Week of May 9, 2016

Students in battle positions on the North Bridge in Concord.

Highlights from Last Week:
Our field trip to Lexington and Concord (The Minuteman National Park) was thoroughly engaging and fun. Students learned about the events of April 19th, 1775, and how the colonists gathered to stop the British from seizing their store of ammunition. We also learned how soldiers fought with their muskets and how women helped the cause by making cloth so Americans could boycott British cloth. Our class found particular delight with marching in formation across the North Bridge in Concord. Unfortunately, I lost a control of the troops at one point and they started “firing” at Ms. Correia’s class up ahead!

Students learned how to beat box with their mouths and sing with passion during the amazing workshop with a cappella group, Ball in the House. I couldn’t make the night show, but I heard it was fantastic.

“Dead or alive or dormant?” We’ve been singing that theme song each time we check on our seeds. Students are experimenting to see what seeds need to germinate, and then what plants need to grow. Students are changing the make-up of the soil, the amount of water, the type of fluid, the amount of sunlight, and whether or not there is air. No signs of life yet!

We covered Volume in math quite well, despite needing to cram before MCAS. In Reading, we started reading and reenacting a play about Harriet Tubman. Students are learning to recognize examples of foreshadowing in a play by focusing on particular stage directions and performance instructions.

What we didn't get to:

• In Math, we spent some extra time with Volume this week. We have two more concepts to cram in before the first Math MCAS on Tuesday, so we’ll have double math on Monday.
• In Writing, we took our comma/spelling test, but we had little time to do much else. We still haven’t started conjunctions, prepositions, interjections, or verb tenses.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Last DARE Class, Monday, May 9th.
• Math MCAS Session 1, Tuesday, May 10th.
• Math MCAS Session 1, Wednesday, May 11th.
• Field Trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, Thursday, May 12th.
• No All School Meeting, but an Enrichment Activity (it’s still a mystery) in the afternoon, Friday, May 13th

 
Math: 
Cram Time for Math MCAS.

In order to cover everything that students will be tested on in the MCAS, which is May 10th and 11th, we need to cram in 1 ½ months worth of material in 2 weeks. Here is what we still need to cover:

• Measurement Conversions
• Polygon Properties
  
  

Writing:  
Grammar and Language Skills

• Conjunctions, Prepositions, and Interjections
• Verb Tenses
  
  

Reading:
Continue with Foreshadowing. Revisit point of view.

• Retell a story from a different character’s point of view.
• Identify examples of foreshadowing in poems and plays.

 
Social Studies:
Colonial America and American Revolution primary and secondary sources.

• We visit the Museum of Fine Arts this week to view paintings and artifacts from the colonial and revolutionary periods. 

 
 
Science:
Plants, Animals, and Ecosystems

• Plants and Their Food –We will learn about what plants need to grow by conducting a fun experiment.
• Food Webs –We will learn how organisms are related to one another by what they eat in their ecosystems. We’ll learn about producers, primary and secondary consumers, decomposers, and more.

 
Homework:
Please visit the Homework Page for more details.

• Homework Project: None.
• Global Citizenship Project: Students should be working on their philanthropy and advocacy for their chosen charities outside of school and logging their activities on their Philanthropy Log (shared on Google Drive). They also should begin planning their poster board (outlined on the yellow handout). Link to requirements.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: There is a new Blog (#17) about analyzing literal and figurative language for students to respond to by Friday.

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