Week of October 19-23, 2026
The students will continue working through the novel Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record. The students will again practice their dictionary skills by looking up the vocabulary words and discuss the meanings. In addition to reading fluency and general comprehension, students will explore character analysis, cause/effect, inferences & predictions, and summarizing. The Spelling words this week will be two-syllable words with a closed syllable, meaning that the syllable ends in a consonant giving it a short vowel sound.
This week in Religion, students wil be practicing and then presenting The Living Rosary. The Living Rosary will take place in Church on Wednesday (10/21) at 2:00pm. All are welcome to attend! We will also be praying the rosary in class, so please have your child bring ina rosary to school if he/she has not done so already. I will have rosaries available if needed.
In Math, students will be introduced to a tree diagram as a way to problem solve using multiplication to find combinations. The introductory concepts of multiplication (making equal groups, repeated addition, and skip counting) will be reviewed and students will be assessed on the material with the chapter test on Wednesday. The next Math chapter will introduce the students to the concept of division. Students will use counters to model division into equal groups. The idea of equal sharing will also be discussed.
Our Science work will continue with discovering the world's five major climates. These are the tropical, polar, mild, continental, and dry(desert) zones. Students will color parts of a world map to find the different climates of that region. At the end of the week, students will have the opportunity to make a Language Arts/Science connection using the Ivy and Bean fossil and world records concept and a STEM activity. They will attempt to "break a record" by building a tower out of straws and tape.
Week of October 12-16, 2026
Our Language Arts work this week will focus on the novel Ivy and Bean Break the Fossil Record. Students will begin each chapter by being introduced to the vocabulary words. They will study the definitions and practice using the words in context. The first four chapters will be read and discussed before the students complete a comprehension page on each chapter. Part of this weeks work in the novel will include researching world records. The Spelling words this week will be two-syllable words with an open syllable, meaning that one syllable will have a long vowel sound.
We will continue to celebrate October as the month of the Rosary by learning about the Mysteries of the Rosary. The class will also begin praying the Rosary this week. Please have your child bring their Rosary to school. Rosaries will be available for students unable to bring in a Rosary. Also, the students will begin preparing for the presentation of The Living Rosary in Church on the afternoon of Wednesday, October 21st. Please plan on attending!
In Math, the students are being introduced to the operation of multiplication. In addition to skip counting and using repeated addition, students will use arrays to model the process of mutiplication. Arrays are rows and columns of equal length. From there, we will cover the problem-solving strategy of making a table and multiplication to determine the number of possible combinations. Having your child practice skip counting at home will be a valuable way to start learning the multiplication facts.
The students will be taking a break from studying the continents and oceans in Social Studies this week. We will be switching to Mystery Science to explore seasonal weather patterns across different regions. Students will also be introduced to the concept of climate and explore the world's five major climates.
Week of October 5-9, 2026
This week in Language Arts, we will continue in the StoryWorks magazine by reading the fiction selection The Haunted House. After discussing the story, and answering complrehension questions, the students will learn about the concept of plot. The five areas of plot will be covered, comparing them to a roller coaster with the climax at the top. The next Story Works selection will cover folktales and plays with The Impossible Challenge about Anansi the Spider. Students will learn about characters with the "trickster" trait and identify examples of this trait in the play. The weekly Spelling list will contain homophones, which are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently.
In Religion, we will be starting Chapter 4. Students will explore how Jesus teaches us to pray, focusing on the Our Father. Students should be reviewing the Chapter 3 study guide sent home last week to be prepared for the open-book test on Thursday.
Our work in Math will continue looking at 2, 3, and 4-digit subtraction with regrouping. Using the "Box Strategy" to subtract across zeros is going to be practiced at the beginning of the week. On Tuesday, subtraction with regrouping, using the inverse operation of addition to check subtraction, and subtracting across zeros will be reviewed for the Chapter 3 test on Wednesday. From there, we will be moving on to the concept of multiplication! This operation will be introduced as repeated addition and skip counting. I believe that the students have been anxiously awaiting this chapter.
The seven continents will again be the topic for Social Studies this week. They are enjoying singing along with the Continents song to learn the names and comparative sizes. Students will locate each continent on a world map, describe some geographical features, and identify location, size, animals, and other interesting facts.
Week of September 28-October 2, 2026
Students will start work in a new StoryWorks magazine in Language Arts this week. They will read and discuss a nonfiction passage about a baby rhino that was found alone, hurt, and weak in South Africa. Other passages that will be read and discussed will compare and contrast Spider-Man and spiders. Students will practice their comprehension skills by answering questions on all these passages, review the concept of problem and solution, and compare and contrast two similar items. In Spelling, the students will be practicing words with the soft c sound, which sounds like an s, and soft g, which sounds like a j.
