Highlights from Last Week:
What an adventurous week! The fifth grade enjoyed a wilderness extravaganza at Hale Reservations swinging from ropes, scooping critters from the pond, eating plants, building fires, and much more. It was a great way to appreciate nature and learn teamwork.
 
On Friday, students squirmed through the puberty video. They learned what to expect as they slowly morph into their adult forms.
 
In writing, students wrapped up their last project –personal narratives with visual elements. Whitney, Maggie, Julia, August, and Ben shared their entertaining and powerful presentations of their stories. It’s almost like watching a movie!
 
Social Studies continues to thrill with the story of the American Revolution. We learned about George Washington’s struggle to lead an army that’s not really an army, and how the British make a number of missteps that enable the rebels to avoid defeat.
 


This (Final) Week's Plan


Monday, June 20:

• Promotion rehearsal, 10-11am
• Wrap up as much as possible with the read aloud, American Revolution, and Writing shares.
• Compile portfolios.

 
Tuesday, June 21:

• 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony and Reception, families invited, 9:00-11:00am, auditorium and cafeteria.
• Field Day for 4th and 5th grades, 12:30-2:30pm.

 
Wednesday, June 22:

• Half day, last day of school.
• All School Meeting, 5th grade slideshow at 8:45am.
• Fifth grade-wide reunion speech share at 9:15am.
• Memory Book Signing at 10:00am.
• Dish out report cards.
• Share memories, clean out cubbies and classroom spaces, say farewell (for now).

 
 
On Thursday, Mister Kimball and I are off to Portugal for a much needed vacation. Saúde!
 
Thank you for a wonderful school year students and parents! Have a most fabulous summer!

Highlights from Last Week:
Students visited the middle school on Thursday, touring the halls and peeking in classrooms. It was a great way to gain some slight familiarity with the building, as well as to meet some sixth graders.
 
Our Citizenship Expo was a big hit. Students showed off all of their hard work raising money and awareness for their chosen charities. Thanks to all of the parents and family members who listened to students’ spiels. The chorus and band concert that followed was spectacular, and a special thanks goes to Mrs. Hodge and Mr. Davis for their great musical leadership.
 
5K had the honor of welcoming Superintendent McAlduff to our classroom for Reading Day to read aloud from some funny Jon Scieszka picture books. We still owe him a thank you note!
 
We wrapped up Math for the year with the end of year assessment. Percentage scores ranged from the 50s to the 90s. It can be challenging to remember every math technique you learn in a year! One part of the test goes to the middle school, the other part goes home for parent signatures.  
 
In other subjects, students did a great job staying engaged and working hard despite the end-of-year excitement. Students have written some stellar stories that I hope to find time this week and next to share and celebrate.

What we didn't get to:

• In Social Studies, we covered up to the Battle of New York.
• We briefly discussed verb tenses, but didn’t get in depth.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Hale Reservation Field Trip: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. Please see below for more details.
• Fire Safety: Friday. The fire department visits on Friday to teach students how to avoid trouble with fire.
• Puberty Video: Friday at 1:30pm. Students split by gender. They’ll learn about all of the lovely perks and pains of morphing into an adult.

 

Hale Reservation Information: 
80 Carby Street Westwood, MA 02090
Phone: 781-326-1770
www.HaleReservation.org
 
What to bring:

• Backpack for all belongings.
• Sneakers
• Refillable, plastic water bottle
• Lunch and snack – no nuts please!  
• Sunscreen and bug spray
• Hat
• Layers – it may be cool in the morning but hot in the afternoon.  Wear clothing that can adjust with the temperature.
• Rain gear, if the possibility of rain is in the forecast.

 
We leave school by 9am. We return to school at 4:45pm, depending on traffic. Pick up is at the Bus Loop. Please arrive by 4:45pm. Carpooling is encouraged!
 
 
Writing:  
Personal Narrative Celebration!

• Students share their personal narratives and the media presentations they created to go with them.

 
Reading:

• Read Aloud: We are enthralled by Rebecca Stead’s novel, “When You Reach Me.”
• Wrap up group readings: We’ll say goodbye to our info text book groups. They were a fun experiment!

