New School Year

Welcome to the start of a new school year! After a week of teaching with this class, I'm very excited about the upcoming year. There are many talented students in this class who are enthusiastic about lots of different subjects.

We spent the first week of school going over rules, expectations, and routines. I only have three rules for the class: respect others, respect the classroom, and always try your best. Students also became used to our morning and dismissal routines.

One of my goals for the year is to have a class of writers and readers. We're starting off the school year doing independent reading, which means students are each reading their own book while I have one-on-one conferences. They've learned how to pick out a book that's at their own level and soon they will begin writing response letters to me. In writing, everyone has made and begun to write in their writer's notebooks. We are also going through the steps of the writing process.

Science began with experiments using slider cars, where students had to manipulate variables to make their "car" go a certain length. This week is Shark Week! Students studied and classified different types of shark teeth, and will identify what shark they came from and how the size of the shark compares to the size of the tooth. In social studies, we are getting an overview of the country and its regions, starting with geography and natural resources, and in religion, we are learning about the covenant before beginning the Ten Commandments.

Spelling also begun this week, which means they have a test on Friday. They need to know how to spell the words and their definitions. Unless the week is shorter than normal or we are doing a review unit, students will have a spelling test every Friday.