The end of the 2nd quarter has arrived. The class is very excited on the progress that has been made planning, reading about, and building their castle. It will be interesting to see what the final project looks like. When we get back, we will start a narrative from the point of view of the castle.
See you next year!

In Communication Arts, we are still reading "The Castle in the Attic". The class has started basic ideas on how to follow their building plans in order to start construction of their "castle". They have some great ideas on how to begin this project. The dynamics of the building process promises to be quite a learning experience on working together as a group.

As second quarter progress reports go out we are beginning some new projects in class. We began individual reading projects, and are spending ten to fifteen minutes per day reading silently. We will be checking our comprehension levels with a quiz. We have also begun "The Castle in the Attic", by Elizabeth Winthrop. The class is at work making building plans to build our own "castle" in class. If you have any cardboard, Pringles cans, paper towel cores, etc. that our class could use as building material, please drop them by, or send them with your student. The class is very excited about this project.
In math we are looking at place values and estimating. We are planning to use measurement and scale to construct our "castle".
Spelling words are becoming more challenging and are keeping in relation to the season, and in relation to what book we are reading at the time. Bonus words, as usual, are the suggestion of the class.
May all have a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving!

First quarter is soon to be behind us. In Communication Arts we have been working very hard on a narrative of our choosing. There have been some very interesting subjects written about. We have learned about the process of a first draft, second draft, and final draft. The final product will be displayed in class for Parent/Teacher conferences. Our current project is a book report on "The River", by Gary Paulsen. We are learning how to make notes in order to reference for the report. As a reminder, the Parent/Teacher conferences are Oct. 27th and Oct. 29th.
In Math, we have been working on multiplication, division, and place values. We are fully in the swing of things now, and are looking forward to a GREAT second quarter.

The students and teachers are settling into their respective schedules. Summer vacation is now a memory that is fading fast, and the time to learn something is upon us.
We are looking forward to a Great year with the theme of "Around the World in 180 Days".
A note to parents. We will begin DRA tests next week.

Welcome to our classroom blog! I will be using this blog periodically throughout the year to ensure communication between our staff, students, and parents. If at any time during the year, you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to contact me via e-mail as I will check it daily. My school email address is rcline@willard.k12.mo.us and I will try to get back with you as soon as possible. I am looking forward to a great year!