Social Studies:
American Revolution.

• We’ll continue watching excerpts from the PBS miniseries, “Liberty.”

 
Homework:
Homework is minimal this week!

• Reading: I encourage students to continue reading 25 minutes per day. They do not have to log it.
• Reading Response Blog: Students must reply to the student who responded to their prompt on Blog #18 from last week.

Preview of the Last Week of School
Monday, June 20:

• Promotion rehearsal, 10-11am
• Wrap up read aloud, and other activities.
• Compile portfolios.

Tuesday, June 21:

• 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony and Reception, families invited, 9:00-11:00am, auditorium and cafeteria.
• Field Day for 4th and 5th grades, 12:30-2:30pm.

Wednesday, June 22:

• Half day, last day of school!
• Share memories, clean out cubbies and classroom spaces, say farewell ...for now :)

Highlights from Last Week:

Students shared presentations of their Global Citizenship projects with the class. We admired the work and dedication each student did for their chosen charity, and applauded their efforts, big and small. Students have their posters displayed in the library for the whole school to admire.
 
On Tuesday, newly published author Elinor Teele visited the 5th grade to share about her storytelling technique. Students learned a bit about integrating STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) into stories.
 
In Writing, students are skillfully composing personal narratives using more complex sentences (with the help of conjunctions) and more emotion (with the help of interjections). The stories are so exciting to read, especially now that students are building tension throughout their writing using a climactic story structure.


What we didn't get to:
Oh boy, A LOT. I didn’t budget enough time in the plan last week for Citizenship Project presentations. We also earned some bonus recess time where we played a thrilling class game of “Infection.” Combined, these additions prevented us from getting to the following:

• In math, Volume.
• In Writing, yet again, Verb Tenses.
• Social Studies… all of it.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Reading Day: Monday. Superintendent of Schools, Bill McAlduff, visits our classroom to read to students for 30 minutes. Lucky us!
• Early Release Wednesday
• Fifth Grade Open House: Citizenship Expo in the Library and classrooms at 6:00pm, Chorus & Band concert in the auditorium at 7:00pm.
• Step Up to Middle School: Thursday, 9:00-10:30am.
• 5th Grade Chorus & Band at All School Meeting: Friday at 8:40-9:30am.

 

Math: 
End of Year Assessments. Review.

• Assessments: Students will take a couple of assessments, one placement test for middle school, and another end-of-year assessment for report cards.
• Review Important Concepts: Depending on the time remaining this week, we’ll review things like division, decimals, volume, and fractions with some games, activities, and mini lessons.

Writing:  
Personal Narrative

• Language Skills in Action: Students use their knowledge of commonly confused words, conjunctions, commas, and interjections as they write a personal narrative.
• Enhancing a Text with Media: Students who complete their narratives will create a multimedia presentation of their story using images and sounds through a slideshow.
• Verb Tenses: We learn about the various versions of the past tense.
• Spelling Review: We'll review some common words that some students are still struggling with, such as "excited," and learn the pattern.

Reading:
Informational Reading Groups.

• Read Aloud: We are reading aloud from Rebecca Stead’s novel, “When You Reach Me.” Students are enthralled by the mystery, the constant use of foreshadowing, and the amazing grammar skills of the author!
• Informational Reading Groups: Students read about an informational topic, then meet in groups to discuss and analyze.
• Reflections and Revisions: After students meet with me in a one on one conference, they will revise their reflections on their blog writing.

 
Social Studies:
American Revolution.
We pick up the story after the Battle of Bunker Hill and learn about:

• The Declaration of Independence and its meaning
• The Battle of New York and Washington’s Struggling Army
• Trenton and Princeton and American Morale

 
 
Science:
We have wrapped up Science and now focus on Social Studies for the remainder of the year.
 
Homework:
Please visit the Homework Page for more details.

• Homework Project: None.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: Students will be assigned to respond to another student’s prompt from Blog #18. Each student will read the assigned prompt and follow the instructions given. Due by Friday.
• Other: Students may have some classwork that needs to be finished at home.

