Monday, November 3, 2014

Blue Monday!

Hello Everyone!

We had a great day kicking off our new UOI - "Where We Are in Place and Time".  I will miss everyone tomorrow, and I can't wait to continue our hard work on Wednesday.  Tomorrow is a great day to have a discussion with your student about the rights and responsibilities of US citizens.  We began to discuss voting rights last term, and many students are very interested in the history of the right to vote.  This fits in with the work that we did during the 1st and 2nd terms, and it would be a great review for all of our students.

Some students need new notebooks to begin this term.  Please check with your child about their UOI notebook.

CONGRATULATIONS TO BRYNN, BROOKLYN, MARY, AND TORI!
These four students entered an original piece of writing into the Adam Gidwitz fairy tale contest.  The Snow White and Fuzzy story was selected as a winner last week as part of the Little Shop of Stories contest.

New Adventures This Week

Math:  We began our study of fractions today.  Students were given a preassessment, and we introduced the connection between fractions and division.  We will be working on equivalent fractions this week, and introducing the addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators.  We will continue our work on computation during our workshop time because many students still need more practice with long division.

Science:  We will begin our inquiry into electricity and magnetism this week.  Students will work on a preassessment on Wednesday, and we will introduce some basic vocabulary the rest of the week.

S.S:  We began our new S.S. unit today.  We spent time investigating primary source pictures of migration and innovation.  Students were asked to make observations about the scenes in each picture.  Our students will begin analyzing the Homestead Act, and migration along the cattle trails during the 19th Century.  We will be specifically focusing on the Black Cowboys of Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail, and the Chisholm Trail.

ELA:  Students were given a homework assignment today to prepare a short written piece that can be shared during Literary Cafe.  This should be a poem or a short story.  Additionally, we will begin working on writing persuasive opinion pieces this week.  We will start with the structure of an opinion essay, and move into supporting an opinion with research based evidence.  Also, we will continue to work on spelling, punctuation, and grammar on a daily basis.

Reading:  We are shifting our focus this term to literature.  We will be using Wonder to discuss the impact point of view has on storytelling.  We will also begin working on inferencing this week.  Students will also continue to work on all previously developed skills during Reading Workshop.

Dates to Remember

  • Village Gathering - Nov. 6 from 8:45 - 9:15
  • Literary Cafe - Nov. 19 from 5:30 - 8:30
  • Tybee Parent Meeting - Nov. 11 from 6 - 7 pm.  
Classroom Needs
  • Pink Gummy Erasers
  • Glue Sticks


Have a great night!

Mrs. Prophet

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