March 13th, 2016

Uprising on King Street: The Trial of The Boston Massacre

 
Highlights from Last Week:

The Uprising on King Street presentation: The 5th grade witnessed a dramatic reenactment of the trial of a British officer at the Boston Massacre. It was riveting!
 
We finished our read aloud of The Tiger Rising. Students caught on to all of the symbolism within this moving story.
 
Class Dojo seems to be motivating students to stay focused, work hard, and show other great behaviors. Many parents have even signed on to monitor their child’s progress. Many students have already earned 2 rewards.
 
Students moan in disappointment whenever Writing class is over. They are highly engaged in writing their informational texts.
 
Fraction multiplication seems to be going swimmingly. Students are able to draw models and number lines to prove their work.

 
What we didn't get to:

• We did not get to the Boston Tea Party in Social Studies.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Early Release Wednesday: Parent Teacher Conferences
• Weather Presentation on Tuesday: Matt Noyes, meteorologist

Math: 
Multiplication of Fractions.

• Whole numbers times mixed numbers
• Mixed numbers times fractions
• Mixed numbers times mixed numbers
• Area model for mixed number multiplication –This involves using a grid to model mixed number dimensions and finding the area of the space inside.
• Fraction multiplication in real life –We’ll solve real world problems.
  
  

Writing:  
Informational Writing Project.

• Thinking Words and Phrases –Students will practice linking their ideas within and across categories of information using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially). 
• Text Features –I will teach students some techniques on Google Docs that will allow them to format their writing in helpful ways.
• Assessing Your Work –Students will use a check list to compare their work to expectations, then make revisions and edits as necessary.
  
  

Reading:
Book Groups. Point of View.

• MCAS Practice –Many students struggled with a particularly challenging reading last week, so we will work in small groups to improve our close reading and our responses.
• Point of View in Fiction –We will describe how a narrator’s point of view influences how events are described.
• Point of View in Informational Texts –We will analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic.
• Book Groups –Groups continue to meet using Reading Reports to prepare for insightful discussions.

 
Social Studies:
The Causes of the American Revolution.
We watch segments from the engaging “Liberty” series from PBS to learn about the major causes of the American Revolution. We learn a lot of sophisticated vocabulary along the way.
 
This week, we will focus on:

• The Boston Tea Party and The Sons of Liberty
• The Intolerable Acts

 
Homework:
Please visit the Homework Page for more details.

• Homework Project: Students have a Preliminary Action Plan form to fill out by Friday for their Global Citizenship Project.
• Math: There will be a page or two of math practice each night.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog:  Students must reply to me and another student by Friday.
• MCAS Practice –Students will have two MCAS practice packets to work on this week. One is due on Wednesday, the other is due on Friday.

Thanks for Reading!
So that's the plan for the week. Please feel free to email me with any questions, comments, or feedback. 
 
 
 

---