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

Highlights from Last Week:
Students shared their posters and presentations about Food Webs and Ecosystems. With new-found flair, students made presentations on Google Slides with vivid images and short captions, using note cards to explain information rather than cram slides with walls of text. We learned all about producers, consumers, and decomposers in various ecosystems.
To practice our newly-learned language skills with conjunctions, interjection, and more, we are writing personal narratives. This also helps us review strategies for writing personal narratives, which we studied back in the beginning of the school year.  Students are now writing more complex sentences thanks to conjunctions, and are able to express emotions more clearly thanks to interjections. They also have some pretty entertaining stories to write!
 
In Math, we tested our skills in Polygon Properties. Listing properties of triangles and quadrilaterals was easy for some, still challenging for others. I will give students who want it an opportunity to retake the test. We moved on to measurement conversions. Students loved the “Known to Unknown” method for converting from feet to yards, yards to miles. They were getting correct answers every time –and loving the work, strangely! Hey, I’ll take it!
 
In Reading, we began our informational text groups. Students selected from topics such as Self-Driving Cars, Bees, The Zika Virus, and Climate Change. In their groups, they decided on a news article that all would read and jot notes about. This week, we will meet in groups to analyze and discuss the articles. Students seem pretty excited about this latest version of book groups.
 
Middle-schoolers visited fifth graders on Thursday to share about schedules, lockers, and other important logistics. There is a lot to learn about middle school, but an important take-away is that there are many friendly faces willing to help.
 

What we didn't get to:

• In math, Volume.
• In Writing, yet again, Verb Tenses.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• No School Monday: Happy Memorial Day.
• Author Visit Tuesday: Elinor Teele, author of “The Mechanical Mind of John Coggin.”
• Global Citizenship Presentations Wednesday and Thursday: Students present to the class about their Global Citizenship projects/

 

Math: 
Measurement Conversions. Volume.

• Measurement Conversions: Metric system and US standard system. We’ll see how this is used in the real world.
• Volume: Review the volume formula and composite figures.
  
  

Writing:  
Grammar and Language Skills. Personal Narrative Review.

• Language Skills in Action: Students use their knowledge of commonly confused words, conjunctions, commas, and interjections as they write a personal narrative.
• Verb Tenses: We learn about the various versions of the past tense.
  
  

Reading:
Reflections. Connect to Grammar.

• Read Aloud: We are reading aloud from Rebecca Stead’s novel, “When You Reach Me.” Students are enthralled by the mystery, the constant use of foreshadowing, and the amazing grammar skills of the author!
• Informational Reading Groups: Students read about an informational topic, then meet in groups to discuss and analyze.

 
Social Studies:
American Revolution.
We pick up the story after the Battle of Bunker Hill and learn about:

• The Declaration of Independence and its meaning
• The Battle of New York and Washington’s Struggling Army
• Trenton and Princeton and American Morale

 
 
Science:
We take a break from Science to pick up again with Social Studies.
 
Homework:
Please visit the Homework Page for more details.

• Homework Project: Global Citizenship Final Project due Wednesday.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: There is a new prompt (#18) for students to respond to by Friday.
• Other: Students may have some classwork that needs to be finished at home.

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

Highlights from Last Week:
MCAS is over for the year. Hooray! Students finished with the Science MCAS on Friday. Results for the tests can be expected late in the summer.
 
Students begged for extra Science this week to work on their Food Web posters. Most students have finished and the posters look fantastic! Working in partnerships, students read about an ecosystem, listed living things, then sorted the living things based on what eats what. Students learned how energy in transferred from the sun through to producers, to consumers, to decomposers, then back into the earth. We belted out “The Circle of Life” in our best Elton John voices a few times.
 
I don’t know how one makes grammar exciting, but somehow I managed to do it this week. We learned about conjunctions and examined how they can make writing flow better and add to meaning. Students had fun combining sentences like, “My dog is cute. My dog can be naughty,” into “Although my dog is cute, she can be naughty.”

What we didn't get to:

• In math, measurement conversions. We focused solely on polygon properties.
• In writing, verb tenses.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Visit from Middle Schoolers: Thursday. The eight grade Citizen Action Group from DSMS presents about the transition to middle school for 5th graders.

 
Math: 
Finish Polygons. Clean up Measurement and Volume.

