Week of May 3
Announcements:
*Please send in one baby picture sometime in the next few weeks if you have not done so already. A digital copy is preferred, but if you only have a hard copy, feel free to send it in and I will scan it. We won't need these until the end of May, but I wanted to go ahead and start preparing this for the last week of school celebrations.
May 3: Remote asynchrnous learning day from home
May 4: Ms. Murray's last day! Please feel free to have her students bring in a handmade card for her.
May 3-7: Book Fair
May 11: Math STAAR for in person learners
May 12: Reading STAAR for in person learners
May 13: Science STAAR for in person and virtual learners
Language Arts: In reading, students are working on a nonfiction and poetry unit. They have different nonfiction books they read throughout the week and answer questions about. Every Friday, they do lessons involving comparisons of themes in poetry to themes in nonfiction text. In writing, students are studying nonfiction poetry as mentor texts. They are analyzing these poems for structure, techniques, figurative language, author's purpose. They will have the chance to draft their own poems this week.
Math: Students have just started their last unit of the school year-measurement conversions and financial literacy. Students will need to know how to make conversions within customary and metric systems. They each have this reference sheet they can refer to: reference materials
Students will also be working on concepts involving financial literacy. Here are some of the words students will learn about in financial literacy:
gross income
net income
savings
budget
Science: Students have been working on a short unit over the solar system. They have learned about rotation of the Earth causing day/night and the revolution of the Earth around the sun causing seasons. They will also review phases of the moon which they learned about in 3rd and 4th grades. They will continue learning about differences of the Earth, Moon, and Sun and will have a DCA over this unit on Wednesday, May 5. They will then work on review for the STAAR test.
Social Studies: Students are working on their unit over Industrialization. They are learning about different inventors and advancements in technology. They will finish this unit at the end of the week and will then start their last unit on events of the 20th century.
Announcements:
*Please send in one baby picture sometime in the next few weeks if you have not done so already. A digital copy is preferred, but if you only have a hard copy, feel free to send it in and I will scan it. We won't need these until the end of May, but I wanted to go ahead and start preparing this for the last week of school celebrations.
May 3: Remote asynchrnous learning day from home
May 4: Ms. Murray's last day! Please feel free to have her students bring in a handmade card for her.
May 3-7: Book Fair
May 11: Math STAAR for in person learners
May 12: Reading STAAR for in person learners
May 13: Science STAAR for in person and virtual learners
Language Arts: In reading, students are working on a nonfiction and poetry unit. They have different nonfiction books they read throughout the week and answer questions about. Every Friday, they do lessons involving comparisons of themes in poetry to themes in nonfiction text. In writing, students are studying nonfiction poetry as mentor texts. They are analyzing these poems for structure, techniques, figurative language, author's purpose. They will have the chance to draft their own poems this week.
Math: Students have just started their last unit of the school year-measurement conversions and financial literacy. Students will need to know how to make conversions within customary and metric systems. They each have this reference sheet they can refer to: reference materials
Students will also be working on concepts involving financial literacy. Here are some of the words students will learn about in financial literacy:
gross income
net income
savings
budget
Science: Students have been working on a short unit over the solar system. They have learned about rotation of the Earth causing day/night and the revolution of the Earth around the sun causing seasons. They will also review phases of the moon which they learned about in 3rd and 4th grades. They will continue learning about differences of the Earth, Moon, and Sun and will have a DCA over this unit on Wednesday, May 5. They will then work on review for the STAAR test.
Social Studies: Students are working on their unit over Industrialization. They are learning about different inventors and advancements in technology. They will finish this unit at the end of the week and will then start their last unit on events of the 20th century.
Weeks of April 12 and April 19
Announcements:
*Please send in one baby picture sometime in the next few weeks if you have not done so already. A digital copy is preferred, but if you only have a hard copy, feel free to send it in and I will scan it. We won't need these until the end of May, but I wanted to go ahead and start preparing this for the last week of school celebrations.
May 3: Remote asynchrnous learning day from home
May 11: Math STAAR for in person learners
May 12: Reading STAAR for in person learners
May 13: Science STAAR for in person and virtual learners
Language Arts: In reading, students are finishing up a unit that combines a variety of texts with a focus on informational texts that we have connected to science. They have reviewed skills they have learned all year such as finding themes, author's messages and purposes, making inferences about characters, using context clues, and finding main ideas. They all have book club books they are reading. Meetings will be on Tuesdays and Fridays during their reading times. Before the day of those meeting dates, they need to have read a certain amount of pages and taken notes on their reading thinking. They will begin a new unit the week of April 19th that will bring in short passages and poetry. The main goal of this unit will be to use specific text evidence to show thinking.
In writing, students are finishing up their revising and editing of their persuasive text. They will publish these texts and have a chance to read each other's texts the week of April 19th.
Math: Students are finishing a unit this week on coordinate planes and scatterplots. They have worked on plotting points as well as writing equations that match different patterns (such as y=2x or y = 2 + x). They have looked at the differences in multiplicative and additive patterns. They will start a new section on geometry these weeks. They need to sort shapes according to different characteristics. This unit will review as well as introduce students to a lot of new vocabulary.
Here is the math vocabulary for this unit. They will also have a copy here at school, but I am attaching it in case you want to review or discuss it at home: GEOMETRY MATH VOCABULARY LINK
Science: Students just finished working on a part of a unit over weathering and erosion. They have learned about how water (rivers) can carve out canyons over many years. They have also learned about the effects of wind on sand dunes. Students used the vocabulary: weathering, erosion, deposition, canyon, valley, delta, sand dune. In the next part of the unit, students are studying the formation of fossil fuels and sedimentary rocks. They need to know that fossil fuels can be found in sedimentary rocks and are the results of organic materials being buried by sediment over millions of years. They have learned how heat from the pressure of the sediment layers helped in this formation. They have also learned about fossils and how fossils show evidence of past environments. They will have a DCA over this unit on Wednesday, April 14th. Their next unit over the solar system, the Earth's rotation, and revolution will start the week of April 19th.
Social Studies: Students are finishing their unit on the Civil War. They have studied the role of the Underground Railroad and learned about some important figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. They have learned about the differences between the North and the South, as well as the central role of the expansion of slavery in causing sectionalism, disagreement, and the Civil War. They will learn about Reconstruction as well as the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
Announcements:
*Please send in one baby picture sometime in the next few weeks if you have not done so already. A digital copy is preferred, but if you only have a hard copy, feel free to send it in and I will scan it. We won't need these until the end of May, but I wanted to go ahead and start preparing this for the last week of school celebrations.
May 3: Remote asynchrnous learning day from home
May 11: Math STAAR for in person learners
May 12: Reading STAAR for in person learners
May 13: Science STAAR for in person and virtual learners
Language Arts: In reading, students are finishing up a unit that combines a variety of texts with a focus on informational texts that we have connected to science. They have reviewed skills they have learned all year such as finding themes, author's messages and purposes, making inferences about characters, using context clues, and finding main ideas. They all have book club books they are reading. Meetings will be on Tuesdays and Fridays during their reading times. Before the day of those meeting dates, they need to have read a certain amount of pages and taken notes on their reading thinking. They will begin a new unit the week of April 19th that will bring in short passages and poetry. The main goal of this unit will be to use specific text evidence to show thinking.
In writing, students are finishing up their revising and editing of their persuasive text. They will publish these texts and have a chance to read each other's texts the week of April 19th.
Math: Students are finishing a unit this week on coordinate planes and scatterplots. They have worked on plotting points as well as writing equations that match different patterns (such as y=2x or y = 2 + x). They have looked at the differences in multiplicative and additive patterns. They will start a new section on geometry these weeks. They need to sort shapes according to different characteristics. This unit will review as well as introduce students to a lot of new vocabulary.
