Math: We have starting working on Chapter 2. This chapter focuses on dividing whole numbers. We will complete lessons 2.5-2.8 this week. Go Math Animated Math Models are now available for extra help under the "Go Math Resources" tab. There will be one page of homework assigned nightly in addition to any work not completed during class. Some assignments will also be available on the Think Central website. Click on the "Assignments" tab to access these. For user name and password questions, contact Mrs. Brannock at [email protected].
Reading: We are reading the novel Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. (See home page for a synopsis.) We will be working on determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text; and determining a theme of a story from details in the text, including how characters in a story respond to challenges. Students will be asked to build a model of Brian's camp as described in the book. This will be done during art class. Due date to follow. Students will be asked to create a game, based on the book. This will be done primarily at home and students will play each others' games in class. Due date to follow. We will also be working on a variety of activities during class time that relate to our story.
Reading groups: I have assigned students to reading groups. Each group will be reading a novel and working on various common core reading skills. We will be reading the following books: Because of Winn-Dixie, Old Yeller, Titanic: Book 1: Unsinkable, Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger.
Reading homework: There will be one page of reading homework assigned nightly. This week we will be focusing on explaining how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).
Grammar: We will be working in class on demonstrating command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. We are going to be working on punctuation, focusing on using commas and quotation marks this week. We will do a practice page each day. Students are expected to correct their work when we go over it together and turn it in each day.
Spelling: We will be working to spell grade-appropriate words correctly. Students will complete a packet practicing the week's skill in class. They may take it home to study as well. A copy of the spelling list is available on the assignments page. Students will take a test on Friday over the week's spelling words as well as the spelling skill itself. This week we will be working on EI and IE words. The spelling words are: veil, either, counterfeit, friend, eight, believe, conscience, conceited, grief, freight, weight, niece, mischief, priest, leisure, field, height, ceiling, shriek, receive, thief, foreign, sleigh, cashier, chief.
Social Studies: We have started a unit on the American Revolution. We will start by focusing on the what life was like in colonial America before the Revolutionary War. Students will begin another research project in which they will select one of the well-known historical figures. They will need to research the colony in which the person grew up, his or her childhood life, occupation, and political or religious beliefs. They will be asked to write about their findings from that subject's perspective. Due date to follow. One helpful website is The History Place.
Science: We are going to work on a life science unit on classifying living things. Students will be categorizing organisms into classes. Students will begin an activity in which they will have to either collect or research five organisms. They will have to draw a picture of the organism, describe it, and find the scientific name of the organism. Due date to follow.
Writing: Each day students will be completing a daily writing warm-up which focuses on many writing skills. They will also complete a quick write on a given prompt. We will also be working on the steps of writer's workshop in which students will have the opportunity to revise and edit their writing. Our current set of writing prompts focuses on writing narratives to develop real or imagined experiences using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. Students should be writing at least a paragraph each day.