Hello Parents!

I hope you are all having a great week and gearing up for a nice break filled with friends and family.

A few quick notes before I report what has been going on in the classroom:

• The Arongen Spelling Bee was another success. Our class was extremely proud of Cristian and how well he did in the competition!

• The Battle of the Books will take place on April 9th at the Clifton Park Half-moon library at 6:30pm. If you would like to attend you will need to purchase a ticket from the local library. We will be cheering on Arongen’s team from my class Thomas W., Kyle G., Caitlin E., Skye P., Kylee K., and Francesca C.. We will ALSO be cheering on Breanna V. from my class as well, who will be representing the Clifton Park team!!!! The anticipation is electrifying!!!

• Our electronics reinforcer was great! Students and I enjoyed playing games and laughing! I can now officially say that I getting older! Some of these games give me a headache to even watch!

• Students looked great today dressed up in their “What I want to be when I grow up” outfits! Wonderful job parents!

• Yearbooks are still for sale! They are 30 dollars! Please make checks payable to Arongen PTA to order your child’s today!

• NYS ELA Test: April 16, 17, 18th. On those days IT IS IMPORANT that your child be to school on time. Because this is a time sensitive test, any late children will have to take the test on the makeup day.

• NYS MATH Test: April 27, 28, 29th. Again, please make sure your child is at school on time.

On Both days, make sure they have a good hearty breakfast! It will help them perform. There is an attached math file that is an example of the Common Core sample questions.

What’s taking place in Room 221?

ELA/Reading: Over the past few weeks we have been working on different reading strategies in preparation for the NYS ELA test. This test is new this year like the NYS Math. Anything from the Common Core can show up on the test. Some of the skills that we have been working on are comparing and contrasting of two text, looking at text structure (chronological vs. problem/solution), and making inferences. We have begun working with figurative language (idioms, metaphors, similes and hyperboles) through poetry.
The test this year will be different and slightly more challenging. Students will need to supply evidence from the text to support their answers. These are all skills we have been working on this school year and we have begun review for the test.

In my weekly e-mail, I sent an ELA common sore sample questions packet that I obtained off of www.engageny.org This will give you an insight on how the test will be structured. It will be three days with the final day ending with written responses. Please take a moment and review the packet alone, and then with your child. They have seen it and it would be good for them to review it again.

Students have comprehension/reading homework this weekend to complete. Take some time and sit down and review their assignments with them. They are to read two passages (one on poetry) called My Prairies and The President’s Pitches. If you have any question, please contact me.

Spelling: Theme 5 - Week 2: VCCV Words Please click the hyperlink to be brought our weekly list. If you are looking for another resource to practice spelling words aligned to 5th grade and the new common core learning standards, feel free to take a look at www.spellingcity.com. It is a wonderful site that can also help younger students build spelling fluency and vocabulary skills.

Grammar: We have been working with pronouns and just finished learning about object pronouns. Object pronouns occur after an action verb or are when they are acted upon by something else in a sentence. Students took a quiz on pronouns this week. Their grades were great. There will be two scores on the test. Please take the higher of the two. There was a mistake with my key and I rescored all of them and the students received the benefit. We will finish pronouns the week after break, with the final test on Friday the 12th.  For extra practice please visit: http://www.softschools.com/language_arts/grammar/pronoun/

Mr. Grignon’s Math Class: We have been working with fractions in class. Fractions is one of the topics that will comprise 70 percent of the NYS Math test. This week we have been learning how to create pictorial representation of fractions, making equivalent fractions, determining the common factors and the GCF (greatest common factor). When we return we will be working on simplifying fractions as we begin adding and subtraction them with like and unlike denominators while moving towards adding and subtracting with mixed number and multiplying them.

Attached to my weekly math e-mail is a packet from www.engageny.org The packet is entitled Mathematics Common Core Sample. In it you will find examples of questions that could show up on the NYS test. Please take a moment to review it and sit down with your child. It will provide additional insight to how the test may be structured and what your child has been learning in the classroom.

Your child has homework over break. They have to complete Pages 26 and 27 (4 questions) on equivalent fractions. They also have a Common Core Packet. It has 25 questions and will be collected on Wednesday April 10th. There are a few topics that we have not taught yet. I had your child circle those questions. This packet is based on the common core learning standards and the learning that has been taking place this school year. Please take notice of the way questions are formed and phrased. The questions are rigorous. Students will need to take their time and use all skills they have learned this year.

If you would like any additional materials to practice, please let me know.

Students have homework EVERY NIGHT!!! It is to practice their multiplication facts for 10-15 minutes each day! This is a nightly homework assignment.

As I shared in the previous weeks, here are some games they can play on-line to practice their math fact fluency.

http://www.coolmath4kids.com/

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/thats_a_fact/english_K_3.html

Another great source is www.learnzillion.com. Here there is video clips for you to view with your child or on your own. You can look up any topic we are teaching to have your child practice and hear how to work through the steps again!

A fantastic site to visit is www.ixl.com. It is a wealth of additional practice opportunities for students and skills are broken down into their Common Core standard. Please, if you have the opportunity, preview this site. You can purchase a license if you like for your own use with your child. You may also use the site without paying as well. I am unsure what will or will not be available without paying for the site.

Science: We are continuing to work with Rocks and Minerals.

Social Studies: Thank you to all of you for supplying some delicious food for our Latin America Celebration. I took many pictures and they will be up on the Arongen homepage when the website moderator can upload them. We will begin our next SS unit on the Regions of the United States after break. It will start slow because of the NYS testing schedule.

As always, thank you for your continued support in your child’s education! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me!

Have a great weekend!
Mr. Grignon