Here is the math vocabulary for this unit. They will also have a copy here at school, but I am attaching it in case you want to review or discuss it at home: GEOMETRY MATH VOCABULARY LINK
Science: Students just finished working on a part of a unit over weathering and erosion. They have learned about how water (rivers) can carve out canyons over many years. They have also learned about the effects of wind on sand dunes. Students used the vocabulary: weathering, erosion, deposition, canyon, valley, delta, sand dune. In the next part of the unit, students are studying the formation of fossil fuels and sedimentary rocks. They need to know that fossil fuels can be found in sedimentary rocks and are the results of organic materials being buried by sediment over millions of years. They have learned how heat from the pressure of the sediment layers helped in this formation. They have also learned about fossils and how fossils show evidence of past environments. They will have a DCA over this unit on Wednesday, April 14th. Their next unit over the solar system, the Earth's rotation, and revolution will start the week of April 19th.
Social Studies: Students are finishing their unit on the Civil War. They have studied the role of the Underground Railroad and learned about some important figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. They have learned about the differences between the North and the South, as well as the central role of the expansion of slavery in causing sectionalism, disagreement, and the Civil War. They will learn about Reconstruction as well as the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments.
Weeks of March 22 and March 29
Announcements:
*Please send in one baby picture sometime in the next few weeks. A digital copy is preferred, but if you only have a hard copy, feel free to send it in and I will scan it. We won't need these until the end of May, but I wanted to go ahead and start preparing this for the last week of school celebrations.
If you have not already filled out the mask form, please do so here: Mask Form link
March 23: STAAR interim reading (practice STAAR)
March 25: STAAR interim math (practice STAAR)
March 29: Asynchronous 100% learning from home day-work will be posted on Schoology
April 2 (Friday): No school students/staff
Language Arts: Students are finishing up a unit on comparing texts. They have looked through a variety of genres and are making comparisons in themes, author's message, and characters. They will have a reading passage assessment on Thursday, March 25. They will begin new book clubs on April 1 and will work on writing reading responses about their books. They will also continue to read and take notes about their reading. They will meet for book club meetings on April 6 and April 9-they will need to make sure they are prepared with their reading and their notes. In writing, students are continuing their work with argumentative text. They are working on studying mentor texts as they brainstorm their own ideas.
Math: Students begin a new unit this week on coordinate planes and scatterplots. They will need to match x,y points from tables to a coordinate plane. They will also need to be able to look at different points on a coordinate plane and describe the ordered pair that gives that location. The week of March 29th, they will look at different scatterplots and be able to make generalizations about the plots. Here is some of the vocabulary they will be using:
coordinate plane
x-axis
y-axis
ordered pair
coordinate
point of origin (0,0)
vertical
horizontal
Science: Students are working on a unit over weathering and erosion. They have learned about how water (rivers) can carve out canyons over many years. They have also learned about the effects of wind on sand dunes. They will continue to study how wind, water, and ice can change Earth's surface. Students will use the vocabulary: weathering, erosion, deposition, canyon, valley, delta, sand dune.
Social Studies: Students began a new unit on the Civil War just before spring break. They have studied the role of the Underground Railroad and learned about some important figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. The next two weeks they will study the differences between the North and the South, as well as the central role of the expansion of slavery in causing sectionalism, disagreement, and the Civil War.
Announcements:
*Please send in one baby picture sometime in the next few weeks. A digital copy is preferred, but if you only have a hard copy, feel free to send it in and I will scan it. We won't need these until the end of May, but I wanted to go ahead and start preparing this for the last week of school celebrations.
If you have not already filled out the mask form, please do so here: Mask Form link
March 23: STAAR interim reading (practice STAAR)
March 25: STAAR interim math (practice STAAR)
March 29: Asynchronous 100% learning from home day-work will be posted on Schoology
April 2 (Friday): No school students/staff
Language Arts: Students are finishing up a unit on comparing texts. They have looked through a variety of genres and are making comparisons in themes, author's message, and characters. They will have a reading passage assessment on Thursday, March 25. They will begin new book clubs on April 1 and will work on writing reading responses about their books. They will also continue to read and take notes about their reading. They will meet for book club meetings on April 6 and April 9-they will need to make sure they are prepared with their reading and their notes. In writing, students are continuing their work with argumentative text. They are working on studying mentor texts as they brainstorm their own ideas.
Math: Students begin a new unit this week on coordinate planes and scatterplots. They will need to match x,y points from tables to a coordinate plane. They will also need to be able to look at different points on a coordinate plane and describe the ordered pair that gives that location. The week of March 29th, they will look at different scatterplots and be able to make generalizations about the plots. Here is some of the vocabulary they will be using:
coordinate plane
x-axis
y-axis
ordered pair
coordinate
point of origin (0,0)
vertical
horizontal
Science: Students are working on a unit over weathering and erosion. They have learned about how water (rivers) can carve out canyons over many years. They have also learned about the effects of wind on sand dunes. They will continue to study how wind, water, and ice can change Earth's surface. Students will use the vocabulary: weathering, erosion, deposition, canyon, valley, delta, sand dune.
Social Studies: Students began a new unit on the Civil War just before spring break. They have studied the role of the Underground Railroad and learned about some important figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass. The next two weeks they will study the differences between the North and the South, as well as the central role of the expansion of slavery in causing sectionalism, disagreement, and the Civil War.
Weeks of March 1 and March 8
Announcements:
March 8-11: "Education Go Get It Week": We will be doing various activities around education and careers this week, with a virtual career fair on Friday.
March 10: Picture day
March 11: For Education Go Get It Week, today will be a dress-up day. "Fashion For the Future": dress for a career you want to have when you grow up.
March 15-19: Spring break
March 23: STAAR interim reading (practice STAAR)
March 25: STAAR interim math (practice STAAR)
March 29: Asynchronous 100% learning from home day
Message from England PTA:
This school year is a year like no other. Order your 2020-2021 yearbook and always have a keepsake of the best memories from this year. Go to www.balfour.com and enter England Elementary in the search bar. Prices for the 2020-2021 yearbook are currently $24 but increase to $29 on January 18th. You can also order a 2019-2020 yearbook on the same site while supplies last. See the yearbook flyer for details
Lanuage Arts: Students will begin a new unit with a focus on comparing texts. They will read informational texts, memoirs, diary entries, and poems. Many of these texts will also relate to our Social Studies unit on the Civil War. Students will compare these texts. Students also received new book club books on Friday, March 5. These book clubs are all books written in verse that tell a story. They will read assigned sections of these books and take notes on their section. Their first meeting was Friday, March 5. Their first assignment will be Tuesday, March 9. They will get in class time to work on this assignment, but some students choose to bring it home to work on it more. In writing, students will be writing argumentative texts. They will spend the week of March 1 and March 8 studying mentor texts and learning about techniques authors of this genre use.
Math: Students are working on a new unit in math. They are learning about multiplying and dividing fractions. They also need to be able to read through word problems and decide if they will multiply or divide fractions in the word problem. We will use many models and pictures to reinforce these concepts. They spent the week of March 1 working on multiplying fractions and will spend the week of March 8 looking at division of fractions and reading through scenarios involving both multiplication and division of fractions. They will have a test over this unit on Friday, March 12.
Science: Students finished up a unit on the water cycle, weather, and climate. They will begin a unit on landforms, weathering, and erosion the week of March 8. They will learn about the formation of deltas, canyons, and valleys.
Social Studies: Students are ending a unit on Westward Explansion the week of March 1. They will begin a new unit on the Civil War the week of March 8. They will start by looking at the different economies of the North and South, the expansion of the United States, different abolitionists, and the Underground Railroad.
Announcements:
March 8-11: "Education Go Get It Week": We will be doing various activities around education and careers this week, with a virtual career fair on Friday.
March 10: Picture day
March 11: For Education Go Get It Week, today will be a dress-up day. "Fashion For the Future": dress for a career you want to have when you grow up.
