, 2019

 

Greetings from Room 116!

We already have a baby lamb at the Taylor Bray Farm! Perhaps Punxsutawney Phil was right after all. An early spring would be wonderful, right? In any event, we are well positioned in Room 116, as you can plainly see:

ELA: In Spelling, we studied the aw/o principle, while in Grammar we worked on noun-verb agreement. We continued our historical fiction genre study in guided reading groups, paying close attention to character development and author’s craft.

Math: We explored fractions larger than the whole, as well as fractions on the number line.

Science/SS: We researched different biomes for our animal stories and classified various insect species based on traits for survival. We also advanced our understanding of Pilgrim life.

Other: We celebrated both the 100th Day and Valentine’s Day with various classroom festivities. Thank you all for your generous donations regarding these events. We are truly blessed!!

Best wishes to all for a joyous vacation with family and friends.

Sincerely,

 

 

Ms. Feeney

P.S. Please remember that students should read and practice math facts over vacation to maintain progress.

 

Early Spring?

February 8, 2019

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Hurray- Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow, so hopefully spring will be here soon. In the meantime, however, we will have to endure extremely erratic temperature swings. Thank you so much for ensuring that students are prepared for the weather with appropriate clothing.

In the classroom, of course, we are keeping warm and busy as you can see:

ELA: We reviewed recent spelling principles and concluded mid-year reading assessments. (Everyone has made amazing gains since September.) In addition, we finished and answered comprehension questions about the first round of historical fiction books. We also continued to identify critical traits that help characters to overcome their problems and succeed.

Math: We explored fractions greater than the whole and created new wholes by iterating different unit fractions.

Science/SS: We examined how animals and plants inherit favorable traits from their parents and then evolve over time to survive in their environments.

Other: We created informational animal reports on BookCreator. We also enjoyed an interactive Red Cross presentation on winter storms.

Believe it or not, Spring Conferences are next month! Attached, please find a sign-up sheet. Please indicate your top three choices, and I will do my best to accommodate your preferences.

Best wishes,

Ms. Feeney

Back to Work!

January 25, 2019

 

 

Greetings from Room 116!

It was so wonderful to be back this week. Thank you all for your well wishes. We are certainly working hard, despite illnesses and unpredictable weather.

Please find below a quick recap of our positive progress this week:

ELA: We read historical fiction novels in our guided reading groups, focusing on setting and character development. We also worked on pronouns and the “schwa” spelling principle.

Math: We took our End-of-Module 4 assessment and started Module 5, which is all about fractions.

Science/SS: We learned more about heredity by examining similarities between a variety of parent organisms and their offspring. We also continued to study Pilgrim life in the 1600s.

Other: During our Library and Technology periods, we finalized our animal research projects.

Best wishes to all for a warmer winter weekend!

Most Sincerely,

 

 

Ms. Feeney

Happy New Year!

January 4, 2019

 

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Happy New Year 🎊!!! I hope that everyone enjoyed a joyous holiday week with family and friends. It was wonderful to have everyone back at school so eager to learn. Thank you for your help in getting students ready to return.

Here is a quick recap of our short but sweet week:

ELA: We continued our focus on legends, concentrating on figurative language and character traits. We also published our Wampanoag biographies and chronicled our most memorable vacation events.

Math: We practiced finding the area of various rectangles by multiplying side lengths, while reinforcing the fact that area is always represented in square units.

Science/SS: We reviewed how inherited traits can help animals and plants to survive in different environments. We also examined how artifacts and fossils help us to understand how plants and animals have evolved over time.

Other: During our Library and Technology periods, we launched a research project on how animals adapt and evolve to survive in their environments.

Best wishes to all for a restful weekend!

Most Sincerely,

 

 

Ms. Feeney

Jingle Bells!

December 21, 2018

 

 

Greetings from Room 116!

This is how we spent our final week of 2018:

ELA: We learned about the legend genre and prepared Reader’s Theater performances of several important ancient stories.

