April is Here!

Hey, all!  Recently, the third quarter has wrapped up and we are full steam into the last quarter of the school year.  Can you believe that?  I cannot believe that we are down to one-quarter of school and we have so much to do!  Just breathe, Mrs. McCarville.  Just breathe.

Currently, we have A LOT going on in our literacy block.  Students recently completed their graphic novels on their horror book club book.  I wanted to share a few on our blog, although they are hard to read.  However, I am so impressed with the amount of effort that students put into the assignment that I just HAD to share what they did.

How cool is Emily's Thirteen Chairs?

Take a peek at Domanick's Frozen Charlotte.

I am not sure if your child has mentioned our new unit that we have started in literacy, but we have recently begun reading, researching, and discussing the Holocaust.  The students are very interested in this topic and are curious to learn more.  We are reading aloud the book Daniel's Story, and we are discussing our thoughts, questions, and feelings through our online Padlet.  Check out our thoughts Daniel's Story Padlet.  In library, students will begin examining primary and secondary sources about the topic of Kristallnacht.  We will move onto discussing antisemitism, propaganda, and a few more topics before the students start their historical fiction book clubs on the Holocaust.  Look for more information on the Holocaust as we near the end of the book clubs, as there will be a culminating project at the end of the unit.

The students have been working feverishly at completing their "8-Book Challenge."  As a reminder, the students have until the end of the quarter to read eight books of their choice.  Students will write weekly reading reflections in Google Slides and I will write responses back to them.  Once students finish their books, they are required to write a reading review on our class Padlet.  I have attached our Padlet 1 to see our current reading reviews.  We have been trying our best to "steal reading" moments at school, but please encourage your child to "steal reading" moments at home.  Also, check in with your child and ask what he/she is reading?  How many books have you read for the challenge?  What does your reading response journal look like?  Continue to ask your child about his/her progress with this assignment.

Lastly, I am sending home the last set of book orders for the year.  If your child would like to order books for the book order, please send a check payable to Scholastic Book Clubs by Thursday, April 13th.  Hopefully, your child can find some good reading choices for the 8-Book Challenge or for the summer.  Thanks!

Have a great week!  Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Mrs. McCarville