Weeks of November 18th and November 25th

Cougar Reading-  This week we will review nouns, and identify pronouns in text. We will also learn about collective nouns.

ELA/ Social Studies-  We will learn about the first Thanksgiving this week by reading  Thanksgiving Before Thursday by Mary Pope Osbourne.  In class we will distinguish between the fictional characters of Jack and Annie and historical characters Governor Bradford, Patricia Mullins and Squanto. We will compare how customs, clothing, and language have changed since Pilgrim times.

Math-  We learned to add two and one digit numbers last week with regrouping. We are using models as well as pen and pencil strategies to solve math problems. We will take a test on Tuesday, November 26th.

Writing-   In class we will write a narrative this week about a Thanksgiving Turkey. We will go through the writing process, as we focus on writing with adjectives, using similes to make our writing interesting.

Week of November 11-15

Cougar Reading- This week we will build upon our current Weather Unit in ELA by reading the picture book  Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs, reading and visualizing weather poetry and writing an acrostic poem about clouds.

ELA/ Science - In class this week we will complete our study of severe weather by creating a weather safety poster and writing an informative piece on severe weather and what characteristics make it dangerous. We will then move on to learn about types of clouds and the water cycle.  In class, we will create a cloud model using cottonballs and portray the water cycle through the art of cartooning.  The Cloud Book by Tomie DePaola and A Snowflake Story will be read in class this week.

Math-  We will complete Topic 7 Mental Subtraction and test on Wednesday the 13th this week. From there, we will dive into Topic 8 where we will be learning how to add two digit numbers with re-grouping.

Week of November 4-8, 2013

Cougar Reading-  We will explore the literary device of similies this week as we examine phrases such as "she floated in like a cloud" or "slippery as an eel" and discuss how they make stories more interesting. In class we will write, illustrate, and share our own similies.

Reading- We will read the novel Tornado by Betsy Byars this week in whole group reading. As we read we will identify similies and examine how they enhance the telling of the story. We will also make connections, discuss the characters, setting, problem and solution of the story.

Math- In class strategies for adding mentally will be reviewed and assessed this week on Wednesday, November 6th. We will then begin our new topic subtraction strategies.

Science/ ELA-  This week in class we will learn about types of severe weather such as: tornados, hurricanes, floods and blizzards. The students will read and write about safety procedures as we participate in a jigsaw activity where they work in collaborative groups to write a report, make a poster and report their learnings to the class.