News for 4/22

It's been a great week in TAG! We have been hard at work and were thrilled to participate in the ISP showcase on Thursday evening! Everyone did a fantastic job on their projects and represented CCE very well. We are so proud of everyone!

1st Grade Talent Development

First graders have had a great week.  We celebrated Earth Day on Monday by reading Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg and watching a video about the history of Earth Day.  We also went on a scavenger hunt outside, and found all kinds of great items from our Earth.  We picked up a bag of trash while we were there too!  We finished the week by making watercolor Earths on coffee filters and thought of ten ways to help keep our Earth a beautiful home for all of us. 

2nd Grade Talent Development

Second grade worked very hard in TAG this week. We helped each other complete ISP projects for the showcase. We also celebrated Earth Day with a video of "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss. The students then wrote a letter to the Lorax to explain how they would have behaved if they had been in his story or how they as humans will help the planet. 

3rd Grade Math

Third graders have had a great week studying financial literacy.  We have talked about income, planned and unplanned spending, paying with cash versus credit and making donations a part of your budget.  We have read stories and played games to help us learn about these things, and have really enjoyed our learning.  We've had some great "real world" discussions about all things money, and we've had fun!

4th Grade Math

Fourth graders have had a great week learning about data analysis.  We have talked about dot plots and scatterplots this week.  Students have done a great job with details, and working on learning as much as possible.  We have done practice problems, worked through online scenarios together, and created our own examples of these things.  They have done a great job!

5th Grade Math

Fifth graders have had a great week studying dependent and independent variables.  This is a brand new concept, and they have jumped right in!  We have watched videos, done practice problems, and discussed lots of examples to help us.  We finished the week by starting a small project about this topic, which will be continued next week.

3rd Reading

Third grade was hard at work this week. Most students have completed reading their books by author Avi. They have been working on a creative culminating project. We are excited to share these with each other next week!

4th Reading

Fourth grade had a great week in TAG. We examined flat and round characters and applied that knowledge to our award winning novels. The students have also been working hard on their creative end of novel projects. We look forward to sharing them at the end of next week.

5th Reading

Fifth grade has been busy, busy. We spent part of our week wrapping up ISP projects for the showcase. They all did a great job and had fun showing off their work. 
The students have also been having a great time reading their graphic novels. They have been hard at work exercising their creativity with their end of unit projects. We are very excited to see the final products!

Have a great weekend, see you next week!

Important Dates:

4/29 4th Grade Field Trip 11:00am

4/29-5/3 Book Fair
4/30 Kona Ice after school
5/1 4th Grade Field Trip
5/7 Volunteer Breakfast 7:15am
5/8 Comet Kickoff (future Kindergartners)
5/10 5th Grade Field Trip to San Antonio
5/10 Kinder Mother's Day program
5/13 STAAR- 3rd & 4th
5/14 STAAR- 3rd  & 4th
5/15 STAAR 5th

News for 4/8

This week was a busy week. We had STAAR testing for grades 4 and 5. Despite the busy schedule we had a great week!

1st Grade Talent Development

First graders have had a fantastic week!  We are all officially finished with our ISP research papers and trifold boards.  They look great, and we can't wait to show them off at the showcase!  We are looking forward to some fun projects in the next few weeks as we wrap up our year together.  We will enjoy digging deep with STEAM projects, fun ELA activities and some social/emotional learning.  

2nd Grade Talent Development

Second grade had a great week in TAG. Everyone is working hard and having fun too!

3rd Grade Math

Third grade has had a great week of learning.  We have focused on elapsed time and everyone has gotten pretty good at it!  We have done lots of practice problems, used miniature clocks to show our thinking, and talked a lot about why time is important.  We have had a great time!

4th Grade Math

Fourth grade has had a short week in TAG due to STAAR testing and a field trip.  The days we have been together, we wrapped up our financial literacy unit with a slideshow review and lots of discussion.  They all have some really great thoughts about all things finance- they will be ready to manage their money as adults!  We are looking forward to starting a new unit on graphing and data analysis next week.

