Week of January 26th

Week of January 26th

  SPELLING BEE:
Teagan Lamb and Tyler Thompson from our class were in the 5th grade spelling bee on Friday. They both did a terrific job! Tyler was the overall winner- congratulations to Tyler!

  *Homework this weekend-  
Math- Workbook Pg 85. This is in their planners.

  February Book Project- Focus on Character
This assignment has a technology component. As some students do not have access to this at home, some time will be given in class for this part. 
 Students should have a book chosen (fiction) and begin reading. I will go over the  assignment and send it home on Tuesday (I have a substitute on Monday). I will attach the assignment for you to see- I don't have a digital copy of this right now, but will send it via email by Tuesday. You can download and save this if you wish to refer to it and your child does not have his/hers at home. I am noticing some students are having difficulty keeping track of the assignment page and not asking for another even though I am reminding them each week and asking if everyone still has what they need. 

MATH:   

  Our new unit is Multiplication of Whole Numbers and Decimals. We are multiplying larger whole numbers such as 456 x 34 and also decimal numbers such as 4.56 x 2.3 and learning how to place the decimal. We talked through a video tutorial that gave us a picture of what multiplying decimals looks like. Students are doing well, just needing to work on watching for facts and adding regrouped digits carefully. We also had a first lesson on multiplying exponents. We will continue to work on both of these concepts, problem-solving and reviewing other past concepts as we have been daily.


Delta Math Tests- Students completed these last week. Students who did not pass concepts have review work at school and will be given some for home as well.


READING:We read paired nonfiction texts about the Chicago and Peshtigo fires in 1871 looking at cause and effect, main idea, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies. Students presented their book projects as well. We will continue working on nonfiction next week.
 
WRITING:
I really enjoyed watching the kids give their presentations and looking at their posters! It was something they had been looking forward to as well. Several students brought in a samples, and this was the first time some kids had tried foods like kiwi, mango, spinach and more.                                                                                                                                            
  We are getting started on our next project- a short story focusing on sentence fluency, simile/metaphor, prepositional phrases, and Onomatopeia (sound words). We have done some mini-lessons about these concepts. Students have an assignment page that includes a checklist of exactly what they will do, what standards they will be graded on, and graphic organizers to refer to about the concepts listed above. They will also receive a rubric next week.

SCIENCE:
Monday and Tuesday 3 of Mr. Alkire's 8th graders presented the moon phases lesson. They did a great job and it was fun for the kids to have them in. We will review the reason we have seasons, a year, a day and take a quiz on Thursday.
We will be discussing eclipses and tides next this coming week.

Spelling 
Students will take the Lesson 16 Spelling Test on Monday. The new lesson also begins that day-making plural words. I have been sending the spelling list home each Monday. I have been talking with the class about the fact that even though we don't take the word test anymore, those words come up in the skills parts of the test. Knowing how to spell these words will be very helpful! I notice a lot of them laying around the room so not all are going home.

PLANNERS: While what is on the planner is similar for students, there are times when there are some variations. For example, I give different homework for some students for math at times. I talk through assignments each time we fill out the planner and discuss due dates when I know one is coming near. I have students think through the time they have left in class and whether they need to take something home for homework that maybe others are not. I tell those students to put it in their planners and get those things together for home. This is a skill that they will need as they get older. Being 10 and 11, this isn't something they can necessarily figure out on their own, so I talk through it a lot with them. For example, reading and writing activities can usually be completed in class, but there are times when some may need to take these home. I encourage students to talk to me if they need extra time for an assignment. (Due dates and assignments for reading and writing are on the Daily 3 board.) If I know they are using their time wisely in class, I am fine with giving extra time and do within reason so it can be completed well.