Week of April 19th and 26th

 Hello!

What a week! This past week we began Forward Testing. We started by taking the ELA tests. The students did an amazing job following the testing rules and procedures. Next week Tuesday and Thursday we will be taking the math portion of the Forward.

KAT was so much fun this week as well! Fourth graders had the special opportunity to socially distance and ask the kindergarteners their 20 KAT questions! So fun!

We finished the week off with a KAT celebration where the school supplied snacks and we watched a movie! 

Upcoming Events:

April 20th AND 22nd: Math Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 26th AND 27th: Science Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 28th AND 29th: Social Studies Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 30th: No School

Reading: Since we've completed our ELA Forward testing, we are done with our Test Prep Unit! We will be heading into Historical Fiction! I am excited for this one, since the American Revolution Unit was so fun for everyone! Students will be placed in Book Clubs that they will regularly meet with to read different historical fiction picture and chapter books.

Writing: We are continuing to work through our Independent Writing Projects. As students have been finishing up their IWP's, they are practicing writing Historical Fiction pieces. They have spent some time researching different historical events, selecting a perspective to write from, and then following the writing process.

Word Study: We are back in Fundations! Now that our ELA test prep is over since we've taken the Forward, we are working on reviewing the unit we stopped on. Once we have a strong understanding again of the material we've been working on, we will take the Unit 10 test. 

Math: Fractions, fractions, fractions! We are still on Unit 7. This week we've been working hard to understand fractions and their relation to money and decimals. This has been tricky for kids, but they are working hard. I am continuing to pull small groups and work with students individually so they grow confidence in their ability to do math involving fractions.

Content: We will still be spending this time of our day working on Social Studies and Science test prep material. Students will be taking the Science Forward on April 26th and 27th and the Social Studies Forward on April 28th and 29th!

As always, let me know if you have any questions! 😊

Carly Burris

Week of April 12th

 Hello Everyone! I hope you all had a great week!

Last week the book our class entered into NDLC's Book March Madness. Saving Fiona, WON! 

Here's the link to order a Yearbook! https://www.prepaysystems.com/view/ZEBslp43/new-directions-learning-community-yearbook-orders

Upcoming Events:

April 14th AND 15th: ELA Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 16: Knowledge-A-Thon! (NDLC Wear)

April 18th: Summer School Registration Begins

April 20th AND 22nd: Math Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 26th AND 27th: Science Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 28th AND 29th: Social Studies Forward Testing for 4th Grade

April 30th: No School

Curriculum Update:

Reading: We've been well into our Reading Test Prep Unit. This unit engages students in a variety of nonfiction texts and questions. Students have been really pushing themselves to practice the test prep tips I've been teaching, by rereading and thinking more deeply about each text and corresponding questions. We've been practicing reading paper copies of texts as well as ones online. For the online readings, I've been using a website called CommonLit. This allows me to pick a text and questions that relate to what we are working on. I am then able to specifically see student data and answers. This has been super helpful to see where each student is at and key into what each student needs from me in order to be successful next week!

Writing: We are working through out Writing Test Prep Unit as well. Students have worked hard to understand what is being asked in short answer questions and how they should appropriately respond. They've been working to identify clue words and how to respond to those. For example, if a its a 'Why' question, they'll answer with 'because', 'to show', or 'in order to'. We've spent some time revising and editing our short response looking for those grammar non-negotiables, really making sure we are including capital letters, commas, apostrophes, and other types of punctuation where they are necessary. There will not be any short answer questions on the Forward, but understanding how to respond to a short answer question has support them in better understanding multiple choice questions as well as in their future when they will be writing short answer responses.

Word Study: We've hit the pause button for bit during our Word Study time to spend more time practicing more test prep skills and strategies. We are working to break down words and what to do when we come across a word that we don't understand in the test reading or questions. This has been a very valuable time for all of the students and I believe it is really setting them up for success on the Forward test next week!

Math: We are cruising on through Unit 7! This unit is a continuation of fractions similar to last unit, but goes into more complex mathematics revolving comparing fractions, identifying common denominators, etc. Students have rose to the challenge of this unit and have been putting in a lot of effort, even when it is more difficult. We've also been spending some of our math time reviewing material that we've learned previously this year that might be on the forward. This has pushed students to really key into what they know and what they still need support on.

Content: We've been spending this time in class preparing for the science and social studies Forward test! We've had inquiry groups and done practice questions. The students have worked really hard to incorporate all that they know about the different science and social studies topics to answer the test prep questions accurately!

Each and everyone of your children have been so motivated and engaged as we prepare for the Forward test! They amaze me with how much thought and effort they put into their questions and readings everyday. They will do great - I'm so confident in them!

Have a wonderful weekend! 😎

Carly Burris