• Polygon Properties: Review the hierarchy of quadrilaterals.
• Measurement Conversions: Metric system and US standard system. We’ll see how this is used in the real world.
• Volume: Review the volume formula and composite figures.
  
  

Writing:  
Grammar and Language Skills

• Interjections
• Verb Tenses
  
  

Reading:
Reflections. Connect to Grammar.

• Grammar Hunt: Students will look for conjunctions and interjections in their independent reading.
• Read Aloud: We are reading aloud from Rebecca Stead’s novel, “When You Reach Me.” Students are enthralled by the mystery, the constant use of foreshadowing, and the amazing grammar skills of the author!
• Informational Reading Groups: Similar to our earlier book groups, students will work in groups to read about and discuss an informational topic.

 
Social Studies:
We take a break from Social Studies to focus on Science. We will pick up with Social Studies after Memorial Day.
 
 
Science:
Food Webs and Ecosystems.

• Food Webs Poster and Presentations –Students work in partnerships to teach the class about their chosen ecosystem through an informative poster and an engaging presentation.

 
Homework:
Please visit the Homework Page for more details.

• Homework Project: Global Citizenship Final Project.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: Students will reflect on their progress in responding the Reading Response Blog for homework. There is no new blog this week.
• Other: Students will have some grammar and writing practice this week. Assignments will be given out in class.

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

Highlights from Last Week:
We had a packed week last week. Students completed the Math MCAS as well as the DARE program. I think students enjoyed DARE significantly more than MCAS!

Our field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts was enlightening. We learned about art in the Americas from the knowledgeable tour guides, then we browsed  the rest of the museum to watch how the features of art changed over time.
On Friday, we enjoyed special guest author, Michael Tougias, who wrote Our Finest Hours, now a Disney film. Mr. Tougias presented to 3rd and 5th graders about the real life event he researched and how writing historical nonfiction can be exhilarating.

In Science last week, we learned about how plants grow and compared our understanding to our attempts to germinate seeds. We then studied food webs and ecosystems. Students read about a particular ecosystem and are working in partnerships to draw a food web that shows how energy is transferred from the sun to producers to consumers then to decomposers.

What we didn't get to:

• Writing… We didn’t get to any of the Writing grammar lessons I had planned.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Book Fair: Tuesday – Thursday this week. Our class previews the book fair on Tuesday morning.
• Early release Wednesday
• District Band Festival: Wednesday from 6:30-8:00pm
• Science MCAS Session 1: Thursday
• Science MCAS Session 2: Friday

 
 

Math: 
Now that MCAS is over, we are going to go back and cover some of the concepts we rushed through.

• Polygon Properties: We will sort polygons and play some games to practice classifying polygons by their properties.
• Measurement Conversions: Metric system and US standard system. We’ll see how this is used in the real world.
  
  

Writing:  
Grammar and Language Skills

• Conjunctions and Interjections
• Verb Tenses
  
  

Reading:
Reflections. Connect to Grammar.

• Blog Reflections: Students will look back at their early blog responses and the prompt to assess how well they did. They will compare their early responses to their recent responses and look for progress.
• Grammar Hunt: Students will look for conjunctions and interjections in their independent reading.

 
Social Studies:
We take a break from Social Studies to focus on Science. We will pick up with Social Studies again after the Science MCAS is over.
 
 
Science:
MCAS Preparation.

• 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.
• MCAS “Science Fair”: To help prepare for the Science MCAS this week, students work through a review packet and research topics they don’t know. Students can also suggest experiments to conduct to prove important concepts.

 
Homework:
Please visit the Homework Page for more details.

• Homework Project: Global Citizenship Final Project.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: Students must reply to me and another student by Friday on Blog #17.

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

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. 
 
 

Highlights from Last Week:
Students had an exciting week. We explored the new playgroup behind the school and played a class game of Zombie Tag. It was all a fun way to remember how magical being a kid is.

In one of the most passionate class discussions I’ve ever witnessed, students analyzed examples of foreshadowing in our new favorite book, The Stranger, by Chris Van Allsburg. Students fought to be called on to share their theories about who the stranger was based on the little hints in the text.

