Important Information
~ Due to Upper School conferences, this Wednesday will be an A day.
~ Unfortunately, because of all the days we missed with the snow days and the flood, we are not going to be able to go on our planned field trip to the mosque. Mrs. Osborn asked me to pass on her regrets for having to cancel the trip.
~ The unit 8 written assessment will be on Friday and the open response will be on Monday. I handed out study packets at the end of the day today; however, a few students had already left. Everyone will have the study packet by tomorrow.
~ After meeting with the 6th grade English teachers last week, I have a lot of good information on the expectations for next year, especially in grammar. The good news is that we have already learned 90% of what they've asked us to cover. The other wonderful discovery that I made last week is that Google Drive will not be wiped year-to-year. This means that students will continue to have assess to everything we put up there this year. Therefore, instead of having a new vocabulary list this week, we are going to be focusing compiling all of the information that we've already learned on grammar, parts of speech, parts of a sentence, prefixes and suffixes, and other helpful tips into a google drive folder. That way students will have a built-in reference guide for next year.
Math
As I mentioned above, we will be taking our unit 8 math test this week. This unit introduces a lot of new material, for example: multiplication and division of fractions. The good news is, since it is all brand new material, it is not on part A of the test. Please don't let your child stress of information that they will not be held accountable for. We do not expect mastery of skills that we have only spent a day or two on. Please encourage them to use the study guide and only focus on the skills listed there.
Social Studies
This week we will be studying wagon trains. Students will discover that, as cool as it looks, traveling by covered wagon could be a deadly experience. Next we will be studying how the industrial revolution further increased the growing separation between the lifestyles of the North and South. This will give us a glimpse into some of the brewing issues that will eventually lead to the Civil War.
Writing
This week, students will be wrapping up their first attempt at research based argument essays, "The Chocolate Milk Essay". So far, we have been through the steps of identifying the argument, gathering evidence for each side of the argument, choosing a position, supporting that position with reasons and evidence, and outline our essays. Now, students are working on turning their outlines into well-developed paragraphs that, not only provide the reasons and evidence, but also tell why the evidence supports the reason and therefore the thesis. We will also be learning how to wrap it altogether with a strong introduction and conclusion. Next week, students will have an opportunity to try all that they've learned with an independent choice.
Reading
Students have been working very hard on developing bigger theories about their topics. This is something you can help them with at home by discussing their topic with them and helping them think about questions like, "How was the world changed by this person/event?" or "What lesson can we take from this person/event?" Not only will it help your child in class, but it should lead to some very interesting conversation as well.
Homework
~ Reading Comprehension: "Miss T*"
~ Writing: WPP "Into the Future" Students should look through the sample essays on WPP to see what they can do to improve their writing.
~ POW
~ Due to Upper School conferences, this Wednesday will be an A day.
~ Unfortunately, because of all the days we missed with the snow days and the flood, we are not going to be able to go on our planned field trip to the mosque. Mrs. Osborn asked me to pass on her regrets for having to cancel the trip.
~ The unit 8 written assessment will be on Friday and the open response will be on Monday. I handed out study packets at the end of the day today; however, a few students had already left. Everyone will have the study packet by tomorrow.
~ After meeting with the 6th grade English teachers last week, I have a lot of good information on the expectations for next year, especially in grammar. The good news is that we have already learned 90% of what they've asked us to cover. The other wonderful discovery that I made last week is that Google Drive will not be wiped year-to-year. This means that students will continue to have assess to everything we put up there this year. Therefore, instead of having a new vocabulary list this week, we are going to be focusing compiling all of the information that we've already learned on grammar, parts of speech, parts of a sentence, prefixes and suffixes, and other helpful tips into a google drive folder. That way students will have a built-in reference guide for next year.
Math
As I mentioned above, we will be taking our unit 8 math test this week. This unit introduces a lot of new material, for example: multiplication and division of fractions. The good news is, since it is all brand new material, it is not on part A of the test. Please don't let your child stress of information that they will not be held accountable for. We do not expect mastery of skills that we have only spent a day or two on. Please encourage them to use the study guide and only focus on the skills listed there.
Social Studies
This week we will be studying wagon trains. Students will discover that, as cool as it looks, traveling by covered wagon could be a deadly experience. Next we will be studying how the industrial revolution further increased the growing separation between the lifestyles of the North and South. This will give us a glimpse into some of the brewing issues that will eventually lead to the Civil War.
Writing
This week, students will be wrapping up their first attempt at research based argument essays, "The Chocolate Milk Essay". So far, we have been through the steps of identifying the argument, gathering evidence for each side of the argument, choosing a position, supporting that position with reasons and evidence, and outline our essays. Now, students are working on turning their outlines into well-developed paragraphs that, not only provide the reasons and evidence, but also tell why the evidence supports the reason and therefore the thesis. We will also be learning how to wrap it altogether with a strong introduction and conclusion. Next week, students will have an opportunity to try all that they've learned with an independent choice.
Reading
Students have been working very hard on developing bigger theories about their topics. This is something you can help them with at home by discussing their topic with them and helping them think about questions like, "How was the world changed by this person/event?" or "What lesson can we take from this person/event?" Not only will it help your child in class, but it should lead to some very interesting conversation as well.
Homework
~ Reading Comprehension: "Miss T*"
~ Writing: WPP "Into the Future" Students should look through the sample essays on WPP to see what they can do to improve their writing.
~ POW