5th Grade Math

Fifth graders have had a great week of learning.We have focused on box and whisker plots, as well as measures of spread this week.  I have been so impressed with my students' eagerness to learn new things and how quickly they've picked it all up.  They have created some great displays to show their learning!  Don't forget about the extra credit project, due next Wednesday 4/17.

3rd Reading

Third grade had a great week. They continued reading their Avi novels. The students are really enjoying the adventures their novels are taking them on!

4th Reading

Fourth grade had a busy week. They took the STAAR Writing test on Tuesday. On the days in TAG, students worked on their award winning novel studies. Students selected a novel that has won one of the notable literary awards (Bluebonnet, Belpre, Newbery, Children's Literature Award). They jumped into reading their books and planning their culminating project.

5th Reading

Fifth grade had a short week in TAG. We started the week off on Monday by having a game day. Students had the opportunity to play the games their classmates made connected to the "Mysterious Benedict Society" novel. It was a lot of fun!
They then completed their math and reading STAAR tests this week. They rejoined their TAG classes on Thursday and continued work on their graphic novel unit.

Have a great weekend, see you next week!

Important Dates:

4/16 PTA Meeting and 2nd grade performance 6:00pm

4/19 Holiday-No School
4/24 1st Grade Sip N'See 3:00pm
4/25 2nd Grade Field Trip 9:30am
TAG Showcase at Westwood HS 5:30pm
4/29 4th Grade Field Trip 11:00am
4/29-5/3 Book Fair

News for 4/1

April is off to a great start. We have been busy and learning a lot. We are looking forward to a great month!

1st Grade Talent Development

First graders have had a good week in TAG.  With the field trip on Monday and the excitement of the eggs coming to their homerooms, we have had limited time together.  But, the time we have had has been great- they are all in a great place with their ISPs and we have worked some on building our stick bridges.  They are really working hard and it's so fun to see!

2nd Grade Talent Development

Second grade students are working hard to wrap up their ISP projects. Each day we work hard and get closer to having everyone done. The projects are turning out great!

3rd Grade Math

Third graders have had a great week exploring measurement using metric and customary units.  We spent one day estimating the capacity of various household containers, and then deciding what size graduated cylinder to use to measure the actual capacity.  We had some surprises!  We also had a Measurement Marathon for a couple of days.  Students practiced measuring weight, capacity, length and time using everything from sponges to cotton balls to iPads, with lots in between!

4th Grade Math

Fourth graders spent the week in their homerooms working hard on their writing skills during Cruise Write Along.  We are looking forward to being together again next week!

5th Grade Math

Fifth graders have continued with our data analysis unit.  We have learned lots of new vocabulary and concepts.  We have practiced with mean, median, mode, range, first and third quartiles and interquartile range in  class this week.  I have been so proud of the way all of them have been so open minded and flexible in learning new concepts that are pretty tough to grasp.  They have done a beautiful job and are looking and acting more like mature middle schoolers every day!  Be on the lookout for information on a project involving all of this new knowledge soon!

3rd Reading

Third grade had fun this week with a visit to the library to launch our culminating activity. Each student selected a novel by author Avi. They will read the novel and then complete a project of choice to demonstrate a major understanding or take away from the story. We are looking forward to seeing the creations everyone comes up with.

4th Reading

Fourth grade spent the week in their homeroom classes participating in Cruise Write Along. We look forward to getting together next week!

5th Reading

Fifth grade wrapped up the Mysterious Benedict Society games and took their final comprehension test over the novel. We then visited the library to learn about the culminating activity to accompany our final unit on Graphic Novels. The students will create original projects to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the story line or major take away from each of their graphic novels. We are looking forward to seeing where everyone's creativity leads them! 

Have a great weekend, see you next week!

Important Dates:

4/9 STAAR 4th & 5th grade

4/10 STAAR 5th grade
4/11 4th grade field trip 9:00am
4/16 PTA Meeting and 2nd grade performance 6:00pm
4/19 Holiday-No School
4/24 1st Grade Sip N'See 3:00pm
4/25 2nd Grade Field Trip 9:30am
4/29 4th Grade Field Trip 11:00am
4/29-5/3 Book Fair