Mrs. Bullen's Blog: March 2014

March 17 -

I love the winter, but enough is enough! I have to say, I am ready for spring! I honestly can't believe this forecast. Oh well, at least the temperature is a bit warmer. Let's hope March goes out like a lamb.
I am very proud of everyone coming to school being prepared for the weather. Not one student today complained about going outside to play in the snow last week.

It is hard to believe, but grades close for the third quarter at the end of the month. It makes me sad to think that I only have about 60 days left with this truly amazing group of students! I get up each morning eager to see each and every one of them. They have made this one of my best years ever. Parents, you should all be so proud of raising such a sweet, kind and compassionate group of students. We, as teachers can teach the skills needed to learn, grow and move forward, but what really matters is the heart and passion of each child and that comes from loving parents and is learned from the moment they are born, Well done parents!

We have been working hard in math focusing on mixed numbers, improper fractions, multiplying fractions, multiplying fractions by a whole number and drawing models to represent the concept being taught. I will be assessing students on these standard this week. Some will continue to work on these skills and those that have grasped the concept will be moving onto division of fractions.

In reading, we are reading, The Watson's go to Birmingham and learning about the Civil Rights Movement. We are focusing on reading fluently and with expression. We are also working on how to answer each question thoughtfully and using details from the text to support our answers. The first step is to slow down and take the time to write all those great ideas that are in their heads.

In Social Studies, we are working on our Explorer Unit. Each student is researching an explorer and creating a presentation for the class. Many students are creating slideshows and Keynote presentations to teach their lesson.

In writing. we are reading and writing poetry. We have just finishing writing beautiful Color poems and creating watercolor pictures to highlight our work. Students should also be practicing their chosen poem for Mrs. Raymond's poetry contest this week!

In Science, we are learning about the Scientific Method. I have posted some great picture of some fun experiments we have done in class. I think our favorite was "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?" Although our results were inconclusive, we learned a lot along the way. This week, students will come up with a lesson to teach the class. I have enclosed the guidelines in their homework folder. This should be a fun time for all!