We would like to thank the PTO for a fun activity to end the week.  The cultural arts program on Wonderful Air was informative and very entertaining!

In math, writing, and reading we are still working hard on the same units.  In reading and writing the students are not researching a topic of interest to write their final non-fiction piece.  These should be finished towards the end of next week.  We will get a chance to visit with third grade to be the audience for their non-fiction research projects.

In math we are working more on telling time and counting different collections of coins and paper money.  These are both areas that can be worked on at home!

We have started our last science unit of the year, with a focus on plant growth, pollination, and seed dispersal.  We are conducting experiments with celery and succulent plants to see how much light and water they require to survive.  

Hopefully everyone will get a chance to see the art show next week.  Mr. Granucci could still use some help hanging artwork on Tuesday, May 22.  Please email him if you can help out.

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The tower garden is ready for harvest!  We have enjoyed some of the lettuce during snack time.  It is great to see the kids so excited to eat the greens from the garden.  We hope to continue to have a bountiful harvest!

I can't believe that we are into May already - the year is flying by!

We are in the middle of our units in Math, Reading, and Writing.  In math we continue to work on adding and subtracting three-digit numbers up to 1,000 using base ten models and open number lines. We will wrap up this unit with a review of telling time to the nearest five minutes as well as using language such at "ten minutes to eleven" and "twenty minutes after two". Keep on practicing fact fluency, telling time, and counting money at home. 

Our reading and writing units are closely connected since they are both non-fiction units.  The students are working in non-fiction book clubs to research topics, and then using their new found knowledge to write information books filled with headings, side bars, caption, expert words, glossaries, and more.  We will wrap up these units with the students picking individual topics to research and write about. 

Thank you to everyone who participated in Teacher Appreciation week!  The notes, gestures, flowers, and gifts made my week!  This is a great group of kids every day, and I am honored to get to spend time with them each day. 

I am sure you have heard by now that we have Mrs. Nacca's hamsters, Potato and Kiwi, visiting us.  They come out every once in a while when we are quiet to see what we are doing.  For the most part, they snooze throughout the day.  However, this afternoon we put them in their exercise balls and had races.  Kiwi was the winner every time!  We got to pet them before they were put safely back in their cage. 
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The mathematicians in room 5 are working hard on adding and subtracting two three-digit numbers.  We are using the same strategies from our previous unit in which we worked with two-digit numbers.  Open number lines and Hundreds Tens Ones frames are easy for these guys!  We need reminders to slow down and check our work for careless mistakes. 

Thank you to Jack's family for coming in and sharing a treat and story with us.  We loved having you and the enjoyed the pirate cookies!

The seeds that we planted have sprouted and are now big enough for the Tower Garden!  The Tower Garden is a hydroponic gardening system that uses water and minerals that are pumped through the tower to nourish the growing plants.  Keep checking in for updates - you'll be amazed at how quickly the plants grow!

We are off to a great start learning how to tell time!  Here are a few pictures of us learning about how the hour and minute hands work.  We reviewed how to tell time to the hour and half hour (from first grade) and have moved on to telling time to the nearest five minutes.  This is a skill that can easily be worked on at home - the tricky part is finding an analog clock in your house.  Next, we will practice telling time using words (ten minutes after eight, twenty minutes to ten, etc.)