Happy First Day of Spring!
Did it feel like spring today? Thank you all for signing and returning the report card envelope. I enjoyed meeting with parents and students during conferences.
Overall the class did very well this past trimester.
On the other hand, it is not atypical for grades to dip just a bit (only to rebound for the end of the year). Please have your child
check grades periodically on Power School
. Neither you nor your child wants any surprises. If you happen to notice a mistake, which happens from time to time (i.e. score is 2 instead of 20), have your child bring the assignment to me and I will fix the error. Just a reminder,
missing assignments are marked "m" or "mi"
. No credit is given for a missing assignment.
It is hard to believe that we are in the third trimester. I talked to the class about being accountable for their learning and owning their responsibilities as students; whether it be writing homework in their planner, reading at home, asking a question in class if they are not sure about directions/assignments, or informing you of up-coming tests & long term projects. Being organized and diligent will help them be successful learners! This last trimester
I will not accept work after it is late 2 days
(of course special circumstances may be excused…sick, family emergency, etc.). Students should be writing in their planners DAILY. Don't believe your child when he/she says they have no homework? Ha-ha.
Check our class homework page on the RV website.
(Homework is listed there daily.)
5th Grade Update
We have started working on our state/regions project. Students have completed their state symbols and are finishing up their
persuasive essays
this week. Assigned today were the state maps. Directions were given to the students, along with 2 outline maps of their chosen state.
These maps are due on April 4th.
I have numerous examples of the
final product (travel brochure)
. If you would like to see one, stop by before or after school. In science, we are starting our unit on Life Sciences, with the heart and circulatory system up first. Students are pumped up to learn about their body systems. (No pun intended. Ha-ha) They will learn that their body is like a house…having many systems that work together to make it function properly. Also in social studies,
students will become Colonial Experts
responsible for thoroughly researching one of three geographic regions (southern, middle, New England). Students will be working in groups to present the information learned to their classmates. Information will come home after the break. Students are reading In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson in literature. It is a sweet story about a Chinese girl whose nickname is Bandit. It is the beginning of 1947, and her father has been living and working in America for the past year. He sends word that Bandit and her mother will be moving to America. Bandit is excited. To honor her new life in America, Bandit's grandfather announces she must be given a proper American name. She chooses the only one she knows other than Uncle Sam, Shirley Temple. "Shirley" soon realizes that life in America is quite different from her life in Chungking. Not knowing the language and customs of Americans leads to some humorous misunderstandings, but it is also the cause of her loneliness. Today, Mrs. Joiner started the watercolor project with the students. They painted the background and traced the apple. Tomorrow they will paint it, along with all the finishing touches.
Thank you Mrs. Joiner!!!
6th Grade Update
We are finishing up India and moving on to Greece. Let the competition begin!!! Students found out their city-state (Athens, Sparta or Argos) today. Although we will be learning about ancient Greece, students will be learning about ancient China too! How? Each city-state
will be researching one of the three major ancient Chinese dynasties: Zhou, Qin, and Han
. Students will present the information learned (social & political structures, major religions, major contributions, significant historical figures, etc) to their classmates. As in the case with the 5th grade, information will be sent home after spring break. In writing, students will begin a
problem/solution essay
. In literature, we are reading The Girl Who Owned a City. It is a survival story about children trying to make their way in a world without adults. (A plague struck killing everyone over the age of 12.) Despite the tragic storyline, the students are really enjoying this book. We've had some fabulous discussions about what it takes to be a good leader and how different the world would be without adults. Students will be reading a survival book (of their choosing) and
make a survival brochure
based on the survival issue the character(s) in the novel faced i.e. earthquake, hurricane, lost at sea, plane crash, etc. Today in library, Mrs. Newell presented numerous survival books to the students.
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