Mrs. Chang’s Weekly Jigsaw
March 2, 2015, Issue 25
“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem,
and a concerned person solves a problem.” ~Harold Stephens
Last Week
Important Dates
Math Club
Anderson/Tuesday AM
Chang/Wednesday AM
8:15 AM
Mar. 4, 2015
No Homework Week Ends
Report cards were sent home last Friday. I hope you had productive conversations about your
child’s progress in all subject areas. Our final week’s reward for the Family Reading Program is no
homework for a week! Our Big Event for all students who completed their reading minutes is Key
Lime Cove in April! In reading, we spent a week on sample questions from the Literary Analysis and
Narrative Writing portions of the PARCC test; we read the passages and discussed strategies to
answer the multiple choice questions. In writing, students peer edited their persuasive essays on
school uniforms or same gender schools; we also planned and wrote the essays in the sample
PARCC practice test, one on themes and one narrative story, reviewing the formats of essay writing
and the story arc. In math, we have studied tenths and hundredths in decimals and how to order
decimals; we have completed our packet of sample PARCC math problems. In science, students
planned the wiring of a 4-room house with different scenarios (separate switches in each room,
lighting two rooms with one switch, and keeping one room lit even if the light in another room
burned out); students reviewed the electricity/magnetism unit and took final assessment. In word
study, we began Unit 6 Part 2 on Appearance and Root Words.
Mar. 7, 2015
Speech Tournament
Weekly Puzzle
Mar. 10-12, 2015
PARCC Language Arts Testing
10th: Literary Analysis
11th: Research Simulation
12th: Narrative Writing
Turn in the puzzle to Mrs. Chang this week! Correct
answers and parent signature will earn one Be Ticket!
Parents, please sign here to verify that you have read the
newsletter!
Mar. 16-17, 2015
PARCC Math Testing
16th: Part 1
17th: Part 2
Mar. 18-19, 2015
Conferences, 4-8 PM
Mar. 20, 2015
No School (Institute Day)
Mar. 23-27, 2015
Spring Break
Read Aloud
Out of My Mind by Sharon
Draper
________________________________________
Upcoming
* As of last week, we have completed all practice PARCC questions on paper and pencil. In reading,
we will practice taking the test on computers, familiarizing ourselves with format, scrolling, toolbox
elements, and reviewing contents.
* In writing, we will read a variety of short works to help begin our new unit on The Literary Essay:
Writing About Fiction. Students will also take an inquiry argumentative writing assessment to wrap
up our persuasive writing unit.
* In math, we will learn rounding decimals to whole numbers of tenths, and convert fractions to
decimals and vice versa. We will have a unit test on Friday.
* We will have a quiz on Unit 6 (Appearance) Part 2 (root words) in word study on Wednesday.
* We will have our speech tournament teams practice in front of our class and other 4th grade
classes towards the end of the week to prepare for the big day on March 7th.
*Please return your conference preference sheet as soon as possible. Thank you!