WELCOME TO ROOM 18
2025-2026
Welcome to May
May 22nd Early Dismissal 1:09
May 25th No School Memorial Day
June 1st and 2nd early dismissal 1:09
June 2nd last day of school
The first two SBAC tests are over. Next week there are two more tests both on math. The tests will be given on Monday and Tuesday.
This week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you parents who decorated my door! Thank you parents who donated food items for staff! Thank you students who wrote me a card, brought in flowers, and got me a gift card. It is nice to feel appreciated.
Here are the eight parents that were picked randomly (approved on Civicore) that are attending our trip to Niles on May 14th. Parent of : Aadhira, Aarya, Diya, Forest, Krithi, Lola, Rishaan, Vivaan. Remember to bring $8.00 cash with you to pay for your train ticket.
Parents should check in at the office at 8:40 AM then come to Room 18.
Next week (Wed.) we will take our unit 7 math test on fractions. There are two practice tests on ThinkCentral.
We are skipping a few lessons in our history book. We are jumping to Lesson 11.
Try this link out for another attempt at SBAC practice tests: LINK TO SBAC PRACTICE
If you are interested in seeing what the SBAC practice test looks like, here is a link. Remember, the test isn't until May so you have plenty of time to view this practice test. I will leave this link here until students take the actual test....CLICK ON PRACTICE AND TRAINING TESTS
Once you get to the site, click on the green student test. Leave both options to ON, and then follow the rest of the steps. You do not need a password.
Here is a link you can use to see some of the tools students will need to get familiar with before taking the SBAC test...
Here is the link to order a Parkmont 2026 yearbook. I'm not sure if the link I had posted further down in this newsletter was correct so if you tried ordering a yearbook using that link, please email yearbookatparkmont@gmail.com to see if they received your order (the link further below has been fixed).
Here is the correct link...
Please have your child try KhanAcademy, IXL, Prodigy, iReady, Readworks. All of these sites reinforce what is being taught in class.
UPCOMING ACADEMICS
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READING
Unit: WEATHER AND CLIMATE
The weekly spelling and vocabulary words can be found in the Fri. Folder when we are working on a unit, but not during the week off from Benchmark.
Additional material (spelling words, vocabulary words, grammar skills) is located on Google Classroom to help students with what we are covering in Benchmark. It can be found in Google Classroom under the label Benchmark.
Also on Google Classroom, use the link to Khan Academy to get more help with reading.
Try I-ready (on Clever)
Please feel free to go to Benchmark (go to Clever first) and look over your child's tests.
Give Readworks.org a try by going to Google Classroom for the link.
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MATH
MATH:
UNIT 7 Fractions
Some concepts/vocabulary students will be learning in Unit 7 are..
understanding fractions, numerator/denominator, locating fractions on a number line, comparing fractions, equivalent fractions, irregular fractions.
The math homework and class book can be found online. Have your child go to Clever, then ThinkCentral, then click on My library
You can also see a child's unit test results on ThinkCentral.
For additional help in math, use the link in Google Classroom under Khan Academy and search for my assigned math.
Go to CLEVER. Then go to IXL for many practice math opportunities.
Try I-Ready (go to Clever first)
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HISTORY
LESSON 11
Pages 187 - 204
Vocabulary Words - benefit, cost, economy, free market economy, goods, market, scarcity, services
Students analyze a series of images about the economy and bring two of them to life. Then students ask questions about our economy, gather and evaluate sources, write explanations using claims and evidence, and present to the class.
Essential Question
How do we buy and sell things?
Objectives
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Explain how goods and services are bought and sold at market.
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Analyze how scarcity forces people to make decisions and that decisions have benefits and costs.
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Describe the free market economy of the United States.
THIS SAME INFORMATION (BOOK) CAN BE FOUND ON CLEVER. THE NAME OF THE SITE ON CLEVER IS TCI. IT'S A DISTRICT SITE.
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SCIENCE
INHERITANCE OF TRAITS
People have many misconceptions about how organisms get their traits and about the role that inherited information and environmental factors play in determining variation in the traits of organisms. This unit addresses these concepts directly by providing numerous opportunities for students to construct an accurate understanding of the influences that inheritance and the environment play in determining organisms’ traits.
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) set a higher bar for students’ understanding of inheritance and variation of traits than have past standards. While in the past, elementary students were expected to simply know that plants and animals inherit traits from their parents, the NGSS expect that students should be able to provide evidence to support this idea. Similarly, while in the past, students were expected to simply know that traits can be influenced by the environment, the NGSS expect that students should be able to say how they know by gathering evidence. To prepare students to be able to meet these expectations, this unit provides students with multiple opportunities to explore and analyze data, generate their own questions, and interpret data to help them answer those questions. Students experience more support early in the unit and assume increasing independence; by the end of the unit, students are supporting claims with evidence as they explain why various organisms got their traits. Rather than stopping at the what, this unit pushes to the why.