In Religion, the students will work in Chapter 3 on what makes a loving family, both Church family and biological family. On Tuesday, the Chapter 2 test will be given as an open-book test. Students will be provided with the page numbers for each question to help them locate the answers. Mass will be attended as a school on Wednesday as usual, and then we will continue work on Chapter 3 on Thursday. Friday's Religion lesson will focus on understanding the Gospel message for this upcoming Sunday.
Our Math work this week will cover 2, 3, and 4-digit subtraction with regrouping. The students will practice the steps on wipe-off mats first before completing the lesson on paper both as a class and independently. The process of using addition to check the suntraction answer will also be covered.
Students will begin exploring the 7 continents in Social Studies this week. We will read about each continent in a mini booklet one at a time. After discussing the information, students will use the information in the booklet, as well as books on each continent on Epic books online, to complete a research sheet for each continent. Towards the end of the week, we will take a break from the continents work to complete a Scholastic News magazine. The passages will focus on the fad of Needohs and celebrating our differences. Students will read and discuss the passages, answer questions, and practice reading a bar graph to find information. A debate will also be read and discussed, followed by students identifying the arguments for each side.
The Raider Run-A-Thon is on Wednesday this week!!! Room 10 is doing a great job of raising funds towards a STEAM lab! Keep up the great work!
Week of September 21-25, 2026
This week in Language Arts, we will be continuing our work in Freckle Juice. Students will continue to practice dictionary skills by looking up vocabulary words and then making flashcards. We will finish our comprehension work on the last two chapters. Students will then be assessed on their knowledge of the vocabulary words and recall/comprehension of the novel. The Spelling unit this week focuses on the voowel digraphs ou, ow, au, and aw. The Spelling test this week will be on Thursday.
The students will review Chapter 2 in Religion today. We will complete a Study Guide that will go home today. Please review it throughout the week in preparation for the Chapter 2 test next Tuesday, September 29th. Our next chapter in Religion will focus on ways we show love for others the way Jesus loves us.
The concept of 3 and 4-digit addition with carrying will be reviewed and students will be tested on Wednesday on this concept. Please go over the Practice test with your child carefully on Tuesday. The next chapter that will begin on Thursday will be the review of subtraction with borrowing.
In Science, the students will finish the Mystery Science lesson on clouds. Ask your child to name the four types of clouds and which are storm clouds. Beginning on Wednesday, students will be learning about the continents and oceans. We will read and discuss each continent and ocean, and then students will research each one using the material we read/discussed as well as books on the Epic books website to complete a fact sheet.
Don't forget that Friday is a Teacher Professional Development Day. There is no school for students on that day.
Week of September 14-18, 2026
This week, the students will continue the I-Ready Diagnostic tests with the Math section today and Thursday. Please make sure that your child gets a good night's sleep and has a good breakfast. The importance of working carefully and taking time should also be stressed.
In Language Arts, we will be continuing to work with the Rooted in Reading book Picture Day Perfection. Students will review the story and vocabulary, identify nouns and verbs, and learn about Thomas Edison. On Wednesday, we will begin our first novel, Freckle Juice. Students will practice using the dictionary to locate word meanings, read and discuss a new chapter each day, and complete comprehension work. The topic in Religion this week will continue to focus on the three Sacraments of Initiation, and how God welcomes us into the Church. In Math, the students will work in Chapter 2 on addition concepts by reviewing the three properties of addition, looking for addition patterns, and adding 3- and 4-digit numbers. Our Science work will come from Mystery Science and include an experiment to discover how clouds form, and learning the types of clouds.
Don't forget: Tuesday is Picture Day. Students should dress up on this day for school pictures. Thursday is Curriculum Night at 6:00pm.
Week of September 7-11, 2026
This week. we will be continuing to work in the StoryWorks magazine for Language Arts covering a debate and a poem. Then, the class will transition to a Rooted in Reading book called Picture Day Perfection. In our work connected with this book, students will predict, learn new vocabulary, discuss the story to show comprehension, and review nouns and verbs. Our work in Religion will include showing mastery of Chapter one on the test, and then discussing the three Sacraments of Initiation. The work on place value and rounding in Math will be wrapped up with a review and test. At the end of the week, students will review the three properties of addition. Our Social Studies work will revolve around two Schoalstic News magazines and include topics on working dogs and 9/11.
Don't forget that I-Ready testing will continue next week with students completing the Math Diagnostic test.