March 15-19: Spring break
March 23: STAAR interim reading (practice STAAR)
March 25: STAAR interim math (practice STAAR)
March 29: Asynchronous 100% learning from home day
Message from England PTA:
This school year is a year like no other. Order your 2020-2021 yearbook and always have a keepsake of the best memories from this year. Go to www.balfour.com and enter England Elementary in the search bar. Prices for the 2020-2021 yearbook are currently $24 but increase to $29 on January 18th. You can also order a 2019-2020 yearbook on the same site while supplies last. See the yearbook flyer for details
Lanuage Arts: Students will begin a new unit with a focus on comparing texts. They will read informational texts, memoirs, diary entries, and poems. Many of these texts will also relate to our Social Studies unit on the Civil War. Students will compare these texts. Students also received new book club books on Friday, March 5. These book clubs are all books written in verse that tell a story. They will read assigned sections of these books and take notes on their section. Their first meeting was Friday, March 5. Their first assignment will be Tuesday, March 9. They will get in class time to work on this assignment, but some students choose to bring it home to work on it more. In writing, students will be writing argumentative texts. They will spend the week of March 1 and March 8 studying mentor texts and learning about techniques authors of this genre use.
Math: Students are working on a new unit in math. They are learning about multiplying and dividing fractions. They also need to be able to read through word problems and decide if they will multiply or divide fractions in the word problem. We will use many models and pictures to reinforce these concepts. They spent the week of March 1 working on multiplying fractions and will spend the week of March 8 looking at division of fractions and reading through scenarios involving both multiplication and division of fractions. They will have a test over this unit on Friday, March 12.
Science: Students finished up a unit on the water cycle, weather, and climate. They will begin a unit on landforms, weathering, and erosion the week of March 8. They will learn about the formation of deltas, canyons, and valleys.
Social Studies: Students are ending a unit on Westward Explansion the week of March 1. They will begin a new unit on the Civil War the week of March 8. They will start by looking at the different economies of the North and South, the expansion of the United States, different abolitionists, and the Underground Railroad.
Week of February 2
Announcements:
If your child is handing out valentines, please have them turn these in ASAP so they can go through a "quarantine" period
February 8 at 8:00 am: Parent information sessions for Pearson Ranch Middle School (see below)
February 8 at 8:30: Student Google meet with Pearson Ranch (see below)
February 11: STAAR interim science (practice STAAR)
February 12: Valentines classroom party 1:30 (no food or drink is allowed)
February 15 and 16: no school for students
February 18th: picture day
February 19th: STAAR interim math (practice STAAR)
February 24th: STAAR interim reading (practice STAAR)
Pearson Ranch Middle School important information
Please read below for information about Pearson Ranch Middle School orientation dates:
Message from England PTA:
This school year is a year like no other. Order your 2020-2021 yearbook and always have a keepsake of the best memories from this year. Go to www.balfour.com and enter England Elementary in the search bar. Prices for the 2020-2021 yearbook are currently $24 but increase to $29 on January 18th. You can also order a 2019-2020 yearbook on the same site while supplies last. See the yearbook flyer for details
Lanuage Arts: Students are working on drafting informational text over an event in history of their choice. In reading, they are exploring with a variety of texts, including folktales, fiction, and poetry. They will start discussing features of folktales. Students also began new book clubs. They are responsible for reading a set number of pages and taking notes which will be due when their book clubs meet each week. Meetings will be on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Math: Students are finishing a unit on adding and subtracting fractions. They need to know how to add and subtract mixed numbers and fractions with unlike denominators. They will do this in problem solving situations. They will have a test Friday, February 5 over these concepts.
Science: Students are continuing to learn about plant and animal adaptations. This week, they will learn about inherited traits and learned behaviors of different plants and animals. They will have a test next Monday, February 8 over these concepts.
Social Studies: Students are beginning a new unit called "Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion". They have learned about the phrase "manifest destiny" and have also learned about the Louisiana Purchase. They will continue to learn more about westward expansion.
Announcements:
If your child is handing out valentines, please have them turn these in ASAP so they can go through a "quarantine" period
February 8 at 8:00 am: Parent information sessions for Pearson Ranch Middle School (see below)
February 8 at 8:30: Student Google meet with Pearson Ranch (see below)
February 11: STAAR interim science (practice STAAR)
February 12: Valentines classroom party 1:30 (no food or drink is allowed)
February 15 and 16: no school for students
February 18th: picture day
February 19th: STAAR interim math (practice STAAR)
February 24th: STAAR interim reading (practice STAAR)
Pearson Ranch Middle School important information
Please read below for information about Pearson Ranch Middle School orientation dates:
- Monday 2/8/21 at 8 am - Parent Information session for Pearson Ranch Middle School. It will be a webinar in zoom. Brandi Cantu (PRMS) will send out the information and links for those as soon as they are available.
- Monday 2/8/21 at 8:30 am - Student Google Meet for Pearson Ranch Middle School (this will be done in class with their teachers)
- 2/8/21 PRMS Elective Showcase will be available online. Brandi Cantu will make sure the link is available to all 5th grade parents and students.
- Friday, 2/12/21 - 6th grade choice sheets will be sent directly to the students gmail account. The choice sheet will be due by Friday, 2/19/21
- August TBD - Rattler Roundup - 6th grade Orientation
Message from England PTA:
This school year is a year like no other. Order your 2020-2021 yearbook and always have a keepsake of the best memories from this year. Go to www.balfour.com and enter England Elementary in the search bar. Prices for the 2020-2021 yearbook are currently $24 but increase to $29 on January 18th. You can also order a 2019-2020 yearbook on the same site while supplies last. See the yearbook flyer for details
Lanuage Arts: Students are working on drafting informational text over an event in history of their choice. In reading, they are exploring with a variety of texts, including folktales, fiction, and poetry. They will start discussing features of folktales. Students also began new book clubs. They are responsible for reading a set number of pages and taking notes which will be due when their book clubs meet each week. Meetings will be on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Math: Students are finishing a unit on adding and subtracting fractions. They need to know how to add and subtract mixed numbers and fractions with unlike denominators. They will do this in problem solving situations. They will have a test Friday, February 5 over these concepts.
Science: Students are continuing to learn about plant and animal adaptations. This week, they will learn about inherited traits and learned behaviors of different plants and animals. They will have a test next Monday, February 8 over these concepts.
Social Studies: Students are beginning a new unit called "Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion". They have learned about the phrase "manifest destiny" and have also learned about the Louisiana Purchase. They will continue to learn more about westward expansion.
Week of January 18
Announcements:
No school Monday, January 18
Message from England PTA:
This school year is a year like no other. Order your 2020-2021 yearbook and always have a keepsake of the best memories from this year. Go to www.balfour.com and enter England Elementary in the search bar. Prices for the 2020-2021 yearbook are currently $24 but increase to $29 on January 18th. You can also order a 2019-2020 yearbook on the same site while supplies last. See the yearbook flyer for details
Lanuage Arts: Students finished their unit on memoirs and deepening their understanding of characters. They are starting a new unit which will explore more informational text. In this unit, they will look at organization of texts, author's purpose for writing texts as well as learn more about summarizing and synthesizing texts as they read. In writing, they will work on writing as a historian. They will study mentor texts where authors teach about moments in history. They will start thinking about moments in history they would like to write about. Book clubs will begin the week of January 25th.
Math: Students just began a new unit on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. They have been learning about adding fractions using a number line. They have also been learning about equivalent fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers.
Science: Students just finished a unit on how organisms interact in different environments. They are beginning a new unit on traits and adaptations. This week they will learn about structures and functions of different plants and animals. They will also learn about how animal adaptations help them to survive in their environment.
Social Studies: Students just finished their unit on the American Revolution. They also learned about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. This week they are learning about the Constitution. They will look at the preamble to the Constitution, as well as learn about the different branches of government.
Announcements:
No school Monday, January 18
Message from England PTA:
This school year is a year like no other. Order your 2020-2021 yearbook and always have a keepsake of the best memories from this year. Go to www.balfour.com and enter England Elementary in the search bar. Prices for the 2020-2021 yearbook are currently $24 but increase to $29 on January 18th. You can also order a 2019-2020 yearbook on the same site while supplies last. See the yearbook flyer for details
Lanuage Arts: Students finished their unit on memoirs and deepening their understanding of characters. They are starting a new unit which will explore more informational text. In this unit, they will look at organization of texts, author's purpose for writing texts as well as learn more about summarizing and synthesizing texts as they read. In writing, they will work on writing as a historian. They will study mentor texts where authors teach about moments in history. They will start thinking about moments in history they would like to write about. Book clubs will begin the week of January 25th.
