Week of January 9, 2017

From before the break, students sharing their DARE comic strips,

Highlights from Last Week:

Dividing by numbers less than 1 --Students had their minds blown by witnessing division make a number bigger rather than smaller. We explored decimal division using patterns and models to understand the logic behind this tricky concept.

Poetry --We looked at a wide range of poetry, from small poems by Valerie Worth to epic ballads such as "Casey at the Bat," to learn about poetic structures and techniques. Students dabbled in their own poetry writing, trying to emulated the styles within mentor poems.

New Student --We welcomed Yair to 5K this week. He fit right in and participated in all of our quirky routines. 

Substitute --I was out Thursday and Friday for family matters, and students had a full day substitute for the first time this school year. I usually hate to be absent, but I heard that Ms. Cavanaugh is "incredibly responsible and diligent," from Ms. Darrah, who taught her many years ago. I'll confirm when I get back on Monday. 

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What We Didn't Get To:​

• Due to my absences, I assigned students some review material and MCAS practice. Therefore, we didn't get to parts of Decimal Division, as well as some Reading and Writing activities.

This Week's Plan


Upcoming Special Events: ​​​

• Early Release --Wednesday, January 12.
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day, No School --Monday, January 16. Consider participating in a Day of Service in honor of MLK by volunteering to serve others.
• Report Cards Issued  --Friday, January 20.
• Pancake Breakfast --Saturday, January 21.

Special Activities:

• Global Citizenship --Inspirational quotes activity on Monday.

Math:
Decimal Division.

• Review MCAS Practice Problems --We'll review the work students did with the sub.
• Decimal Division --We'll start with models, then we'll use the partial quotients method.
• Adding Zeros to the Dividend --Students will learn how to divide out a remainder by tacking on extra place values.
• Review for Math Assessment

Reading:
Poetry and Drama.

• Review MCAS Practice Responses --We'll review the work students did with the sub and go over how to support answers with quoted lines from the text.
• Finish Poetry --We'll wrap up our study of poetry with a final focus on figurative language.
  
• Teacher Read Aloud --We're reading 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.

Writing:
Finish Poetry.

• Figurative Language --Students will practice using figurative language to create images in the minds of their readers. 
• Poetry Celebration  --Students will choose three of their favorite poems that they have written to revise and share with the class.
  

Social Studies:
We've switched to Science.

Science:
Weather and Climate. 

• The Water Cycle Presentations --Students will share their Water Cycle Presentations with the class. They will assess themselves on their teamwork and contributions.
• Extreme Weather --We'll study tornados, hurricanes, thunderstorms, blizzards, wind storms, monsoons, and more.

Homework:
Please check the Homework page for more details.

1. Human Rights Exploration --Students learn about human rights, social justice, and what it means to be human in this project.
2. There is no new at-home blog this week.
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.