Week of December 12, 2016

Students sharing their presentation as experts about wind.

Highlights from Last Week:

Students created an impressive presentation about Wind. They collaborated in small groups to become experts on their specific wind topic --measuring wind, prevailing winds, wind systems, etc. On Friday, students shared their knowledge in one giant student-led presentation. All I had to do was click the forward button! Thoroughly informative and entertaining presentation, students!

Students are getting more responsibilities. They now are taking turns running morning meetings and homework check-ins. The goal is for them to take ownership of our classroom operations and increase their leadership skills.

We finished up decimal addition and subtraction and began reviewing for an assessment. Students seem ready!

Also on our list of recently finished things: our class read aloud of There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom. This beloved story of how a troubled boy gains the self-confidence he needs to succeed academically and socially will stick with us all year long. 

What We Didn't Get To:​

• In Science, we didn't get to the water cycle.

This Week's Plan


Upcoming Special Events: ​​

• Winter Concert --Tuesday at 6:30pm.
• Early Release --Wednesday
• DARE Essay Winner Share --At Friday's All School Meeting
• Geography Bee Round 1 --Wednesday, December 21
• Beatnik Cafe --Friday, December 23 at 1:30pm

Special Activities:

• Poetry Practice --Students will have opportunities to practice reciting poetry in class.

Math:
Decimal & Expressions Assessment.​

• Assessment on Tuesday --Here is the Study Guide. We'll review on Monday, take the test on Tuesday, then correct it on Wednesday.
• Decimal Multiplication --We'll use models to show decimal multiplication, then use estimation and the standard algorithm.

Reading:
Begin Poetry.

• Poetic Techniques --We'll learn about rhyme, rhythm, tone, mood, and imagery. We'll read a variety of poems and discuss how poetic techniques influence meaning.
• Teacher Read Aloud --We begin a new read aloud of Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech. It's an amusing and powerful story told through the poetic diary of a boy who dislikes poetry.

Writing:
Finish Fictional Narrative Writing.​ Begin Poetry.

• Review of Narrative Technique --This will help us wrap up our fictional narratives.
• Share --Students will have the opportunity to share their fictional stories.
• Figurative Language --We'll learn how to use similes, metaphors, and personification to develop short poems.

Social Studies:
We've switched to Science.

Science:
Weather and Climate. 

• Water on Earth --We explore how water cycles on earth through a model. Students will then create a drawing and interpretive dance of what they learned.

Homework:
Please check the Homework page for more details.

1. Poetry Inquiry Project, due December 22nd. This will require memorizing a poem, which students will recite in class on the 22nd.
2. Students will have a partner to respond to on Blog #5. Students will need to comment on their partner's response by Thursday. They will then need to reply to their partner's comment by Sunday.
3. Read 25 minutes at home per day and log the title, author, and time in the planner.
4. There will be a math page for homework each night.

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