Math: Students just began a new unit on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. They have been learning about adding fractions using a number line. They have also been learning about equivalent fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers.
Science: Students just finished a unit on how organisms interact in different environments. They are beginning a new unit on traits and adaptations. This week they will learn about structures and functions of different plants and animals. They will also learn about how animal adaptations help them to survive in their environment.
Social Studies: Students just finished their unit on the American Revolution. They also learned about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. This week they are learning about the Constitution. They will look at the preamble to the Constitution, as well as learn about the different branches of government.
Week of December 14
Announcements: We will have a class winter party on Thursday, December 17. This is the students' last day before the break. I will have some games for the students to play. No food, drink, or candy is allowed so please make sure not to send any with your students. I will make sure we still have a food-free fun afternoon! Winter break for students will begin on Friday, December 18 and last through Tuesday, January 5.
Language Arts: Students are revising their memoirs in writing. This week they will work on revising for good beginnings, ending reflections, and transitions. They will work on some editing and publishing after the break. In reading, students have finished up their latest book club books. This week, they will have mini book clubs over different plays since we have started learning about features of the drama genre.
Math: Students will continue to work on dividing decimals by whole numbers (example: 0.6 divided by 4) and they will review multiplying decimals by decimals and decimals by whole numbers. They will take a unit test over these concepts Thursday morning. Here is a rest review we are doing in class: Test review
Science: Students will continue to study how animals interact in an ecosystem. They are investigating the question, "Which component of the food web would cause the most change if removed?" We will be discussing the flow of energy in food webs. They will also be working with owl pellets this week to identify parts of a food chain with owl as the apex predator.
Social Studies: Students are finishing their unit on the American Revolution this week. They will begin a new unit on government after the break.
Announcements: We will have a class winter party on Thursday, December 17. This is the students' last day before the break. I will have some games for the students to play. No food, drink, or candy is allowed so please make sure not to send any with your students. I will make sure we still have a food-free fun afternoon! Winter break for students will begin on Friday, December 18 and last through Tuesday, January 5.
Language Arts: Students are revising their memoirs in writing. This week they will work on revising for good beginnings, ending reflections, and transitions. They will work on some editing and publishing after the break. In reading, students have finished up their latest book club books. This week, they will have mini book clubs over different plays since we have started learning about features of the drama genre.
Math: Students will continue to work on dividing decimals by whole numbers (example: 0.6 divided by 4) and they will review multiplying decimals by decimals and decimals by whole numbers. They will take a unit test over these concepts Thursday morning. Here is a rest review we are doing in class: Test review
Science: Students will continue to study how animals interact in an ecosystem. They are investigating the question, "Which component of the food web would cause the most change if removed?" We will be discussing the flow of energy in food webs. They will also be working with owl pellets this week to identify parts of a food chain with owl as the apex predator.
Social Studies: Students are finishing their unit on the American Revolution this week. They will begin a new unit on government after the break.
Week of December 7
Announcements: Please make sure your student has a water bottle to fill up each day. Also, please make sure your child fully charges their computer before coming to school each day.
Language Arts: Students are still working on their unit in memoirs for writing. They have been brainstorming ideas and working on jotting down snapshots (details that describe what is happening) and thoughtshots (details that describe what they think and feel). They have also worked on finding "the heart of their story". This week, they will pick and idea and write their rough draft of the story, making sure to include snapshots and thoughtshots.
In reading, students started a new unit that will review a variety of genres-fiction, nonfiction, poetry. It will introduce the genre of drama. This week, students will discuss themes and author's messages. They are also finishing up their second round of book club books. These books are: Amina's Voice, Harbor Me, and Because of Mr. Terrupt. Talk to your child about the book that they are reading. They are finishing their reading as well as taking notes. These are also great books to bring home to read as part of their reading each night. They do get time in class to work on this, but I encourage them to bring the books home if they need more time.
Math: In math, students are working on multiplying and dividing with decimals. Last week they worked on multiplying decimals. They worked on multiplying a whole number by a decimal as well as a decimal by a decimal. We talked about multiplication being "groups of". Students also noticed how the product of two decimals is sometimes less than the factors multiplied together. For example: 0.5 x 0.6 = 0.3
This week, they will be introduced to division of decimals.
Science: In science, students just began a new unit on ecosystems. They are working on understanding how different parts of the ecosystem (both living and nonliving) depend on each other. They are also learning about food chains and food webs and how different components of a food chain give energy to other components. They need to know the following vocabulary: producers, consumers, decomposers, food chain, food web, predator, prey, nonliving, organism
Social Studies: Students are finishing up their unit on the American Revolution. They have learned about important figures, causes, battles, and events of the American Revolution. We have also discussed the Declaration of Independence. This week, they will continue learning about important people as well as how the war finally ended.
Announcements: Please make sure your student has a water bottle to fill up each day. Also, please make sure your child fully charges their computer before coming to school each day.
Language Arts: Students are still working on their unit in memoirs for writing. They have been brainstorming ideas and working on jotting down snapshots (details that describe what is happening) and thoughtshots (details that describe what they think and feel). They have also worked on finding "the heart of their story". This week, they will pick and idea and write their rough draft of the story, making sure to include snapshots and thoughtshots.
In reading, students started a new unit that will review a variety of genres-fiction, nonfiction, poetry. It will introduce the genre of drama. This week, students will discuss themes and author's messages. They are also finishing up their second round of book club books. These books are: Amina's Voice, Harbor Me, and Because of Mr. Terrupt. Talk to your child about the book that they are reading. They are finishing their reading as well as taking notes. These are also great books to bring home to read as part of their reading each night. They do get time in class to work on this, but I encourage them to bring the books home if they need more time.
Math: In math, students are working on multiplying and dividing with decimals. Last week they worked on multiplying decimals. They worked on multiplying a whole number by a decimal as well as a decimal by a decimal. We talked about multiplication being "groups of". Students also noticed how the product of two decimals is sometimes less than the factors multiplied together. For example: 0.5 x 0.6 = 0.3
This week, they will be introduced to division of decimals.
Science: In science, students just began a new unit on ecosystems. They are working on understanding how different parts of the ecosystem (both living and nonliving) depend on each other. They are also learning about food chains and food webs and how different components of a food chain give energy to other components. They need to know the following vocabulary: producers, consumers, decomposers, food chain, food web, predator, prey, nonliving, organism
Social Studies: Students are finishing up their unit on the American Revolution. They have learned about important figures, causes, battles, and events of the American Revolution. We have also discussed the Declaration of Independence. This week, they will continue learning about important people as well as how the war finally ended.
Week of November 16
Announcements: Thanksgiving break will begin on Monday, November 23 and go through Friday, November 27.
TAG Testing: The registration for TAG testing is now open and will close December 4, 2020 at 4 pm. Please watch the following Video Screencast to get more information about our TAG program at RRISD. TAG Parent Referral Meeting Video After watching the video, if you would like to refer your child for TAG testing, please fill out the online TAG Referral Form and Permission to Test Form by December 4, 2020 at 4pm to be registered for testing. No late referrals will be accepted.TAG Referral Form This test is not for current TAG students. Please visit our website for more information regarding gifted services and the identification process and procedures. Elsa England TAG Website Testing will take place in January/February 2021. Details regarding testing dates and times will be provided to parents of students registered for testing after the nomination period ends.
Language Arts: We just began a new unit over memoirs, character study, and fiction. Students will trace their inferences about characters through a text and across texts. This week, students will have lessons on using actions and dialogue to make inferences about a character, look at character change, and then discuss what caused the character to change. In writing, students are studying mentor texts this week using memoirs. They will begin brainstorming ideas for their own memoirs. New book clubs will begin. Students have one of the following books: Amina's Voice, Because Of Mr. Terrupt, and Harbor Me. Their first meeting is Tuesday, November 17th. Students must have finished their assigned pages and taken notes on those pages. Many students choose to finish this during the provided class time, but some students chose to work on this at home and read other independent books during class time. Please talk to your child about the book their are reading.
