Math - This week we will begin chapter 8 on fractions. We will begin with a review of divisibility rules. Then the students will study factors, multiples, prime and composite numbers. The students will understand how factors are related to prime numbers. They will also work with equivalent fractions. They will understand how different fractions can name the same amount.
Spelling - In spelling this week the students will study patterns with CVC words. They will be responsible for pages 144-146. There will be a test on Friday of this week.
Reading - The students will read a "What if"poem and discuss the meaning of the different Stanzas. They will show their understanding of the poem by creating a page to go in a class "What if " book. The students will also enter the world of mythology as they understand what mythology is and read their first Greek Myth.
English - We will continue our work with adverbs. The students will compare using adverbs and practice using good and well correctly. We will also begin expository writing this week. The students will brainstorm ideas and learn how to organize them.
Science - This week we will begin a unit on Simple Machines. The students will investigate levers and define work and simple machines.
Be on the look out for invention information. Information about their invention will go home on Monday. All the due dates are specified in the information. The students will observe videos to help them understand what the project involves.
They will have to have a decision about the invention they will create and the contract filled in by Thursday, with a parent signature. A diagram of the invention should be included on the back of the contract form. Please look for this on Monday when they come home.
Social Studies -A test is planned for Tuesday, March 25, over Chapter 8 Midwest Land and Resources. The students should study the notes in their binder, all vocabulary, and the main concepts from the chapter.
They should know:
What did the melting of the glaciers create
Understand the where the St. Lawrence Seaway and the St. Lawrence River are and their importance to the Midwest (They connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean)
Understand why the flow of the Chicago River was changed
Be able to explain the advantages and disadvantages of shipping goods by barge
Explain the badlands millions of years ago and how and why the climate changed
Explain why the Midwest is an important agricultural region
Understand the Corn Belt
Know the crops grown in the Midwest /main crops in Wisconsin
Understand irrigation
Know how the Great Lakes were formed
Explain how a lock works and why they were built
Explain why the prairie is better for farming than the badlands
