April 5, 2019

We have big dreams! Can you guess what we want to be when we grow up?
Welcome back! Happy Friday! 

Hope that everyone has a spectacular spring break! Although spring break has come to an end, the bright side is that warmer weather and sunshine are finally heading our way! We can finally pack away the winter jackets, hats, and gloves! Until we meet again next year, winter... 

The month of April is certainly a packed one. Within this upcoming month, the students will continue to take assessments such as placement tests, Illinois Assessment of Readiness, and MAP. Please remind your student to get a good night's rest, eat a hearty breakfast, and bring a healthy snack. Also... don't forget to charge those iPads! 

**On Monday, our class will be going on a field trip to the Apple Store in Northbrook in the morning. The field trip will be from 10:00-11:30, and we will be back just in time for lunch. The students do not need to bring a sack lunch. However, they still need to order lunch in the morning if they anticipate receiving a hot lunch. The rest of the afternoon will resume as typical. We are very excited for this opportunity to learn more about technology and create a project that aligns to our current curriculum! 

Upcoming Assessment Dates
April 16-24 -- Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) Window
Thursday, April 11 -- 6th Grade Placement Opinion Essay
April 29-May 8 -- MAP Window

Literacy
This week, we finished off a short, fictitious story titled "Secrets of Canyon Cave", which explores the ancient civilization of the Anasazi people who were considered cliff dwellers. Through this shared text, the students were able to learn more about ancient civilizations within the United States and how the Anasazi adapted to their environment by creating homes within the cliffs of the canyons. In addition, we continued to practice literacy skills such as finding main ideas and summarizing informational text. We read an interesting article about the benefits of utilizing insects as an alternative to meat. Ask your student what his/her thoughts on eatings bugs as a source of protein are! 

Writing
Within writing, the students have researched through multiple sources about Christopher Columbus and his expeditions. After doing so, they will analyze their findings to determine if they believe that Columbus was a hero of a villain. Students will utilize the strategies we’ve been learning throughout the year in order to compose a well-written paper that contains evidence and reasons to support their opinions.

Math
Transitioning from graphing and locating coordinates on a plane, we have started exploring the hierarchy of polygons. First, students learned about classifying triangles by their sides and angles. This week, we have begun to explore classifying quadrilaterals by their properties and attributes. A majority of the students already knew that "a square can be a rectangle, but a rectangle cannot be a square"; however, they will now build upon their knowledge of quadrilaterals attributes to fully explain why the previous statement is true. 
Social Studies
We will soon begin our unit on Economics. We will study how goods and services work in a market economy, and we will eventually study how people of the past were positively and negatively impacted by cultural exchanges.

Science
We have started our new science unit on Changes in Matter, which encompasses the three states of matter (solid, liquid, and gas). We will be conducting some engaging investigations where students will identify various powders by their attributes and reactions to substances.

Upcoming Events
Monday & Tuesday, April 8 & 9 -- Apple Field Trip
Friday, April 12 -- Breakfast with Your Buddy
Tuesday, April 16 -- PTO Special Lunch
Tuesday, April 16 -- Variety Show Auditions
Tuesday-Thursday, April 16-18 -- Math IAR @ 8:30-10:00
Friday, April 19 - District Holiday // NO SCHOOL
Monday-Wednesday, April 22-24 -- Math IAR @ 8:30-10:30
Friday, April 26 -- Half Day // Dismissal @ 11:45
Tuesday, April 30 -- Variety Show

Friendly Reminders
**Please remember to send your child with a healthy snack. Nothing feeds the brain like a healthy snack!
**Please continue to have your child practice their multiplication facts up to 12.