Social Studies: We began our unit on the American Revolution. This week, students will learn about different events leading up to the American Revolution such as the French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students will review for their test on Wednesday. This unit covered multiplication, division, connecting equations to different word problems, and connecting different representations such as strip diagrams to different problems. Here is the review we are going over on Tuesday for their test on Wednesday: Math Unit 3 review
Science: In science, students are learning about Force and Motion. They will learn different parts of a science experiment and think about how they would design experiments and explore questions that test the effect of force on an object. Students will have a test on Friday.
Announcements: Thanksgiving break will begin on Monday, November 23 and go through Friday, November 27.
TAG Testing: The registration for TAG testing is now open and will close December 4, 2020 at 4 pm. Please watch the following Video Screencast to get more information about our TAG program at RRISD. TAG Parent Referral Meeting Video After watching the video, if you would like to refer your child for TAG testing, please fill out the online TAG Referral Form and Permission to Test Form by December 4, 2020 at 4pm to be registered for testing. No late referrals will be accepted.TAG Referral Form This test is not for current TAG students. Please visit our website for more information regarding gifted services and the identification process and procedures. Elsa England TAG Website Testing will take place in January/February 2021. Details regarding testing dates and times will be provided to parents of students registered for testing after the nomination period ends.
Language Arts: We just began a new unit over memoirs, character study, and fiction. Students will trace their inferences about characters through a text and across texts. This week, students will have lessons on using actions and dialogue to make inferences about a character, look at character change, and then discuss what caused the character to change. In writing, students are studying mentor texts this week using memoirs. They will begin brainstorming ideas for their own memoirs. New book clubs will begin. Students have one of the following books: Amina's Voice, Because Of Mr. Terrupt, and Harbor Me. Their first meeting is Tuesday, November 17th. Students must have finished their assigned pages and taken notes on those pages. Many students choose to finish this during the provided class time, but some students chose to work on this at home and read other independent books during class time. Please talk to your child about the book their are reading.
Social Studies: We began our unit on the American Revolution. This week, students will learn about different events leading up to the American Revolution such as the French and Indian war, the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Boston Tea Party.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students will review for their test on Wednesday. This unit covered multiplication, division, connecting equations to different word problems, and connecting different representations such as strip diagrams to different problems. Here is the review we are going over on Tuesday for their test on Wednesday: Math Unit 3 review
Science: In science, students are learning about Force and Motion. They will learn different parts of a science experiment and think about how they would design experiments and explore questions that test the effect of force on an object. Students will have a test on Friday.
Week of November 2
Announcements:
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Language Arts: In reading, students will finish their unit on informational text. They will have an assessment over this unit on Thursday of this week which will consist of reading two informational text passages and answering questions. This week, they will look at the depth and complexity icons Big Ideas and Across Disciplines. Students will also finish their book club discussions this week for their first book. They will meet on Tuesday and Thursday of this week (the book will be finished on Thursday). They may bring the book home but they will also have class time to read and answer discussion questions. They received discussion questions but they will also bring in their own notes as well. Their group decided on a certain amount of pages to read to for each meeting. The pages will need to be read as well as notes/discussion questions complete before the day of their next meeting. Copies of the discussion questions can also be found in Schoology under the Reading course in a folder labeled "Book Clubs."
Note: If they choose to bring the book home, it will be treated just like a library book. If it is damaged or lost, they will need to pay to replace it with a new copy. These books are for checkout in our "lit library" and have been library bound.
In writing, students are finishing their unit on informational writing. This week, students will revise for organization. They will also edit their pieces for correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. They will publish these pieces this week. You can view their published pieces in their google accounts on Friday.
Social Studies: Students will present their information on the colony they researched starting on Wednesday. On Monday and Tuesday, we will continue to discuss election and voting procedures.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are working on multiplying 2 digit x 3 digit numbers. They will incorporate this into their unit on volume. This week we will look at different strategies students use to multiply-one of these strategies will include a standard algorithm.
Science: Students will finish reviewing series and parallel circuits. They will have a review on Tuesday and a test on Wednesday of this week over different forms of energy including light energy and electric energy.
Here is a review we will be going over in class on Tuesday. It may be helpful to review at home as well:
Unit Review
Announcements:
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Language Arts: In reading, students will finish their unit on informational text. They will have an assessment over this unit on Thursday of this week which will consist of reading two informational text passages and answering questions. This week, they will look at the depth and complexity icons Big Ideas and Across Disciplines. Students will also finish their book club discussions this week for their first book. They will meet on Tuesday and Thursday of this week (the book will be finished on Thursday). They may bring the book home but they will also have class time to read and answer discussion questions. They received discussion questions but they will also bring in their own notes as well. Their group decided on a certain amount of pages to read to for each meeting. The pages will need to be read as well as notes/discussion questions complete before the day of their next meeting. Copies of the discussion questions can also be found in Schoology under the Reading course in a folder labeled "Book Clubs."
Note: If they choose to bring the book home, it will be treated just like a library book. If it is damaged or lost, they will need to pay to replace it with a new copy. These books are for checkout in our "lit library" and have been library bound.
In writing, students are finishing their unit on informational writing. This week, students will revise for organization. They will also edit their pieces for correct grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. They will publish these pieces this week. You can view their published pieces in their google accounts on Friday.
Social Studies: Students will present their information on the colony they researched starting on Wednesday. On Monday and Tuesday, we will continue to discuss election and voting procedures.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are working on multiplying 2 digit x 3 digit numbers. They will incorporate this into their unit on volume. This week we will look at different strategies students use to multiply-one of these strategies will include a standard algorithm.
Science: Students will finish reviewing series and parallel circuits. They will have a review on Tuesday and a test on Wednesday of this week over different forms of energy including light energy and electric energy.
Here is a review we will be going over in class on Tuesday. It may be helpful to review at home as well:
Unit Review
Week of October 26
Announcements:
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Language Arts: In reading, students will continue with informational text but will also tie in fiction written in first person point of view. This week, they will at the depth and complexity icons ethics, unanswered questions, big ideas, and details. Students will also begin book club discussions this week. They each received a book last Thursday. Their meeting days will be Tuesdays and Thursdays until the book is complete (probably about 2 weeks). They may bring the book home but they will also have class time to read and answer discussion questions. They received discussion questions but they will also bring in their own notes as well. Their group decided on a certain amount of pages to read to for each meeting. The pages will need to be read as well as notes/discussion questions complete before the day of their next meeting. Their first meeting will be tomorrow. Copies of the discussion questions can also be found in Schoology under the Reading course in a folder labeled "Book Clubs."
Note: If they choose to bring the book home, it will be treated just like a library book. If it is damaged or lost, they will need to pay to replace it with a new copy. These books are for checkout in our "lit library" and have been library bound.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. This week, students will revise for quality introductions, conclusions, and transitions between sentences.
Social Studies: Students are finishing up their projects from last week where they researched one of the 13 original colonies. They will present their information starting on Tuesday. We will also talking about voting rights through the years and discuss topics that presidential candidates take positions on.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are working on finding volume of different rectangular prisms. This week we will also discuss how a cube is a special type of rectangular prism.
Science: Students will continue exploring different forms of energy. Forms to know are: thermal energy, sound energy, mechanical energy (movement), light energy, electrical energy. This week, they will focus on light and electrical energy. Students need to understand the difference between reflection (light "bouncing") and refraction (light "bending"). They will also start exploring with circuits.
Announcements:
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Language Arts: In reading, students will continue with informational text but will also tie in fiction written in first person point of view. This week, they will at the depth and complexity icons ethics, unanswered questions, big ideas, and details. Students will also begin book club discussions this week. They each received a book last Thursday. Their meeting days will be Tuesdays and Thursdays until the book is complete (probably about 2 weeks). They may bring the book home but they will also have class time to read and answer discussion questions. They received discussion questions but they will also bring in their own notes as well. Their group decided on a certain amount of pages to read to for each meeting. The pages will need to be read as well as notes/discussion questions complete before the day of their next meeting. Their first meeting will be tomorrow. Copies of the discussion questions can also be found in Schoology under the Reading course in a folder labeled "Book Clubs."
