I am happy to report that I am coming back to school tomorrow! Thanks for all your kind words and support. I am feeling significantly better!
Homework will be a bit back to normal (if there is such a thing for this nut of a teacher). I will not be preparing homework sheets so our children continue in the groove of writing down their homework on their own to prepare them for 5th grade. We will go on the same cycle as before, but children will be able to choose the words they do from their vocabulary lists in their novels. We have read far along enough in the novels that children are ready for this type of homework again. Night 1- abc order and art of any twelve words CIRCLE OR HIGHLIGHT THE WORDS YOU USE SO YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF THEM- I will encourage students to write these words in the word list section of their agenda so they do not have to bring their vocab sheets back and forth each day. Please do the same at home. They need the vocab sheets here at school daily, so they can perform well in their literature circles and learn optimally. If they forget the sheets, the words are on my website. Just log on to Willard and hit my name. Night 2- sentences about your life using the same words you used last night Night 3- sentences about the novel using the same 12 words Night 4- a story using at least 8 of the 12 words you used before. Please underline the words you use. Children will be getting crossword puzzles from me to do in class as tests to make sure they are retaining new vocabulary. They will be allowed to use their vocabulary sheets and are not expected to spell the words correctly without them. Then, the cycle will repeat with new words they choose from their lists. So..... every night, they will do night 1, 2 3, or 4, except Fridays. It seems clear to me, but if you have questions, please ask. I am trying to give the kids more responsibility and autonomy with their homework options by allowing them to choose words they feel are challenging and relevant. Please help them make good decisions so they don;t take the easy way out. Remember to emphasize that effort= improvement! In math, we are working on measurement, multiplication of fractions, and area and perimeter. We will have a unit 8 test sometime next week. Please make sure children are showing you their graded papers. I brought back a ton today and am handing out a bunch tomorrow as well. I am allowing children to fix Study Link 7.12 for a better grade. That will happen tomorrow night. There will be regular math homework nightly as well. CircEsteem begins Thursday. Please ask our children about it Thursday night. They had a similar program in second grade and are quite excited to start again. In Social Studies, we are learning about the 3 branches of government on the federal and state level. We are also beginning our Bridge building competition. Children will be bringing home 100 Popsicle sticks to make the strongest bridge they possibly can for a contest. They can only use these sticks and white glue like Elmers. Specifications for bridge size will come home soon. Will your child work alone or with a 4th grade partner. They were informed of this option on Monday. Hopefully, they have made some decisions. Before you ask, NO! They do not get 200 Popsicle sticks if they partner up! Again, like with the plow, the children do the work. Please do not allow your fingers to touch the sticks or glue. We will supply the sticks. We will begin researching bridge engineering so we can get some ideas of how strong bridges are constructed. As we conclude the bridge building, social studies will turn to cultures of the U.S.. If you have things you'd like to share with the class, please let me know. We have many cultures represented in our room, and the children would love to learn from you. In writing, we are beginning travel brochures. Children will be picking a place in the US to feature and will learn a new program called pages, where they can add headings, captions, photos, and informational paragraphs. Ask our child where they are going to convince readers to go! Soon, science will begin again as well. Children will be with Mr. Minor, studying Earth Materials. Progress reports are coming home Thursday. Please be prepared to discuss them with our child. |
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November 2016
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