TOMORROW IS A UNIFORM DAY - 5TH FRIDAY
TOMORROW IS ALSO THE BYU "CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD" FIELD TRIP. Several parents have volunteered to drive. Please be at the school at 8:30. We will load up by 8:45 and be on our way. The protocol is very different this year for the Marriot Center. Each school must enter all together. Please check where we will be parking before you leave. Also, it is first-come, first serve for seating. The performance starts at 10 a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. We will be back to school by 11:30.
TOMORROW IS OUR LANGUAGE ARTS TEST. Students may redo tests during lunches or recesses or after school.
Today we learned many more state capitals:
Helena, Montana
Boise, Idaho
Denver, Colorado
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Austin, Texas
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Little Rock, Arkansas
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mrs. Greer helped with reading groups. JOHNNY TREMAIN HOMEWORK WAS TO READ FROM 142-150.
OUR EXPOSITORY WRITING 3-POINT PARAGRAPH IS DUE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5TH. Expository writing is very structured. What follows is the description of the assignment:
Students will bring home tomorrow a yellow sheet of paper with their paragraph handwritten. They should check for spelling mistakes. Then they type the paragraph in the following manner:
My Favorite Foods (Or something similar)
by (Student Name)
(Indent the paragraph) The student types the complete paragraph, using correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar. When complete, the student prints out the paragraph and draws an appropriate illustration to match. The illustration should be inside a border and should be in color. It should fill the space appropriately. The entire assignment should not take longer than one hour, and can be spread out over the weekend or the next several days.
MATH HOMEWORK WAS TO COMPLETE THE EXERCISE ON DRAWING ANGLES. I was going to give the kids another sheet to work on, but forgot to do so. Sorry. You might want them to measure various angles that they find at home, using their protractors.
Science with the Fourth Graders was focused on magnetism. They wrote what they knew, what they wanted to know, and then experimented with magnets. It would be great if you could research them online.
In history, we learned about the battle of Saratoga. Student learned that Generals Howe, St. Leger, and Burgoyne strategized in their Master Plan to take control of the Hudson River. A method was had, whereby they would surprise the Americans at Albany by coming from the South, North, and West. However, General Howe decided by himself that it would be better to take Philadelphia first. That slowed him down and wore down his troops. The Americans stopped General St. Leger. The Americans fought General Burgoyne in Saratoga, just north of Albany, and the general had to surrender. 6,000 British soldiers surrendered. This battle convinced the French that the Americans could win a war against the greatest military power on earth. The French began to openly fund the American Revolution, and Spain and Holland entered the war on the side of the Americans.
Then we cheered on the students competing in the Geography Bee.
Tonight, the LS plays were well done. It has been another lonnnnnggg day!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
November 28th, 2012
PARENTS, WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO BYU'S CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD ON FRIDAY. IF YOU CAN DRIVE, PLEASE CONTACT ME. WE NEED TO LEAVE MERIDIAN AND ARRIVE AT THE MARRIOT CENTER AS A SCHOOL. THEREFORE WE ARE ASKING PARENTS TO BE HERE AT 8:30 A.M.
This morning, Mrs. Greer came in to observe and orient herself with the children. She will serve as a Language Arts teacher for small group instruction in my class during the morning Language Arts block. We are so happy to have her on board.
Students located and labeled the following state capitals on their maps:
Juneau, Alaska
Honolulu, Hawaii
Sacramento, California
Salem, Oregon
Olympia, Washington,
Salt Lake City, Utah,
Carson City, Nevada
Phoenix, Arizona
PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD PRACTICE LOCATING AND MEMORIZING THESE CAPITALS ON A MAP. There are great resources online.
5th Graders tried their hand at completing definitions of this week's SAT words. PLEASE USE THESE WORDS IN SENTENCES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY.
4th Graders should already have their root word packets complete. THERE IS A TEST ON THE ROOT WORDS ON FRIDAY.
Today we reviewed punctuation and capitalization rules in grammar, and added four more sentences to our 3-point paragraphs in expository writing. I am very pleased with the variety of adverbs and adjectives the students are using.
JOHNNY TREMAIN READING PAGE 131-140.