Note: If they choose to bring the book home, it will be treated just like a library book. If it is damaged or lost, they will need to pay to replace it with a new copy. These books are for checkout in our "lit library" and have been library bound.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. This week, students will revise for quality introductions, conclusions, and transitions between sentences.
Social Studies: Students are finishing up their projects from last week where they researched one of the 13 original colonies. They will present their information starting on Tuesday. We will also talking about voting rights through the years and discuss topics that presidential candidates take positions on.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are working on finding volume of different rectangular prisms. This week we will also discuss how a cube is a special type of rectangular prism.
Science: Students will continue exploring different forms of energy. Forms to know are: thermal energy, sound energy, mechanical energy (movement), light energy, electrical energy. This week, they will focus on light and electrical energy. Students need to understand the difference between reflection (light "bouncing") and refraction (light "bending"). They will also start exploring with circuits.
Week of October 19
Announcements:
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Language Arts: In reading, students will continue with informational text. This week, they will look at text importance, first person point of view, and text features. Students will also begin book clubs this week. They each will receive a book on Thursday. Their meeting days will be Tuesdays and Thursdays until the book is complete (probably about 2 weeks). They may bring the book home but they will also have class time to read and answer discussion questions. They will get some discussion questions but they will also bring in their own notes as well. Their group will decide on a certain amount of pages to read to for each meeting. The pages will need to be read as well as notes/discussion questions complete before the day of their next meeting.
Note: If they choose to bring the book home, it will be treated just like a library book. If it is damaged or lost, they will need to pay to replace it with a new copy. These books are for checkout in our "lit library" and have been library bound.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about. This week, students will work on finishing up their research and adding details to their informational text. In grammar, they will work on understanding prepositional phrases.
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people. They will continue to look at different perspectives as they study how different places were settled. They will also be introduced to how settlements were governed. This week, students will pick a colony to research and complete a group research project around that colony.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are finishing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. They will also add and subtract decimals. Students will also work on using stem and leaf plots with decimals. Here is an example of a stem and leaf plot with decimals:
Stem and Leaf Plot with decimals
Their test over decimals will be Tuesday of this week.
Science: Students will continue exploring different forms of energy. Forms to know are: thermal energy, sound energy, mechanical energy (movement), light energy, electrical energy. This week, they will focus on light and electrical energy. Students need to understand the difference between reflection (light "bouncing") and refraction (light "bending"). They will also start exploring with circuits.
Announcements:
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Language Arts: In reading, students will continue with informational text. This week, they will look at text importance, first person point of view, and text features. Students will also begin book clubs this week. They each will receive a book on Thursday. Their meeting days will be Tuesdays and Thursdays until the book is complete (probably about 2 weeks). They may bring the book home but they will also have class time to read and answer discussion questions. They will get some discussion questions but they will also bring in their own notes as well. Their group will decide on a certain amount of pages to read to for each meeting. The pages will need to be read as well as notes/discussion questions complete before the day of their next meeting.
Note: If they choose to bring the book home, it will be treated just like a library book. If it is damaged or lost, they will need to pay to replace it with a new copy. These books are for checkout in our "lit library" and have been library bound.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about. This week, students will work on finishing up their research and adding details to their informational text. In grammar, they will work on understanding prepositional phrases.
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people. They will continue to look at different perspectives as they study how different places were settled. They will also be introduced to how settlements were governed. This week, students will pick a colony to research and complete a group research project around that colony.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are finishing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. They will also add and subtract decimals. Students will also work on using stem and leaf plots with decimals. Here is an example of a stem and leaf plot with decimals:
Stem and Leaf Plot with decimals
Their test over decimals will be Tuesday of this week.
Science: Students will continue exploring different forms of energy. Forms to know are: thermal energy, sound energy, mechanical energy (movement), light energy, electrical energy. This week, they will focus on light and electrical energy. Students need to understand the difference between reflection (light "bouncing") and refraction (light "bending"). They will also start exploring with circuits.
Week of October 5
Announcements:
Reminder: No school next Monday and Tuesday, October 12th and 13th
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Please make sure to read the attached letter sent out in the weekly update email regarding SSI (student success intiative) for this year.
Language Arts: In reading, students will work on lessons over context clues, author's purpose, and text structure this week. Students will continue to have independent reading time to read books of their choice and take notes while reading. I will have reading conferences each day with students to help them towards their goals. They each created a reading goal a few weeks ago-ask them what they are working on. Their goal is also in the reading Schoology course under the September 17 folder. They will have a graded reading passage and questions on Thursday over text structure.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about. This week, students will work on picking an idea and forming a central idea around that idea. Students will also be studying simple sentences, compound sentences and coordinating conjunctions (ask them what FANBOYS stands for). In addition, they will learn about simple vs. complex sentences. We will talk about transitions to use to create complex sentences using the acronym AAAWWUBBIS.
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people. They will continue to look at different perspectives as they study how different places were settled. They will also be introduced to how settlements were governed. This week, students will find similarities and differences between different colonies (Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth)
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are continuing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. They will also add and subtract decimals. Their test over decimals will be next week. This week, students will focus on using stem and leaf plots with decimals. Here is an example of a stem and leaf plot with decimals:
Stem and Leaf Plot with decimals
Science: Students will begin a new unit exploring different forms of energy. This week, they will focus on what those forms of energy are and the different uses of energy. Forms to know are: thermal energy, sound energy, mechanical energy (movement), light energy, electrical energy.
Announcements:
Reminder: No school next Monday and Tuesday, October 12th and 13th
Parents-please make sure to fill out this attached parent permission form that was sent out by Ms.Stowe a few weeks ago: Permissions Form
If you have already filled it out, please disregard.
Please make sure to read the attached letter sent out in the weekly update email regarding SSI (student success intiative) for this year.
Language Arts: In reading, students will work on lessons over context clues, author's purpose, and text structure this week. Students will continue to have independent reading time to read books of their choice and take notes while reading. I will have reading conferences each day with students to help them towards their goals. They each created a reading goal a few weeks ago-ask them what they are working on. Their goal is also in the reading Schoology course under the September 17 folder. They will have a graded reading passage and questions on Thursday over text structure.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about. This week, students will work on picking an idea and forming a central idea around that idea. Students will also be studying simple sentences, compound sentences and coordinating conjunctions (ask them what FANBOYS stands for). In addition, they will learn about simple vs. complex sentences. We will talk about transitions to use to create complex sentences using the acronym AAAWWUBBIS.
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people. They will continue to look at different perspectives as they study how different places were settled. They will also be introduced to how settlements were governed. This week, students will find similarities and differences between different colonies (Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth)
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are continuing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. They will also add and subtract decimals. Their test over decimals will be next week. This week, students will focus on using stem and leaf plots with decimals. Here is an example of a stem and leaf plot with decimals:
Stem and Leaf Plot with decimals
Science: Students will begin a new unit exploring different forms of energy. This week, they will focus on what those forms of energy are and the different uses of energy. Forms to know are: thermal energy, sound energy, mechanical energy (movement), light energy, electrical energy.
Week of September 28
Announcements:
Please make sure to send a water bottle. We do have water bottle fill stations so they may refill their water bottles if needed.
Parent conferences will be held over the next two weeks. The sign up went out last week. These conferences will be virtual-a Google Meet link is included in the sign up that went out last week. Please make sure you are logged on to your student's account for this meeting in order for the google meet link to work.
Language Arts: Students will work on lessons over unanswered questions, author's purpose, and point of view this week. Students will continue to have independent reading time to read books of their choice and take notes while reading. I will have reading conferences each day with students to help them towards their goals. They each created a reading goal two weeks ago-ask them what they are working on. Their goal is also in the reading Schoology course under the September 17 folder. They will have a graded reading passage and questions on Thursday over author's purpose.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about. This week, students will continue to look at different mentor texts to think about what work authors do in this genre. They will also continue to brainstorm their own ideas. Students will also be studying simple sentences, compound sentences and coordinating conjunctions (ask them what FANBOYS stands for).
