Happy New Year!!! Although we have only been back in school for 5 days, we have accomplished a lot.
4th Grade
Reading:
- We shared their graphic novels in class. The students put a lot of effort into these and it showed in their products! I have loved reading all of them!
- We also started our next reading unit. We are learning about text structure. Text structure is how an author organizes their writing. There are about 7 different text structures in both nonfiction and fiction. This week, we are focusing on chronological order in both fiction and nonfiction literature. To practice, students used a graphic organizer and plotted 5 events that occurred over the holiday break. They then shared these in their groups. Also, we used www.makebeliefscomix.com to create comic strips telling a story or how to do something in chronological order. The students did fantastic! Super fun and oh, so cute products!
- Lastly, we are diving into our next literature novel. Students have been researching and building background all week for the book, Chasing Vermeer by Blue Baillett. This is the first book in her trilogy. During their time in Honors, they will read the entire trilogy. Read below for a brief description of the book from Goodreads: When a book of unexplainable occurrences brings Petra Andalee and Calder Pillay together, strange things start to happen: seemingly unrelated events connect, an eccentric old woman seeks their company, and an invaluable Vermeer painting disappears. Before they know it, the two find themselves at the center of an international art scandal, where no one — neighbors, parents, teachers — is spared from suspicion. As Petra and Calder are drawn clue by clue into a mysterious labyrinth, they must draw on their powers of intuition, their problem-solving skills, and their knowledge of Vermeer. Can they decipher a crime that has left even the FBI baffled?
- Lastly, students were assigned the Quarter 3 Independent Literature Requirement (ILR). They will need to find a book in their STAR level, take an AR test on it, write a 3 paragraph summary, and complete a T-shirt project. All are due by 3/5! Instructions went home on Tuesday and can be found on my website. Students are working to find their book choice by 1/19 and conference with me.
Math:
- We have jumped into fractions. This week, we focused on Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factor. We will continue to work with these building block concepts next week as well. By the end of next week, I hope that they will be using the GCF to simplify fractions. Today, we played a fun game called Factor Flip.
- We are back to practicing for our next Math Olympiad competition at the end of January. We are getting better and better at these.
- Lastly, the Quarter 3 Math Project was assigned. It is due March 5th for those who are in Math only. They will be creating Fraction comic strips using www.makebeliefscomix.com. There are some students who chose to do this project as well as the ILR Reading project! I am so proud of those who took on this challenge! Remember: The Q3 Math Project is only an optional project for those in both Honors Math and Reading.
5th Grade
Reading:
- We shared their graphic novels in class. The students put a lot of effort into these and it showed in their products! I have loved reading all of them!
- We also started our next reading unit. We are learning about text structure. We are learning about the Elements of Reasoning and making an argument. We are then going to analyze reasoning in editorials. After that, we will take a position on an issue and learn how to debate this position using what we have learned about the Elements of Reasoning.
- We jumped back into our ReadTheory practice and Caesar's this week as well.
- Lastly, we will be diving into our next literature novel. Students have been researching and building background all week for the book, Wright 3 by Blue Baillett. This is the second book in her trilogy. During their time in Honors, they will read the entire trilogy. We read Chasing Vermeer last year. Read below for a brief description of the book from Goodreads: From the New York Times bestselling team behind Chasing Vermeer comes another thought-provoking art mystery--featuring Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie house!
- Spring semester at the Lab School in Hyde Park finds Petra and Calder drawn into another mystery when unexplainable accidents and ghostly happenings throw a spotlight on Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House, and it's up to the two junior sleuths to piece together the clues. Stir in the return of Calder's friend Tommy (which creates a tense triangle), H.G. Wells's The Invisible Man, 3D pentominoes, and the hunt for a coded message left behind by Wright, and the kids become tangled in a dangerous web in which life and art intermingle with death, deception, and surprise.
- Lastly, students were assigned the Quarter 3 Independent Literature Requirement (ILR). They will need to find a book in their STAR level, take an AR test on it, and write a 3 paragraph summary. There is no project for this quarter unless students want extra credit. All are due by 3/5! Students are working to find their book choice by 1/19 and conference with me. Remember: The Q3 Reading Project is only an optional project for those in both Honors Math and Reading.
Math:
- We have jumped into Algebra and Integers. We are learning all about rational numbers, absolute value, and graphing them on a coordinate plane.
- We are back to practicing for our next Math Olympiad competition at the end of January.
- Lastly, the Quarter 3 Math Project was assigned. It is due March 5th. They will be creating Algebra comic strips using www.makebeliefscomix.com.
6th Grade
Reading:
- We shared their graphic novels in class. The students put a lot of effort into these and it showed in their products! I have loved reading all of them!
- We will be starting our next reading unit. We are learning about text structure. Text structure is how an author organizes their writing. There are about 7 different text structures in both nonfiction and fiction. Next week, we are focusing on chronological order in both fiction and nonfiction literature. To practice, students will be using a graphic organizer and plotting 5 events that occurred over the holiday break. Also, we will use www.makebeliefscomix.com to create comic strips telling a story or how to do something in chronological order.
- We jumped back into our ReadTheory practice and Caesar's this week as well.
- Lastly, we are diving into our next literature novel. Students have been researching and building background all week for the book, Calder Game by Blue Baillett. This is the third book in her trilogy. We read Wright 3 last year. Read below for a brief description of the book from Goodreads: Petra, Calder, and Tommy, the sleuths at the center of the amazing CHASING VERMEER and THE WRIGHT 3, are back with a labyrinthine new mystery to solve.
- When Calder Pillay travels with his father to a remote village in England, he finds a mix of mazes and mystery . . . including an unexpected Alexander Calder sculpture in the town square. Calder is strangely drawn to the sculpture, while other people have less-than-friendly feelings towards it. Both the boy and the sculpture seem to be out of place . . . and then, on the same night, they disappear! Calder's friends Petra and Tommy must fly out to help his father find him. But this mystery has more twists and turns than a Calder mobile . . . with more at stake than first meets the eye.
- Lastly, students were assigned the Quarter 3 Independent Literature Requirement (ILR). They will need to find a book in their STAR level, take an AR test on it, and write a 3 paragraph summary. There is no project for this quarter unless students want extra credit. All are due by 3/5! Students are working to find their book choice by 1/19 and conference with me. Remember: The Q3 Reading Project is only an optional project for those in both Honors Math and Reading.
Math:
- We are continuing our learning of Algebra. We are learning how to solve one-step and two-step equations and inequalities. Next week, we will then learn how to graph the inequalities.
- We are back to practicing for our next Math Olympiad competition at the end of January.
- Lastly, the Quarter 3 Math Project was assigned. It is due March 5th. The students are taking what they are learning in STEAM and Math and joining forces. Students have to analyze statistics of "Sport" teams and graph the statistics. They will then present the data. All the information can be found on my website. Students have already chosen a "sport" team and decided on what 4 statistics they will be graphing. Next week, we will be focusing on choosing the 4 graphs that will best display our statistics.