Good Morning Families!

This week your children will wrap up both reading and math with final assessments.  We’ll spread them out over Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, so they aren’t so overwhelming.  In my math class, we’ll have a review lesson today with a review homework.  Tonight’s assignment will wrap up homework for the year.

This week the kids will also get to partake in Junior Achievement lessons.  A volunteer teacher will come to the class every day this week and teach lessons on how a city government is run.  These lessons will nicely compliment the lessons we’ll have this week about the history of Lincoln, and how our city has grown over time.

I hope you all have a great week and get to enjoy the nice weather!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families!

It’s hard for me to fathom the school year is drawing to a close.  With only three weeks remaining, we are truly in the home stretch.  The kids will wrap a couple of things up this week, including their last full week of reading lessons, and their last spelling test.  We’ll also put the finishing touches on our Personal Narratives in writing.  The kids are also completing their last few tasks that will go in their “School Days…” portfolio.  I’ve been assembling those, as well as a DVD of photographs this past couple of weeks and it’s so neat to see how they’ve grown the past 10 months.  It will be so hard to see them off to 4th grade!

In Math this week, we’ll continue our study of measurement and geometry.  The kids have been learning about different shapes, and keeping everything straight is quite confusing!  Hopefully we’ll have a good week of lessons as the Unit 7 test approaches.  In my class, I anticipate homework on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We’ll see how the lessons go Thursday and Friday I’ll determine then what homework they might have.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

On Wednesday, your kids will embark on a tour of Memorial Stadium and the accompanying athletic facilities.  This will supplement our study of the history of Lincoln, and its most famous landmarks.  Please have your child wear comfortable shoes, and appropriate dress for the weather.  You might even encourage them to show school spirit by wearing Husker red!

If you are joining us for the tour, make sure you sign up as a Level III volunteer as soon as possible.  The tour note is attached to the weekly email, as is a map for parking.

In Reading this week, the kids will read expository texts, and learn about a variety of animals.  We’ll compare and contrast a number of different animals, and practice rereading and using context clues.  You can expect a spelling list to come home Monday evening, as well.

In Math, we’ll continue studying customary and metric measurements.  We’ll also begin studying different geometric shapes.  In my Math class, I’m anticipating homework on the following nights.

Monday-No Homework

Tuesday-Homework 7-5

Wednesday-Homework 7-6

Thursday-Homework 7-7

Friday-No Homework

In Writing, we’ll begin writing the final drafts of our Personal Narratives.  The kids have worked really hard to this point, and it’s time to create the final project!  I’m very eager to see how their work comes out.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

Sounds impossible, but this week your children will have no tests!  🙂  The state tests have concluded, we’re starting a new unit in Math, and we’re in the middle of our Reading unit.  Therefore…no tests for once!

This week the kids will learn about a few astronauts this week, as we study biographies and outer space.  We’ll discuss problems and solutions, rereading, root words and how goal setting can help us achieve more.  There will be a spelling list coming home Tuesday.  So, I guess they have one test this week.  🙂

In Math, we’ll start learning about different kinds of measurement.  We’ll explore customary and metric measurement when it comes to volume and mass.  In my Math class, I’m anticipating homework on the following nights.

Tuesday-None

Wednesday-Homework 7-1

Thursday-Homework 7-2

Friday-Homework 7-3

Lastly, our big field trip to Memorial Stadium is coming up on May 1st.  The field trip note will be coming home Tuesday evening (if it arrives from the print shop in time!).  Please read it over, and let us know if you are planning on joining us on the trip.  If you are, you must sign up as a “Level III” field trip volunteer.  The link is provided in the letter, which is also posted on this web page under “events.”  As I understand it, registration is good for three years.  So, if you’ve done this recently, you should be good to go!  Don’t worry, you won’t have any duties on the trip, it’s just for liability and safety reasons.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families!

This week it appears the weather is done messing with out minds!  Finally!  As we enjoy the warmth, your kids will learn about some extreme weather during their reading stories this week.  We’ll practice making predictions, learning the theme of each story, as well as practice idioms.  You can also expect to see a spelling list come home this evening.