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people. They will continue to look at different perspectives as they study how different places were settled. They will also be introduced to how settlements were governed.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are continuing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. They will also add and subtract decimals. This week, students will work on adding and subtracting decimals in problem solving situations. One of these problem solving situations will involve finding perimeter. They need to know that perimeter is the distance around a place or object.
Science: Students will continue working on their unit on mixtures and solutions. They need to know that a solution is a special type of mixture where one substance has dissolved in another. They will work this week with identifying solutions from other types of mixtures. They will also work on understanding which tools can be used to separate mixtures based on physical properties. For example, a magnet can be used to separate paper clips from a mixture of marbles and paper clips. Or water can be used to separate wooden blocks from sand-the sand will sink and the wooden blocks will float. This week, students will explore more with solutions. We will review how different solutions can be separated such as evaporation. For example, a salt water solution can be separated when we evaporate the water. The salt will be left behind. Students will have a test over this unit on Friday, October 2. Here is a copy of the review we will be going over in class on Thursday: Unit Review
Announcements:
Please make sure to send a water bottle. We do have water bottle fill stations so they may refill their water bottles if needed.
Parent conferences will be held over the next two weeks. The sign up went out last week. These conferences will be virtual-a Google Meet link is included in the sign up that went out last week. Please make sure you are logged on to your student's account for this meeting in order for the google meet link to work.
Language Arts: Students will work on lessons over unanswered questions, author's purpose, and point of view this week. Students will continue to have independent reading time to read books of their choice and take notes while reading. I will have reading conferences each day with students to help them towards their goals. They each created a reading goal two weeks ago-ask them what they are working on. Their goal is also in the reading Schoology course under the September 17 folder. They will have a graded reading passage and questions on Thursday over author's purpose.
In writing, students are continuing their unit on informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about. This week, students will continue to look at different mentor texts to think about what work authors do in this genre. They will also continue to brainstorm their own ideas. Students will also be studying simple sentences, compound sentences and coordinating conjunctions (ask them what FANBOYS stands for).
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people. They will continue to look at different perspectives as they study how different places were settled. They will also be introduced to how settlements were governed.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are continuing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. They will also add and subtract decimals. This week, students will work on adding and subtracting decimals in problem solving situations. One of these problem solving situations will involve finding perimeter. They need to know that perimeter is the distance around a place or object.
Science: Students will continue working on their unit on mixtures and solutions. They need to know that a solution is a special type of mixture where one substance has dissolved in another. They will work this week with identifying solutions from other types of mixtures. They will also work on understanding which tools can be used to separate mixtures based on physical properties. For example, a magnet can be used to separate paper clips from a mixture of marbles and paper clips. Or water can be used to separate wooden blocks from sand-the sand will sink and the wooden blocks will float. This week, students will explore more with solutions. We will review how different solutions can be separated such as evaporation. For example, a salt water solution can be separated when we evaporate the water. The salt will be left behind. Students will have a test over this unit on Friday, October 2. Here is a copy of the review we will be going over in class on Thursday: Unit Review
Week of September 21
Announcements:
I had a great first week with the students! We have found great ways to have conversations and partner/group work while keeping our distance. They have been so helpful with each other and are getting to know each other well. Please make sure they have a mask each day-I do have extras if something happens to their mask during the day. Please also make sure to send a water bottle. We do have water bottle fill stations so they may refill their water bottles if needed. Right now, there will not be homework sent home, though I may sometimes send something home that isn't finished in class. Once we start book clubs, students will be reading and taking notes at home. This will not begin until October.
I will be sending out information within the next 2 weeks about fall parent conferences. These conferences will be virtual.
Language Arts: This week in reading, students will be working on asking questions while reading and using the text to answer their questions. Sometimes they will need to use text evidence to infer answers that are directly explained in the text. They will also begin looking at how texts are organized, such as cause/effect. Students will have independent reading time to read books of their choice and take notes while reading. I will have reading conferences each day with students to help them towards their goals. They each created a reading goal last week-ask them what they are working on. Their goal is also in the reading Schoology course under the September 17 folder. They will have a graded reading passage and questions on Tuesday over main ideas.
Here is an anchor chart we will use:
Ask Questions to Form Ideas
In writing, students are starting a new unit. They will begin collecting ideas for informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about.
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are continuing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. This week they will work on rounding decimals and adding decimals.
Science: Students will take a test over classifying matter on Monday. Here is the review we went over in class:
Classifying Matter unit review
On Tuesday, students will begin a new unit on mixtures and solutions. They need to know that a solution is a special type of mixture where one substance has dissolved in another. They will work this week with identifying solutions from other types of mixtures. They will also work on understanding which tools can be used to separate mixtures based on physical properties. For example, a magnet can be used to separate paper clips from a mixture of marbles and paper clips. Or water can be used to separate wooden blocks from sand-the sand will sink and the wooden blocks will float.
Announcements:
I had a great first week with the students! We have found great ways to have conversations and partner/group work while keeping our distance. They have been so helpful with each other and are getting to know each other well. Please make sure they have a mask each day-I do have extras if something happens to their mask during the day. Please also make sure to send a water bottle. We do have water bottle fill stations so they may refill their water bottles if needed. Right now, there will not be homework sent home, though I may sometimes send something home that isn't finished in class. Once we start book clubs, students will be reading and taking notes at home. This will not begin until October.
I will be sending out information within the next 2 weeks about fall parent conferences. These conferences will be virtual.
Language Arts: This week in reading, students will be working on asking questions while reading and using the text to answer their questions. Sometimes they will need to use text evidence to infer answers that are directly explained in the text. They will also begin looking at how texts are organized, such as cause/effect. Students will have independent reading time to read books of their choice and take notes while reading. I will have reading conferences each day with students to help them towards their goals. They each created a reading goal last week-ask them what they are working on. Their goal is also in the reading Schoology course under the September 17 folder. They will have a graded reading passage and questions on Tuesday over main ideas.
Here is an anchor chart we will use:
Ask Questions to Form Ideas
In writing, students are starting a new unit. They will begin collecting ideas for informational writing. This unit will focus on writing where they are teaching someone else about a topic. There will not be much research involved; most of these topics will be what they already know about.
Social Studies: Students will learn about the effects colonization had on different groups of people.
Students can continue to explore below with the following websites at home throughout the year (optional but great practice).
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students are continuing their unit on decimals. Students need to be able to compare, read, and write decimals to the thousandths. This week they will work on rounding decimals and adding decimals.
Science: Students will take a test over classifying matter on Monday. Here is the review we went over in class:
Classifying Matter unit review
On Tuesday, students will begin a new unit on mixtures and solutions. They need to know that a solution is a special type of mixture where one substance has dissolved in another. They will work this week with identifying solutions from other types of mixtures. They will also work on understanding which tools can be used to separate mixtures based on physical properties. For example, a magnet can be used to separate paper clips from a mixture of marbles and paper clips. Or water can be used to separate wooden blocks from sand-the sand will sink and the wooden blocks will float.
Week of September 8
Announcements:
*Parents will be contacted by Thursday if your child will be moved to another class when in person learning begins next Tuesday, September 15th. Thank you all for your patience with this! I know it is hard not knowing about teacher changes at this point.
*Please let me know if your child is not able to access either Dreambox or Istation. They should be logging on to these applications through class link, the same platform they use to get to Schoology.
Parent Letter for Istation and Dreambox
Language Arts: This week in Reading, students will discuss how they may approach fiction and nonfiction differently. We will discuss how we can take notes on plot and understanding characters. Students will also talk about internal vs. external conflict. Additionally, students will discuss the different text features of nonfiction texts. Here are charts we will be referring to (can also be found in Reading Schoology course under "Resources and Anchor Charts):
Understanding Characters
Informational Text Features
Students will have a reading passage and questions to answer about the reading passage on Friday-this will be taken as a daily grade. Students should also continue to work on independent reading of books of their choice. Here are stop and jot ideas.
In writing, students will continue to build on ideas in their writer's notebooks. This week, they will think about topics they especially enjoy writing about. They will go back to these topics to add more details on Thursday with the "collecting around a topic" minilesson. By Friday, they will need to have chosen an idea to "flash draft" on Monday.
