Feb. 24- March 6

February 24th-March 6th

Language Arts:

Our next focus skill will be determining the main idea and identifying supporting details. The main idea is the most important or central thought of a passage. Supporting details clarify, explain, and describe the main idea of a passage.

The students did a great job of mastering the commonly misspelled words. Hopefully, they will now begin using these words in normal writing contexts. Here is the next set of words:

Book Talks are due this Friday, February 28th.  The genre is realistic fiction.  Please check in with your child to make sure progress is being made and that their Book Talk is ready to be presented.  The requirements continue to include: minimum of 2 minutes, RAH calendar turned in on time and signed with correct total minutes and object. Thank you!

The next book talk will cover March and April (due to spring break).  March/April's book talk genre will be biography. Please note that the format will be different for this particular Book Talk.  This will be a no-notes presentation. Instead of using notes, the students will only use images on Google Slides to help them present their information. More information on the Book Talk and no-notes presentation will be given in class and through upcoming blogs/emails.

Science:

For the next couple of weeks, we will be moving into our next unit of science, chemical magic. This unit focuses on chemical reactions and properties of matter. This week, students will experiment with several types of solutions to test their hypothesis if you could transform something worthless into gold. By the end of the week, students will create a conceptual model of how particles from the pennies are the same ones that eventually coat the nail in copper. In addition, students will be learning more about acids, which is a group of substances with a reputation for being reactive. Students will be working with safe chemical reactions in class to understand the science behind how different solutions react differently. Our last lesson will focus on gases and particle models where students will understand why things explode. Students will be conducting safe experiments with peers in class to test their predictions and take notes of their observations. Throughout this unit, students will engage in the process of inquiry: beginning with observations, debating a range of possible causes, and reasoning to possible conclusions. By the end of this unit, students will begin to make sense of how the properties of matter connect to why certain chemicals react. 

Math: 

We are in the middle of Unit 5: Fractions and Mixed Numbers Computation and Measurement. The concept of fractions can be more challenging, but the students are making good progress. We are learning how to add and subtract fractions and mixed fractions with like and unlike denominators. The last half of the unit will focus on geometry (angles and symmetry). We appreciate your support at home while working through the home links. Remember, this website is a wonderful resource for home links, explanations and other materials you or your child may need at home:

Everyday Math Unit 5

Please keep plugging away at Reflex Math (if your child hasn't achieved 100% fluency yet).  This is very important for their math progress moving forward.

In addition to our math curriculum, we are stressing the following 8 mathematical principles in our math classes:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning 

March Madness with Books

All Longfellow students will be participating in “March Madness” with books during the month of March. Homerooms are assigned to a “region.” Every student in each region reads specific titles and votes on the title they want to “win.” Votes will be tallied and displayed in the front hallway each week. We look forward to spreading the joy of reading throughout the building. Which book will win the tournament?

Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Information from the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)

Our students in grades 3-5 take federally required assessments every spring. These assessments help us understand how our students are growing academically, compared to their peers across the state. The state uses this information to provide more support and resources to the schools in the greatest need. This year, the English language arts and math assessment for grades 3-8 is called the Illinois Assessment of Readiness.

The district testing window for the IAR will be March 31-April 21. 

If you could please avoid scheduling doctor visits/trips during this time, it would be most appreciated! Students will have to miss class time to do test makeups.

SEL

This week we will continue learning strategies for calming down. Our next topic is about not jumping to conclusion. Please continue working on those SEL homelinks. These homelinks help connect what we are doing in SEL to home life. Please be sure the date and sign the SEL homelinks. Thank you!

Important Dates

• Friday, February 28: Realistic Fiction Book Talks Due
• Friday, February 28: 
  • Wear 60s groovy clothes to get ready for Bingo Night!
  • PTO Bingo Night, 6:00-9:00 PM
• Monday, March 2: House Meeting
• Friday, March 6: End of Trimester
• Wednesday, March 11: McTeacher Night, 5:00-8:00 PM  (I'll be there from 5-6:15)
• Thursday, March 12: PTO Meeting, 7:00 PM
• Friday, March 13: Trimester 2 Report Cards Sent Home
• Tuesday, March 17: NO SCHOOL, Institute Day
• Thursday, March 19: 
  • House Meeting
  • CCSD21 Board of Education Meeting, 7:30 PM, Gill Administration Building
• Friday, March 20:
  • Sweatshop Assembly sponsored by PTO
  • All School Lunch
• Monday, March 23-Friday, March 27: NO SCHOOL, Spring Break
• Monday, March 30: Return from Spring Break