This week had lots of other activities in it as well. We used our reading logs for the first time, and every student has a book to read. The 6th grade went on a trip to the Kirkwood library and were amazed by the number of books to check out!! And all classes received their first assignments.
**In this blog, I will go over the 5th grade glasses and assignments first. Then I will label and discuss 6th grade. No need for 5th grade parents to read about 6th grade and vice versa. I think there was some confusion last week as 5th grade parents thought 5th grade was travelling to the library.
5th Grade Language Arts:
5th Grade English: We have done an incredible amount of writing!! Just ask your child!! We are working through a unit on Personal Narratives and I have asked them to write every day. We will continue working on specific writing techniques to make a good personal narrative. Right now all the writing has been done in the writing notebook. At some point this week, I will be asking them to show you and share with you some writing from their notebook.
**We will add spelling to English this week. On Tuesday we will work together to create a list of words. Each student will add some of their own words to the list.
Students will record their personal spelling list on Google Classroom. Class words will appear on this blog under the English tab.
We will work on these words for two weeks. The test over these words will be Thursday, September 7th.
5th Grade Literature: Together as a class we are reading Wonder by RJ Palacio. It is an amazing book that identifies and develops characters. It is also a wonderful book for teaching perspective, and how to think and reflect on a book. Lastly, it has an amazing lesson about our differences and how to treat all people.
**On Friday students were given their first assignment. It is posted on Google Classroom. It is a reflective journal of what we have read so far. We spent time last week practicing and looking at other reflective journals. It is due on Monday.
As we read this week we will continue looking at character development and begin vocabulary. We will be working on vocabulary words together in class for this first book.
Students are also reading independently and keeping a reading log. They only need to record the time and pages they read at school in class or at home if it is an assignment. Other reading they do outside of that does not need to be recorded. I don't want them to become bogged down with keeping track of pages and time. I have checked the book that your child is reading. I encourage parents to do the same. I have a huge variety and levels of books in my room. Parents have the final say if they want their child to read a book or not.
I use and encourage parents to use Common Sense Media website to plug in books, get an honest review to help make a decision.
5th Grade Social Studies: Our first social studies test is Tuesday, August 29. Students should have brought home a study guide with 2 practice maps and the information that is on the test. This guide is just for them to review and practice at home. They do not need to to return it to school at all. We will review one more time in class on Monday.
On Wednesday of this week we will begin a project. Students will be placed in groups and construct a 3-dimensional physical map of the U.S. This will help us visualize the landscape of the U.S. which will play into U.S. history all year long. It will be especially vital information for our next unit on Native Americans. All the work will be done at school, however some students choose to bring materials from home to use.
**As with all group projects, when I choose the groups, students will fill out an end evaluation explaining the exact work that they did to assist me in grading the project. Individual work will figure into each student's grade.
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6th Grade
Literature: We have finished our first collaborative project on Survivor Island. This was a brief group project that did not have a right/wrong answer, but required group members to listen to each other, discuss ideas and come to a consensus. All of these are wonderful skills that we will use repeatedly in class. Students are filling out evaluations about the group work and their part in the group. Grades for this project will come from that evaluation.
**My goal is to introduce the 6th graders to See Saw - a program used at the elementary building and in 5th grade that allows students to share their work, presentations, videos etc... with parents. Hopefully this week, we can load all the students in. We will post the Survivor Island presentations and allow you to view them and discuss with your child. I then will use it 2-3 times a month to allow you to see book reviews, journals, and other projects or presentations from class.
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by AVI. This is the class read aloud that we will begin reading. We will use this book to work through notes about setting and characters. This is information we will apply all year to the different forms of literature that we read. Students will be completing journals, vocabulary and other assignments for grades. They will not be assigned to read chapters to this book at home unless they are absent!! Next week we will begin vocabulary and they will have their first quiz over the chapters read.
