Updated on February 22, 2016
Upcoming Events

2/25: PTO Fundraiser with Hot Box Pizza

2/26: Revise Middle School Schedule Online
Use Firefox. Go to any CCS Website. In the White

Unit Big Question: What does it take to settle a
new land?

Search box type OCR. Use student’s school username and 
Strategy Focus: Comparing Literature Plot Elements
Students were given a new contract today.
9 digit id number (on myCCS).
-Compare text organizer due Fri

2/29-3/11: ISTEP Applied Skills Testing Window
-180 Days of Reading Week 24 is due Fri.

3/16: PTO Carnival Wristbands Pre Orders On Sale

3/25: Yearbook Orders Due
Please note, the high ability identification process has
changed! Please refer to CCS’s website for information
regarding this change (click on already attending Carmel Clay
family & student resources > click curriculum > click high
ability > click elementary > click blue link to high ability
handbook).
https://myccs.ccs.k12.in.us/district/high-ability/elementary

Students will be given the two nonfiction texts that
they have already read from this unit. They will fill
out this
organizer using those two texts.

Review REACH Assessments online with your child.

We will be doing Practice I-Step Assessments this
week as well.
TESTING INFORMATION FOR 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades
Next week your child will be given the applied skills portion of
the ISTEP+ test. You may access the ISTEP+ practice test at

Grammar: Indefinite Pronouns (Assessment Friday)
home via your child’s MyCCS account.

I have added indefinite pronoun links to my Writing
The following information has links to practice tests, which
Webpage that has games to help kids practice this skill.
will help your student become more familiar/comfortable with
There are also videos to explain the skill.
the format and the use of the tools.

Genre Focus: Informative
Experience Online offers practice test questions that ISTEP+ will

Students will be writing their book report this week. The
use on the Test Nav 8 platform.
t-chart organizer is due Tuesday. The final typed paper
Released items from ISTEP March 2015 are also available.
is due Mon, Feb 29th.
Pearson hosts PARCC practice tests for grades 3-11.

homework is to then type and revise that one
Smarter Balanced has sample items and tasks for Grades 3-8
The following Department of Education link may be helpful:
Each day we will work on one paragraph in class. The
paragraph.

Students will need to include text evidence
Istep+ Test: http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/istep-grades-
appropriately. Be on the lookout for the text evidence
3-8
bookmark that contains sentence starters!

Students are completing stations this week that
include:
-indefinite pronouns
Kristen
-P.O.W.: ask your child what writing goal they set

We will continue our unit on Matter this week.

We will begin Unit 7 today.

Students will investigate properties of air and

Unit 7: Probability and Discrete Mathematics
gasses.

Students will find probability when all

Students will explain how to find volume of a
solid and a liquid. Students will also be able to
outcomes are equally likely.

define volume displacement.


within a range.
Students will explore the affects temperature

Students will simulate using random numbers,
has on solids and liquids.
and estimate the chance of each possible
Students will explore how condensation works
outcome.
in order to create a definition of condensation.

Students will investigate random numbers

Students will take a quiz over these first
Students will use tree diagrams to find
expected outcomes.
matter skills on Friday. There is no study
guide as it is a quiz. They can refer to their

labs in their science notebook.
Unit 6 Retakes contracts pages 1-2 are due
Wednesday.

Unit 6 Test Retake will be Fri, Feb 26th.

Students were given a Khan username and
password. You can become a coach for your
child too. My goal is for students to complete
a minimum of 30 minutes each week.

Words we will highlight during whole group
reading this week. These vocabulary words will
also appear in the weekly REACH assessments.

Unit 6 Weeks 3-4 are located in yellow wkbk.

Social Studies Vocabulary:
boomtown
ghost town
limited resources
mining

investor
Academic Vocabulary:
development
population
discovery
Words with oo, ew, au, al, al, all
alternate
applaud
austere
booth
cautious
downfall
flawless
gloomy
halter
haunches
noose
pewter
skewed
sprawling
squall
economy
Watch Out Words
hoard
horde
sole
soul