Week of January 16, 2017

Students presenting about The Story of Water through the water cycle.

Highlights from Last Week:

Water Cycle Presentations --Students shared their clever water cycle presentations with the class. They were very entertaining! Students told the story of water as it circulated through the water cycle in all of its forms on earth. Check out some pictures here.

Poetry Wrap Up --Students revised their three favorite poems in an effort to show off their poetry writing skills.

ELA Open Response Practice --Students learned a strategy for writing an essay in response to a prompt about their reading. Restate the prompt, Reason, Evidence, Unpack. This will prove invaluable when they write open responses on MCAS.
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What We Didn't Get To:​

• We didn't get to wrap up Division with Decimals in math, so we haven't started to review yet.
• We didn't get to Drama in reading. 

This Week's Plan


Upcoming Special Events: ​​​

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School --Monday, January 16.
• Report Cards Issued  --Friday, January 20.
• Pancake Breakfast --Saturday, January 21.

Special Activities:

• Human Rights Project --Sharing with the class.

Math:
Finish Decimal Division and Assess.

• Adding Zeros to the Dividend --Students will learn how to divide out a remainder by tacking on extra place values.
• Review, Assess, and Correct --Students will review decimal multiplication and division, take the assessment, then correct their tests. Here is the Study Guide.

Reading:

• Teacher Read Aloud --We'll finish Love That Dog, by Sharon Creech. It's an amusing and powerful story told through the poetic diary of a boy who learns to like poetry.
• Drama --We'll read a few samples of dramas, paying special attention to stage directions and specific words that indicate tone or implicit meaning.
• Book Groups --I will put students in groups and they will choose a novel to read and discuss together.

Writing:
Spelling and Vocabulary.

• Spelling On-Demand Assessment --I'll assess where students are at with their spelling skills.
• Common Spelling Patterns --Students who need support with spelling will work in small groups to practice particular spelling patterns.
• Vocabulary --We'll look at common Greek and Latin root words and explore how many English words draw meaning from their roots.

Social Studies:
We've switched to Science.

Science:
Weather and Climate. ​

• Extreme Weather --We'll study tornadoes, hurricanes, thunderstorms, blizzards, wind storms, monsoons, and more. Students will compare and contrast two informational sources about an extreme weather topic they are interested in.
• Climate --Students will begin an exploration of the causes of climate and compare and contrast different climates around the US and the world.

Homework:
Please check the Homework page for more details.

1. Human Rights Exploration --Students turn in their projects on Tuesday.
2. Students must reply to me on the Reading Response Blog #6.
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. Students will also need to study for their math assessment.

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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.