Math work was figuring out whether angles are greater than 90 or 180 degrees or less. This helps with estimating angles. HOMEWORK WAS 123/124. 6 students attended math club today.
Writer's Workshop continued with Final Draft Illustrations.
History reviewed the Trenton and Princeton battles. We decorated Nathan Hale's quote, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" and we also created a Christmas Card for the British at Trenton!
This morning, Mrs. Greer came in to observe and orient herself with the children. She will serve as a Language Arts teacher for small group instruction in my class during the morning Language Arts block. We are so happy to have her on board.
Students located and labeled the following state capitals on their maps:
Juneau, Alaska
Honolulu, Hawaii
Sacramento, California
Salem, Oregon
Olympia, Washington,
Salt Lake City, Utah,
Carson City, Nevada
Phoenix, Arizona
PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD PRACTICE LOCATING AND MEMORIZING THESE CAPITALS ON A MAP. There are great resources online.
5th Graders tried their hand at completing definitions of this week's SAT words. PLEASE USE THESE WORDS IN SENTENCES FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY.
4th Graders should already have their root word packets complete. THERE IS A TEST ON THE ROOT WORDS ON FRIDAY.
Today we reviewed punctuation and capitalization rules in grammar, and added four more sentences to our 3-point paragraphs in expository writing. I am very pleased with the variety of adverbs and adjectives the students are using.
JOHNNY TREMAIN READING PAGE 131-140.
Math work was figuring out whether angles are greater than 90 or 180 degrees or less. This helps with estimating angles. HOMEWORK WAS 123/124. 6 students attended math club today.
Writer's Workshop continued with Final Draft Illustrations.
History reviewed the Trenton and Princeton battles. We decorated Nathan Hale's quote, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country" and we also created a Christmas Card for the British at Trenton!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
November 27th, 2012
This morning we again reviewed words. The 5th Grade words are:
- camaraderie
comfortable, easy friendship
-
canny
shrewd, thrifty -
large and spacious
-
surrender under agreed conditions
-
someone who has visions of the future, or clear insightTHERE WILL BE A TEST ON THESE WORDS ON FRIDAY. 4TH GRADERS WILL BE TESTED ON THEIR ROOT WORDS ON FRIDAY.In addition to spelling, we worked on capitalization rules. Students will be allowed to use their capitalization and punctuation guides in their Language Arts tests on Friday.We read Johnny Tremain. STUDENTS SHOULD COMPLETE THE WHOLE CHAPTER TONIGHT.In math, we reviewed protractor and angle terminology, and applied our own squares to determining whether or not an angle was right, obtuse, or acute. HOMEWORK WAS A LESSON TWO WORKSHEET SHOWING 90 DEGREE, 180 DEGREE, 270 DEGREE AND 360 DEGREE ANGLES. THEY ALSO NEED TO COMPLETE EXERCISE 1 IN THEIR WORKBOOKS. We also timed three sets of multiplication facts. We are starting a Multiplication Mastery Competition. Each set in under 30 seconds. HAVE STUDENTS PRACTICE THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS ONLINE OR ORALLY. Several more students attended Meridian Math Club today. If your child wants to come to math club, tell them to ask me! I am happy to help during lunch T/TH at 12:00 M/W, and after school when they make appointments. Remind them there are rewards for their efforts.Computer lab time was directed to researching Molly Pitcher and other women of the Revolution, and the advantages the British had against the American colonists. The British had: 50,000 Loyalists, Native American help, Black American help (they didn't want to fight for a nation that would keep them slaves), Canada's help, 100 times as many ships as America, money and supplies for soldiers, German mercenaries (professional soldiers paid to kill Americans). There are many resources on the internet for kids. Many are youtube videos. They might be interesting to research and watch as a family.4th Graders went to Art at 2:30 p.m. 5th Graders learned about magnetism. We wrote what we know, what we want to know, and what we were learning. Students then experimented with real magnets to find what attracts magnets and to learn the words 'attract' and 'repel'. They were all very much into their questions and experimenting.