Social Studies: Students can continue to explore below with the following websites (optional but great practice). This week we will also use picture books to discuss September 11th.
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students will review prime and composite numbers, order of operations, and factors. We will have review time on Wednesday of this week and they will take their first DCA (district common assessment) on Thursday of this week. They will take this during their synchronous time from 8:45-9:30 Thursday. As they take the DCA, they can email me with private questions about the test.
Science: Students will continue exploring with different properties of matter. This week, students will explore with relative density, as they watch a video of eggs filled with different marbles. Students will be introduced to Stemscopes. This is our online "textbook". They will access this through class link. Their first assignment in Stemscopes will be this week.
Announcements:
*Parents will be contacted by Thursday if your child will be moved to another class when in person learning begins next Tuesday, September 15th. Thank you all for your patience with this! I know it is hard not knowing about teacher changes at this point.
*Please let me know if your child is not able to access either Dreambox or Istation. They should be logging on to these applications through class link, the same platform they use to get to Schoology.
Parent Letter for Istation and Dreambox
Language Arts: This week in Reading, students will discuss how they may approach fiction and nonfiction differently. We will discuss how we can take notes on plot and understanding characters. Students will also talk about internal vs. external conflict. Additionally, students will discuss the different text features of nonfiction texts. Here are charts we will be referring to (can also be found in Reading Schoology course under "Resources and Anchor Charts):
Understanding Characters
Informational Text Features
Students will have a reading passage and questions to answer about the reading passage on Friday-this will be taken as a daily grade. Students should also continue to work on independent reading of books of their choice. Here are stop and jot ideas.
In writing, students will continue to build on ideas in their writer's notebooks. This week, they will think about topics they especially enjoy writing about. They will go back to these topics to add more details on Thursday with the "collecting around a topic" minilesson. By Friday, they will need to have chosen an idea to "flash draft" on Monday.
Social Studies: Students can continue to explore below with the following websites (optional but great practice). This week we will also use picture books to discuss September 11th.
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students will review prime and composite numbers, order of operations, and factors. We will have review time on Wednesday of this week and they will take their first DCA (district common assessment) on Thursday of this week. They will take this during their synchronous time from 8:45-9:30 Thursday. As they take the DCA, they can email me with private questions about the test.
Science: Students will continue exploring with different properties of matter. This week, students will explore with relative density, as they watch a video of eggs filled with different marbles. Students will be introduced to Stemscopes. This is our online "textbook". They will access this through class link. Their first assignment in Stemscopes will be this week.
Week of August 31
Announcements: I emailed Parent Access Codes for Schoology on Saturday. Please check your emails for these. This week, I will be emailing information about "istation" and "Dreambox" that students will be using at home. If your student has a district computer, these should be pushed through by August 31. I will send directions for downloading these programs if you are using a personal device by August 31.
Parent Letter for Istation and Dreambox
Language Arts: This week in Language Arts, we are still working on setting up expectations for the year. In reading, students will be practicing taking notes while they read. Some students prefer to read, then reflect and take notes after. This is fine as well. They just need to get in the habit of taking notes when reading something for school; they use these notes to have discussions with their reading partners. Students can also use symbols as ways to stop and jot their thinking. Here are some examples: Stop and jot ideas This week, we will also talk about the connections we make as we read and how we can write down questions to bring to our partner discussion about a book. This helps to deepen our thinking about the book. Please encourage your student to read every day. Here is a Reading is Thinking chart we will discuss.
Note: Starting Tuesday, students will begin Istation. There is a preassessment they take as soon as they log in to Istation for the first time (ISIP). Students will see this for their asynchronous work in Reading starting Tuesday. Here is the letter for Istation.
In writing, students are working on brainstorming ideas in their writer's notebooks. This week, they will jot down places important to them to generate ideas. They will also think about how they can get ideas from the world around them. I will use a rubric to assess how they are using their writer's notebook. I am not looking for quantity, just evidence that they have practiced the strategies. (They will be linked as assignments in their Schoology writing course). I will never grade their spelling, mechanics in their writer's notebooks. Their writer's notebooks are their own and is just a place to brainstorm ideas. As we get to published pieces, then we will look more at grammar and mechanics.
Social Studies: Students will be exploring with the different regions of the United States. Here are two helpful websites students can go to so they start being able to locate the states on a map. The second website also lists different tourist attractions for each state.
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students will be learning about order of operations this week. While some students are already familiar with "PEMDAS" for order of operations (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction), we will use the acronym GEMS to go over order of operations (grouping symbols, exponents, multiplication and division, subtraction and addition). We do this because students need to learn that multiplication and division go together and they complete whichever of these symbols come first in an equation. They also need to know that addition and subtraction go together and they complete whichever of these symbols come first in an equation. Please note that we do not teach exponents in 5th grade; they will cover that in 6th grade.
Note: Starting Tuesday, students can begin working in Dreambox. They will learn about this in their small group on Tuesday. This will be asynchronous work that they will see in their assignments each day.
Science: Students will begin exploring with different properties of matter.
Announcements: I emailed Parent Access Codes for Schoology on Saturday. Please check your emails for these. This week, I will be emailing information about "istation" and "Dreambox" that students will be using at home. If your student has a district computer, these should be pushed through by August 31. I will send directions for downloading these programs if you are using a personal device by August 31.
Parent Letter for Istation and Dreambox
Language Arts: This week in Language Arts, we are still working on setting up expectations for the year. In reading, students will be practicing taking notes while they read. Some students prefer to read, then reflect and take notes after. This is fine as well. They just need to get in the habit of taking notes when reading something for school; they use these notes to have discussions with their reading partners. Students can also use symbols as ways to stop and jot their thinking. Here are some examples: Stop and jot ideas This week, we will also talk about the connections we make as we read and how we can write down questions to bring to our partner discussion about a book. This helps to deepen our thinking about the book. Please encourage your student to read every day. Here is a Reading is Thinking chart we will discuss.
Note: Starting Tuesday, students will begin Istation. There is a preassessment they take as soon as they log in to Istation for the first time (ISIP). Students will see this for their asynchronous work in Reading starting Tuesday. Here is the letter for Istation.
In writing, students are working on brainstorming ideas in their writer's notebooks. This week, they will jot down places important to them to generate ideas. They will also think about how they can get ideas from the world around them. I will use a rubric to assess how they are using their writer's notebook. I am not looking for quantity, just evidence that they have practiced the strategies. (They will be linked as assignments in their Schoology writing course). I will never grade their spelling, mechanics in their writer's notebooks. Their writer's notebooks are their own and is just a place to brainstorm ideas. As we get to published pieces, then we will look more at grammar and mechanics.
Social Studies: Students will be exploring with the different regions of the United States. Here are two helpful websites students can go to so they start being able to locate the states on a map. The second website also lists different tourist attractions for each state.
States and capitals
Tourist attractions
Math: Students will be learning about order of operations this week. While some students are already familiar with "PEMDAS" for order of operations (parentheses, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction), we will use the acronym GEMS to go over order of operations (grouping symbols, exponents, multiplication and division, subtraction and addition). We do this because students need to learn that multiplication and division go together and they complete whichever of these symbols come first in an equation. They also need to know that addition and subtraction go together and they complete whichever of these symbols come first in an equation. Please note that we do not teach exponents in 5th grade; they will cover that in 6th grade.
Note: Starting Tuesday, students can begin working in Dreambox. They will learn about this in their small group on Tuesday. This will be asynchronous work that they will see in their assignments each day.
Science: Students will begin exploring with different properties of matter.
Week of August 20
These first two days will be sent exploring features of Schoology and getting to know each other. There will be a few assignments for students to complete so I can get to know them better. These assignments are in Schoology and can also be seen on the daily checklist link in "homework" section or on my Bitmoji classroom in the homeroom section of Schoology.
Here is a link to a slideshow showing some features of Schoology.
These first two days will be sent exploring features of Schoology and getting to know each other. There will be a few assignments for students to complete so I can get to know them better. These assignments are in Schoology and can also be seen on the daily checklist link in "homework" section or on my Bitmoji classroom in the homeroom section of Schoology.
Here is a link to a slideshow showing some features of Schoology.