Week of October 31, 2016

Students loved playing the government simulation games from iCivics.

Highlights from Last Week:


To lay the foundation for our Global Citizenship project, I informed students about what's going on in Syria. We watched a newscast showing how the children of Syria are suffering as their country is torn apart through an awful civil war. Students wanted to help the kids, so we learned about UNICEF, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. Students decided to raise money for UNICEF, with a goal of $500 for the class.

On Monday, we had a visit from local veterans who shared about the different parts of the US Armed Forces. They encouraged students to honor Veterans on the upcoming Veterans Day, and students have the opportunity to write an essay describing why this day is important to remember.

Social Studies has been a lot of fun this week. Students have been playing games that simulate the roles of each branch of government. From passing laws to interpreting the constitution, students have learned what lawmakers, the president, and judges do at their jobs in a hands on way.

What We Didn't Get To:

• In Reading, we didn't get to start an in-class reading response.
• In Math, we didn't do an open response this week.
• In Writing, we only touched upon elaboration.

This Week's Plan


Upcoming Special Events: ​​

• Special Guest Carol Marple, Town Clerk --She's coming to present about our local elections in Sherborn.
• Author Visit Greg Mone --He will be sharing about the creative writing process and working with students to enhance their storytelling skills.

Special Activities:

• DARE Class --Students learn decision-making skills and how to resist unwanted pressure with Office Smith for 10 weeks of 40-minute lessons on Wednesday mornings.
• The Kimball Class Newsletter --Students are finishing their segments for our first class newsletter, which I hope to publish by Wednesday.
• Trick or Treat for UNICEF --Many students are fundraising for UNICEF this week in hopes of supporting kids in Syria.

Math:
Place Value, Estimation, Multiplication, and Division.​

• 2-Digit Division with Partial Quotients --We up the level of our division skills and divide by 2-digit divisors using the partial quotients. 
• What to do with Remainders --We'll solve real world division problems and determine how to report the remainder as an answer.
• Standard Algorithm for Multiplication 3-digit x 3-digit --We'll review the standard multiplication algorithm for when it's most useful, multiplying big numbers.
• Math Open Response --We'll put our division skills to work with a real world, multi-step problem. We'll learn how to show and explain our thinking in clear detail.
• Exponential Notation --We'll look at how to write numbers using exponents and powers of 10.
• Begin a Review of the Unit --Here is the Study Guide in preparation for an assessment next week.

Reading:
Close Reading.

• Figuring Out 'What's Going On' --We will look at the first step of close reading, figuring out what's actually going on. We'll look at strategies to help us do that: questioning, connecting, visualizing, and word analysis.
• In-Class Reading Response --Students will read an excerpt of text, use strategies that we learn in class, and respond in writing on the blog.
• Teacher Read Aloud --We're reading There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar. An entertaining story about a boy who hates school, hates his peers, and hates himself, but turns his life around with the help of a committed school counselor and personal resolve.

Writing:
Personal Narrative Writing.​

• Elaborating on the Important Parts --Students will learn how to slow down important scenes in their story and speed up less important scenes.
• Adding Scenes from the Past and Future --We'll learn when and how to incorporate flashbacks and flashforwards to enhance our stories.
• Ending Stories --We'll learn how to add closure and bring out lasting meaning in our narratives.

Social Studies:
Inquiry Investigation of the US Government & Elections:​

• Research Investigation --Students choose a branch of government or a government-related topic to research.
• Government Project --Students choose how they will present their knowledge about their government research topic. We'll come up with the requirements for the project as a class, create work plans so that groups of students know what their responsibilities are, and students will collaborate together to make something informative and cool.

Homework:
Please check the Homework page for more details. 

1. There is a new Homework Project called "Government in Outer Space," which I will assign on Tuesday. It is due Nov 15th.
2. Students will need to reply to me on the At-Home Blog #3.
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.
5. Students will need to complete their segment for the class newsletter.

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

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