Wow.  This year is just flying.

 

October Week 3 -

 

Reading: Students are reading self-selected novels, taking AR tests on them, and working on building comprehension and vocabulary by doing "everything sheets" based on them.  I try to conference with students as often as I can to help them set yearly and weekly goals and to check in on how they are doing on keeping up on their daily "everything sheets".

 

We are also working our way into J.R.R. Tolkien's Fellowship of the Rings as our class read aloud book.  We are learning vocabulary, making text to world connections, and practicing notetaking skills to prepare for daily quizzes, which focus on character, plot and setting.

 

Math: We are focusing in math on rounding and estimation skills this week.  We do five new kinds of problems each week.  Monday through Thursday mornings students work collaborativey.  If a student gets less than 70% they are now required to take the math journal home at night and fix the ones they missed on an attached sheet of paper and turn it in the next day.  On Friday of each week we take a quiz and students work on it by themselves and it is weighted more heavily (25 points per quiz as opposed to 10 on a daily math journal).

 

Writing: We are studying the early European explorers from Spain and Portugal.  We cover about 4 pages of social studies each day and students are required to take Cornell Notes on these pages.  Then, they answer the review questions at the end of the section to show that they comprehend what the reading was about. 

 

When we finish the chapter, students do a chapter review and then we take a chapter test.

 

Additionally we are working on writing a 5 paragraph essay.  I am letting students pick something which they like and/or know a lot about so that they have plenty to write about in the three body paragraphs.

 

October Week 4 -

 

Next week we will be reflecting on the learning that we have done so far and selecting pieces of work that we'll share with you at conferences.  There will not be a math quiz next week as it is only a three day week.

 

Student Led Conferences are Thursday 10/29 and Friday 10/30.  I believe I have each students' time set. 

 

If you have any questions or changes in schedule, please let me know as soon as you can so that we can find another time to meet or so that I can send your child's folder home with them so that they can share what they are learning at school over the weekend with you.

 

HEADS UP - In early November we will be doing our next research project.