Our last component of this class is Independent Reading. We enjoyed our trip to the Kirkwood Library. We strongly encourage you to have a library card somewhere for your family. Ms. Albers and I both have a great many books in our room, but after visiting the library, we are just scratching the surface. We will from time to time go on line to the libraries to search or reserve books. Students may use a County Library card for this purpose. You may also acquire a Kirkwood Library card even if you do not live in Kirkwood and even if you already have a County card.
We will be reading each day, and posting our reading into a log. Sometimes this log and independent book will come home for homework! Students will be assigned to read for a certain amount of time and write about it in their Readers Notebook. Look for that sometime this week!
Students only need to record their reading time and pages during class time or if given for homework. They do not need to keep track every time they read.
**On Friday students were given their first assignment. It is posted on Google Classroom. It is a reflective journal of what we have read so far. We spent time last week practicing and looking at other reflective journals. It is due on Monday.
As we read this week we will continue looking at character development and begin vocabulary. We will be working on vocabulary words together in class for this first book.
Students are also reading independently and keeping a reading log. They only need to record the time and pages they read at school in class or at home if it is an assignment. Other reading they do outside of that does not need to be recorded. I don't want them to become bogged down with keeping track of pages and time. I have checked the book that your child is reading. I encourage parents to do the same. I have a huge variety and levels of books in my room. Parents have the final say if they want their child to read a book or not.
I use and encourage parents to use Common Sense Media website to plug in books, get an honest review to help make a decision.
5th Grade Social Studies: Our first social studies test is Tuesday, August 29. Students should have brought home a study guide with 2 practice maps and the information that is on the test. This guide is just for them to review and practice at home. They do not need to to return it to school at all. We will review one more time in class on Monday.
On Wednesday of this week we will begin a project. Students will be placed in groups and construct a 3-dimensional physical map of the U.S. This will help us visualize the landscape of the U.S. which will play into U.S. history all year long. It will be especially vital information for our next unit on Native Americans. All the work will be done at school, however some students choose to bring materials from home to use.
**As with all group projects, when I choose the groups, students will fill out an end evaluation explaining the exact work that they did to assist me in grading the project. Individual work will figure into each student's grade.
*********************************************************************************
6th Grade
Literature: We have finished our first collaborative project on Survivor Island. This was a brief group project that did not have a right/wrong answer, but required group members to listen to each other, discuss ideas and come to a consensus. All of these are wonderful skills that we will use repeatedly in class. Students are filling out evaluations about the group work and their part in the group. Grades for this project will come from that evaluation.
**My goal is to introduce the 6th graders to See Saw - a program used at the elementary building and in 5th grade that allows students to share their work, presentations, videos etc... with parents. Hopefully this week, we can load all the students in. We will post the Survivor Island presentations and allow you to view them and discuss with your child. I then will use it 2-3 times a month to allow you to see book reviews, journals, and other projects or presentations from class.
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by AVI. This is the class read aloud that we will begin reading. We will use this book to work through notes about setting and characters. This is information we will apply all year to the different forms of literature that we read. Students will be completing journals, vocabulary and other assignments for grades. They will not be assigned to read chapters to this book at home unless they are absent!! Next week we will begin vocabulary and they will have their first quiz over the chapters read.
Our last component of this class is Independent Reading. We enjoyed our trip to the Kirkwood Library. We strongly encourage you to have a library card somewhere for your family. Ms. Albers and I both have a great many books in our room, but after visiting the library, we are just scratching the surface. We will from time to time go on line to the libraries to search or reserve books. Students may use a County Library card for this purpose. You may also acquire a Kirkwood Library card even if you do not live in Kirkwood and even if you already have a County card.
We will be reading each day, and posting our reading into a log. Sometimes this log and independent book will come home for homework! Students will be assigned to read for a certain amount of time and write about it in their Readers Notebook. Look for that sometime this week!
Students only need to record their reading time and pages during class time or if given for homework. They do not need to keep track every time they read.