In Math, we’ll take our Unit 6 test this week.  Once again, the test is loooooooong.  So, we’ll break it apart over a few days.  As a result, you can expect homework in my Math class on Monday.  The rest of the week, we’ll focus on the test.

In Writing, the kids will begin a rough draft of their personal narrative.  The topic is “A Special Experience,” and I’m really looking forward to seeing what they produce.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the weather this week!

Eric Wachter

Good Morning Families!

Ah, testing season!  It continues this week again for your kids, as they will take their Nebraska State Test in Math.  This test will take place on Tuesday and Thursday of this week for most kids.  As a result, homework will be sporadic, at best.  I anticipate homework on Monday and Wednesday in my Math class, but we’ll play it by ear.

The rest of the week should be fairly normal.  The kids will learn about Myths and Drama in their stories this week.  We will resume spelling, too, so a list should be coming home Monday evening.

In Writing, we’ll continue learning about Personal Narratives, and will complete some exercises to help the kids prepare for their own narrative story.

Thanks for reading, and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

Last week, I was incredibly proud of all the kids that took their state reading test on Monday and Thursday.  The classroom environment was perfect, and the effort that was put into those exams was outstanding!  We won’t know the results until summer, but I couldn’t have been more proud of their focus and dedication to do their best!

Unfortunately, the kids will have to tackle their Unit 5 reading test this week.  Thankfully, it’s a reduced version due to the state testing, and it won’t be such a drain mentally.  Because it’s the end of the unit, we won’t have spelling this week.

In Math, the kids began Unit 6 last week.  As you probably saw from the homework, much of our practice is word problem practice.  That will continue again this week and for the rest of the Unit.  In my Math class, I’m anticipating homework on the following nights.

Monday-Homework 6.4

Tuesday-Homework 6.5

Wednesday-No Homework

Thursday-Homework 6.6

Friday-No Homework

In Writing, we’ll begin the process of writing a Personal Narrative this week.  We’ll complete several lessons to help us understand what a narrative story is, and how to construct one.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families!

I hope you all had a restful Spring Break, and were able to do some fun things with your kids!  Personally, I’m glad it appears winter is over, and I’m ready to crank things up for the stretch run of the school year.

This week in Reading (Unit 5, Week 4), the kids will learn through a variety of biographical stories.  We’ll practice asking and answering questions and discuss an author’s point of view when telling a story.  The kids will have a spelling list this week, but the Literacy Homework has concluded.

In Math, the kids will spend the first few days of the week reviewing for the Unit 5 Test.  The kids will likely have homework on Monday and Tuesday in preparation, then we’ll take the test on Wednesday and Thursday.

In Writing, the kids will kid some typing practice, as they will type the Personal Essays they completed before break.  We’ll also practice some Spring poetry.

Thanks for reading and have a great week!

Eric Wachter

Hello Families,

This week your child will enjoy a number of really fun activities in class!

First, our chicks will likely begin to hatch sometime around Monday and Tuesday.  Hopefully we’ll have a good hatch rate, and get some quality play time with the little cuties!  Your child is welcome to bring a camera to take pictures of the fun.  However, I will also take A LOT of pictures, and make them all available to you.

Second, it’s Dr. Seuss Week!  Below and attached to the weekly email you’ll see a list of the daily celebrations to celebrate his birthday.

Monday-Bring a Stuffed Animal

Tuesday-Wear Crazy Socks

Wednesday-Wacky Hair and Outfits

Thursday-Pajama Day

Friday-Bring Something to Share (that fits in your pocket!)

Third, we’ll complete a fossil dig on Friday afternoon.  The kids will excavate a fossil out of plaster of paris, just as a paleontologist would do from sand or rock!  The activity gets a little messy, so it would be wise to not wear the fanciest clothes that day.

In Reading, we’ll tackle expository texts this week.  The kids will learn about teamwork, and how rescue workers use teamwork to solve problems.  We will have spelling, as well as the last Literacy Homework assignment of the year.

In Math, the kids will continue to practice perimeter and area, and then move on to a review of fractions.  In my class, I’m hesitant to predict what evenings we’ll have homework.  The pacing guide has a couple of review days built it, so I’m going to play homework by ear, based on the review lessons.

Thanks for reading, and I hope your child enjoys this busy, busy, busy week!

Eric Wachter