How?
In Chapter 1, students learn that they will take on the role of wildlife biologists working to understand why one wolf in a fictional national park, Wolf 44, looks different from the others in its pack. Students are introduced to the question that frames their learning in this chapter: Why are wolves different even though they are all the same species? A series of activities in which students observe similarities and differences in traits between increasingly closely related organisms introduces students to the concept that organisms in a species have similar traits, but there is also variation in those traits. Students then observe and reflect on their own traits as humans. Students are introduced to the features of a scientific explanation and, as a class, compose a scientific explanation that addresses the Chapter 1 Question. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce students to the concept of species and to provide opportunities for students to observe variation among organisms within a species.
In Chapter 2, students are introduced to a second wolf pack in the park, the Bison Valley Pack, and investigate the question Why is Wolf 44’s color similar to one pack but different from the other? Students begin to investigate where organisms get their traits. Like scientists in the field, students observe fruit fly parents and offspring as they look for patterns in the fruit flies’ traits. Through reading, students learn that genes provide the instructions for traits and that genes are inherited by offspring from both parents. Students build fictional creature offspring from clay by following instructions for traits from the creature parents. The class compares the traits of creature siblings and observes that there is variation among siblings. Through these experiences, students come to an understanding that siblings may inherit different instructions from the same parents, causing them to have different traits. Students then apply their understanding of traits and inheritance to make sense of the patterns in the traits of wolf parents and offspring. Students write their own scientific explanations that address the Chapter 2 Question.
In Chapter 3, the question Why isn’t Wolf 44 like the Bison Valley Pack in hunting style and size? guides students’ investigations. Students investigate why Wolf 44 has traits that are different from its parents. Students start their investigation by asking questions and reviewing data about flamingo families. A pattern begins to emerge—students observe that feather color in flamingos seems to be associated with a flamingo’s environment. Building on this experience, students read a book to learn that an organism’s traits can come from the environment. Students return to the class traits posters and consider factors that may have determined their own traits, leading them to identify some traits that are affected by inheritance and the environment. Students gather evidence for this idea by conducting a hands-on investigation of an inherited trait (the green color of celery) that can be affected by the environment (food coloring and water). Students then write their final scientific explanations of the unit independently, explaining how Wolf 44 came to be the medium size it is.
In Chapter 4, the guiding question for the chapter is How can scientists investigate questions about traits? Students apply what they have learned by engaging in investigations by using data about another species found in the national park. Students are tasked with applying their understanding of where traits can come from in order to describe the possible traits that the offspring of one set of sparrow parents will have. To prepare students to investigate the data, they read a book that describes the questions one scientist asks as she investigates why one scorpion has the traits it does. Students ask questions they can investigate about the traits of sparrows and analyze data about sparrow parents and offspring to investigate their questions. This chapter culminates with students describing the traits the sparrow offspring could have and supporting their ideas with evidence.
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WRITING
In writing, we will work on writing full, complete sentences. We are also working on staying on topic. Students will be learning how to state a clear opinion, use sentences of different lengths, writing a strong conclusion, revising and editing.
During the year, students will learn how to write a personal narrative, opinion piece, descriptive writing, and explanatory/informational writing.
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HERE IS THE LINK...
LINK FOR VOLUNTEERING INCLUDING DRIVING (Civicore)
HERE IS THE LINK TO ORDER A PARKMONT YEARBOOK
Link to get to Iready...
LINK FOR iReady Scores instructions
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THE FOLLOWING IS INFORMATION THAT CAN BE USED ALL YEAR
CLASS CODES
INVITE LINK TO GOOGLE CLASSROOM - LINK FOR GOOGLE CLASS
Google classroom code - xp3alxlm
IReady - Go to Clever, then IReady
Prodigy - Go to Google Classroom - Use link there (code is there too)
Legends of Learning -
KhanAcademy - use their Google Account: Class code is 9Z78XKPN
Readworks.org: use Google Account--Class code is NL4TJ6
Epic - Getepic.com/students code: ykb6380 (only available during school hours)
To go to Thinkcentral go to Clever first then Thinkcentral
A few notes: To get to ZOOM for my class use the
Meeting Code 435 384 5534 Password 775387
or just use link I send out
If you are interested in ordering Scholastic Books for your child you either go to my links page and click on the Scholastic Link or you can go to Scholastic.com/bookclubs and use code GVYX9. I'm not sure if the books will get sent to Parkmont or your house. If they get to school I will make sure you get them by notifying you. THIS IS OPTIONAL.
For students that need more assistance with reading fluency, please log on to Clever and then go to the Lexia icon.
THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO AND MAKING THIS A GREAT YEAR!
Please feel free to look at the various links my website has.