In Math, students had a blast analyzing line graphs of Granny’s hot air balloon ride and hypothesizing what happened to her based on the changes in the graph. Granny did everything from posing for a photo shoot, to falling down a sewer hole, to time traveling!

On Thursday, we reviewed for the Science MCAS through a fast-paced nature walk. The lady from the Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary refreshed our memories on everything from animal adaptations to types of rocks.

Friday was Get Up and Move Day. Students enjoyed an invigorating half hour of exercise as an entire school.

What we didn't get to:

• In Math, we spent some extra time with coordinates to work on line graphs. I also added in a line plot lesson that involved finding an average using fractions. It’s on the frameworks, so I squeezed it in before MCAS. Therefore, we didn’t start Volume this week.
• In Writing, we’ve been working intensely on commas. Therefore, we didn’t get to the Spelling Test (which will be on the commonly confused words that we’ve been practicing in class); nor did we get to conjunctions, prepositions, interjections, or verb tenses. With our study of commas, however, we’ve introduced some of these concepts.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:

• Early Release Wednesday
• ‘Ball in the House’ Vocal Workshop –during Chorus on Thursday
• ‘Ball in the House’ Evening Performance with 5th Graders! –Thursday from 6:30-8:00 PM. Wear your chorus t-shirt.
• Lexington & Concord Field Trip –Friday from 8:45 AM to 2:30 PM. Bring a snack, lunch, and drink; the trash comes back with you. We’ll learn about the historic confrontation between the British and Colonists that launched the Revolutionary War.

 

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:

• Volume
• Measurement Conversions
• Polygon Properties
  
  

Writing:  
Grammar and Language Skills

• Spelling Words and a Spelling Test
• 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:
We take a break from Social Studies to focus on Science. We will pick up with Social Studies again after the Science MCAS is over in mid May.
 
 
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: Decision Making Project. Students are writing their DARE essay and creating a fun comic or graphic novel to go with it. Due Friday.
• Math: There will be a page or two of math practice each night.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: Students must write back to me on Blog #16 by Friday.
• Global Citizenship Project: Students are expected to begin their philanthropy for their chosen charities outside of school. They must log their activities in the Philanthropy Log, which is on their Google Drive.

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

I hope everyone had a wonderful April break! Welcome back!

Highlights from Last Week:
We had a fun week before the break. Some highlights include:

• Mailing out our business letters to our chosen charities.
• Finishing up our math unit on fraction multiplication and division, then playing a fun game to learn about coordinate grids.
• Enjoying our book group discussions about the end of our books.
• Learning about Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride through poetry.

 
What we didn't get to:

• One book group still needs to finish, and we didn’t get to create presentations about our books’ themes.

This Week's Plan
 
Special:
Our week is pack with extra activities:

• Special Presentation from The Paul Revere House Association, Tuesday at 10:00am
• Global Citizenship Project grade-wide presentation about the end-of-year expo, Wednesday at 1:30pm
• Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary Wilderness Walk, Thursday at 1:00pm
• Get Up and Move Day, Friday during All School Meeting (dress appropriately for a jog around the school yard!)

 

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 need to cover:

• Coordinate Grids and Ordered Pairs
• Volume
• Measurement Conversions
• Polygon Properties
  
  

Writing:  
Grammar and Language Skills

• Spelling Words and a Spelling Test
• Conjunctions, Prepositions, and Interjections
• Verb Tenses
  
  

Reading:
Finish discussing Theme in Book Groups. Begin Foreshadowing.

• Theme –We’ll discuss the themes of our group books. We’ll also look at other texts that have similar themes and compare and contrast.
• Foreshadowing: We’ll discuss what foreshadowing is and read texts that feature this technique.

 
Social Studies:
We take a break from Social Studies to focus on Science. We will pick up with Social Studies again after the Science MCAS is over in mid May.
 
 
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: There will be a new homework project assigned this week, but not until Wednesday or Thursday. I will post it then!
• Math: There will be a page or two of math practice each night.
• Reading: 25 minutes of daily independent reading is expected. Students should log it in their Planners. 
• Reading Response Blog: There is a new blog (#16) about foreshadowing for students to respond to.

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