January 12-16

ELAR (Ms. Dagger)

This week in ELAR, we will begin Module 6: Art for Everyone. During this module, we will focus on the essential question: How do different art forms impact people in different ways?  We will read a variety of texts that focus on how people create and share different art forms. 

This week, we will read Christo and Jeanne Claude: Through the Gates and Beyond. This is an informational text about two artists and the artwork they created. As we read, we will practice making inferences using text evidence, identifying the central idea and supporting details, and explaining the author's purpose. 

Our main focus in writing will be the Extended Constructed Response (ECR). This is a well-organized informational essay that uses specific evidence from the selection to support their answer. Last week, we spent some time looking at the ECR that students wrote for the 4th-grade STAAR. Each student created a focus for this year as we begin working on our ECRs in preparation for the 5th-grade STAAR.

If you'd like to support our ECR work at home, you can ask your child to write a short essay on whether they agree or disagree with an author's statement in something they have recently read in an article or news story. Remind them to use specific evidence from the article to support their answer. They should also check their writing for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 

In grammar, we will work on creating descriptive sentences using adjectives and adverbs. 

Remember to set a time to read each night at home. Reading at home increases comprehension skills, as well as vocabulary. 

After students read, focus on the central idea of the story. Ask the following questions:

• What is the entire book or article mostly about?

• What is the central idea of a specific paragraph?

• Can you find the main idea in the title or headings? What do they tell you?

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Math (Ms. Lee)

 We will start the next unit this week.  It will be Unit 7 that covers "Graphing and Number Patterns".  In this unit, they learn how to plot on a coordinate grid and identify patterns in tables and transfer those patterns on to a coordinate grid.

Homework

The students will have homework this week.  They will need to complete 45 minutes in i-Ready and have 4 fluencies finished by Friday.

  If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at anne.hurstlee@gcisd.net

Questions to Ask Your Child:

1. How do you multiply a decimal by a whole number?

2. How do you multiply a three digit number times a two digit number?

3. How do you divide by a two digit divisor?

4. How do you divide with a decimal in a dividend?

5. What are key words to look for in word problems for a multiplication problem?

6. What are key words to look for in word problems for a division problem?

7. How do you identify a prime and composite number?

8. How do add or subtract a fraction with an unlike denominator?

9. How do you multiply a fraction by a whole number?

10. How do you divide a unit fraction and a whole number?

11. How do you use PEMDAS or Order of Operations to solve a number expression?

Science/SS (Ms. Whelan)

In science, we will continue learning about Earth's processes and cycles. We will specifically be talking about fossil fuels. We have been learning about sedimentary rock, how it is formed, and how scientists use it to find and age fossils. We will expand on that by discussing the connection to the processes that led to the formation of fossil fuels. Ask your child what they learned about sedimentary rock this week!

In social studies, our focus will be continuing discussing the challenges America faced when becoming a new nation. We will expand on what we've learned about the War of 1812, and continue on to westward expansion.