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We’ve been working on a VoiceThread for California Missions.  Watch what we’ve done and leave a comment.

What do you like the most about using technology in class?  Please respond.

     Well, students are getting used to visiting the blog and making comments.  The students who want a comment posted should write a comment that is at least one paragraph long with correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar.  I would love to post your comments, but I need to see progress in your writing.  Make sure you read your comments carefully and fix mistakes before submitting them.

Language Arts

     Students will be finishing the unit, “Mystery to Medicine” in language arts.  It has been great to read selections about the history of medicine, people who made important contributions in medicine, and stories about medicine in different cultures. 

     Before going off track in April, students will be reading the book, By the Great Horn Spoon .  This tells the exciting story of a young boy’s journey to California during the Gold Rush.  It’s a great historical fiction book, and I know they will enjoy reading it.

     Students took the Writing portion of the English Language Arts section of the California Standards Test on March 3.  They are now focusing on writing response to literature essays.  When we come back on track in May, we will be reviewing the genres of narrative, summary, and response to literature writing.

Math

     The students finished the chapter on fractions, and are now learning about decimals.  Students will learn the relationship between fractions and decimals, how to round decimals, how to compare and order decimals, how to read and write decimals on a number line, and how to add and subtract decimals.

Social Studies

     Students will be doing presentations for California Missions.  Students will present to the class (1) what they learned about the mission they chose to research, (2) why they chose that mission, and (3) what they did to make a model or display of their mission.

Science

     Students will be learning about rocks and minerals this month.  They will learn about the different qualities of minerals, the different types of rocks, and how the rock cycle produces rocks.

In language arts, we have been reading in Unit 3, “Mystery to Medicine”.  We have learned some of the history of the medical field, including when the first open-heart surgery was.  We have also learned about how some people, who didn’t live near modern medical facilities, used herbal medicines. 

In writing, we have been learning how to write summaries.  The students have been reading articles and passages, and have been thinking about the main idea and most important details.  They write the main idea and most important details in their own words.  Students will soon be learning about writing a response to literature, which involves writing an opinion about a passage and supporting that opinion.

In math, we have been learning about fractions.  Some of the skills include thinking about fractions as parts of a region, parts of a set, and parts of a number line.  Students also need to be able to recognize equivalent fractions, compare and order fractions, and reduce fractions to simplest form.

In social studies, we have been learning about the mission period of California history.  Students learned about Spain’s influence on California history through colonization, with the construction of missions, presidios, and pueblos.  They have learned about how the California Indians’ lives were changed through Spain’s colonization.  Students have worked on a mission project, which includes a report about the California mission they chose, a model of that mission, and an oral presentation to the class.

In science, students will be learning more about ecosystems.

Sincerely,

Mr. Swett