Math: We explored area measurement and discovered that the area of a rectangle is like an array which can be solved by multiplying both side lengths.

Science/SS: We discussed how inherited traits help animals and plants to survive in their environments. We also began publishing our Wampanoag biographies.

Other: During our final Calmer Choice session, we reviewed all of the many strategies we have learned to help us manage our emotions.

We also enjoyed a visit from Jezabel, twin sister to our classroom elf Jingles. In addition, it was great to see so many of our Room 116 families at the EHBi Holiday Concert on Thursday. We ended the week with a school-wide pajama day and many other holly jolly holiday activities.

Best wishes to all for a magical vacation with family and friends. See you next year on Wednesday, 1/2/19.

Most Sincerely,

 

 

Ms. Feeney

Go Pats!!!

January 11, 2019

 

 

Greetings from Room 116!

2019 is off to a great start. We had an extremely busy but productive week, as you can plainly see:

ELA: We launched our study of the historical fiction genre by reading several stories about Pilgrim and Wampanoag boys and girls. We also completed the DYRSD Winter District Writing Prompt. Everyone demonstrated nice progress since the fall. In addition, we worked on adverbs and the “soft c”/“soft g” spelling principle.

Math: We learned how to combine the areas of smaller rectangles to determine the area of larger ones. We also discussed how to find missing side lengths while dividing areas by known side lengths.

Science/SS: We reviewed inherited and acquired traits, and conducted a lab on heredity and adaptation. We also learned more about the daily life of Pilgrim children in the 1600s.

Other: During our Library and Technology periods, we worked on our animal research projects.

Best wishes to all for a wintry weekend! Let’s go Patriots!!!

Most Sincerely,

 

 

Ms. Feeney

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

December 14, 2018

 

Greetings from Room 116!

Hard to believe it’s already mid-December! What a busy time of the year! Here’s a quick recap of our past week:

ELA: We finished our realistic fiction books, maintaining our focus on character development along with an analysis of problem/resolution. We also continued to add description and sensory details to our writing (show don’t tell); therefore, adjectives continued to be a focus in grammar. In spelling, we studied different “consonant cluster” phonics principles.

Math: We worked on multi-step story problems, while using variables to represent the unknowns. We also took our End-of-Module 3 assessment and started our next unit which focuses on area measurement.

Science/SS: We conducted a lab on inherited and acquired traits. In addition, we added to and revised our Wampanoag biographies.

Other: In Library/Technology, we viewed our weather videos and expanded our coding expertise. During Calmer Choice, we discussed various ways to manage our emotions.

We ended the week with an all-school meeting to launch our Penny Harvest fundraiser. As a reminder, the EHBi Holiday Concert will begin at 10:00 am on Thursday, 12/20/18. Best wishes to all for a wonderful weekend!

Most Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney

Definitely December!

December 7, 2018

 

Greetings from Room 116!

I hope that everyone is keeping warm as the temperature plummets. Thank you for making sure that students come to school with the proper attire, since we do go outside for recess whenever possible.

Please find below a brief outline of our very busy week:

ELA: We enjoyed our realistic fiction books, continuing our focus on character development along with discussions about problem/resolution. We also added description and sensory details into our writing (“show don’t tell”). Adjectives continue to be a focus in grammar; while in spelling, we studied the “ow/oa/o” long o phonics principle.

Math: We worked on multi-step word problems, concentrating on careful reading of the story and underlining of key information to determine what operations are needed to find the unknowns.

Science/SS: We simulated how plants produce seeds by creating our own “flowering plants” and “bees,” and then “cross-pollinating.” In addition, we began writing Wampanoag biographies.

Other: In Library/Technology, we filmed weather reports and explored various coding games. During Calmer Choice, we discussed different emotions and how these make us feel, which tied in nicely with our “show don’t tell” literacy focus.

Best wishes to all for a warmer weekend!

Most Sincerely,

Ms. Feeney