Monday, November 26, 2012
November 26th, 2012
Sorry to post so late. Between meetings, food shopping, dinner, and Family Home Evening, this is the earliest I could get to the computer.
This morning we started with "Ask the Professor", after which the 5th Graders completed an SAT 5 word test and 4th Graders worked on Root Words. FRIDAY IS A TEST ON THE NEW 5 SAT WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS AND THE ROOT WORD PACKET #2 FOR 4TH GRADERS. I WILL POST THE WORDS TOMORROW.
Our spelling activity is particularly fun this week. Students are first sorting, studying, then "signing" the words to each other. In grammar we reviewed Subject-verb tense again. Tomorrow we will receive a guide for capitalization and punctuation. Students will work on capitalization and then punctuation rules. STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE RULES FOR THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST ON FRIDAY.
In expository writing we are working on a simple 3-point paragraph. Don't worry, these are much easier than the essays! Our collective topic is favorite foods this week, mine being raw fish, pavlova, and chocolate! We are writing topic sentences and supporting sentences. When these are finished, students will write them in their neatest handwriting to post outside the room. We will then be writing one every week, leading into essay writing.
Johnny Tremain is much more exciting when we read it together. The vocabulary fits the times well, but is challenging without an adult. I have been pleasantly surprised at the connections the students are making to the history theme of The Revolutionary War. One of the best ways to bring history to life is through stories, and this one is a Newbery Award winner. TONIGHT'S HOMEWORK WAS TO READ JOHNNY TREMAIN TO THE END OF SECTION TWO (PAGE 114). We will continue reading aloud and discussing the text and vocabulary, relating reading strategies. It was fun having students take certain character roles today.
In math we received protractors and learned how to measure angles. This is very difficult for the children. We will work more on this tomorrow. We learned acute, 90 degree, and obtuse angles. Students estimated square angles and were introduced to measuring angles above and below the 90 degree mark. HOMEWORK IS LESSON 1 WORKSHEET, MEASURING ANGLES. Also, we started Meridian Math Club today. Students can earn privileges and rewards by attending Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-12:30 and Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:30-12:00. During Meridian Math Club I review any concepts that were missed on tests, review lessons of the day, review basic skills. Please encourage your child to attend. (Today I chose the students, just to see how it would go. Tomorrow it will be open club, for all who want to be there.)
For Writer's Workshop, students tried their hand at finishing their RDI's (Rough Draft Illustrations) for their character descriptions. They learned that the background must fit the description of the character. Students also worked on their other stories in their portfolios.
History's focus was Thomas Paine and his Common Sense pamphlet. Students worked together to create their own Common Sense pamphlets. They needed to include the four types of sentences (Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory), as well as pictures and personality.
One group was finished quickly enough to begin experimenting with magnets. They began a list on the board of objects that attract. Tomorrow morning the other students will add to the list.
Thanks for a great day!
This morning we started with "Ask the Professor", after which the 5th Graders completed an SAT 5 word test and 4th Graders worked on Root Words. FRIDAY IS A TEST ON THE NEW 5 SAT WORDS FOR 5TH GRADERS AND THE ROOT WORD PACKET #2 FOR 4TH GRADERS. I WILL POST THE WORDS TOMORROW.
Our spelling activity is particularly fun this week. Students are first sorting, studying, then "signing" the words to each other. In grammar we reviewed Subject-verb tense again. Tomorrow we will receive a guide for capitalization and punctuation. Students will work on capitalization and then punctuation rules. STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE RULES FOR THE LANGUAGE ARTS TEST ON FRIDAY.
In expository writing we are working on a simple 3-point paragraph. Don't worry, these are much easier than the essays! Our collective topic is favorite foods this week, mine being raw fish, pavlova, and chocolate! We are writing topic sentences and supporting sentences. When these are finished, students will write them in their neatest handwriting to post outside the room. We will then be writing one every week, leading into essay writing.
Johnny Tremain is much more exciting when we read it together. The vocabulary fits the times well, but is challenging without an adult. I have been pleasantly surprised at the connections the students are making to the history theme of The Revolutionary War. One of the best ways to bring history to life is through stories, and this one is a Newbery Award winner. TONIGHT'S HOMEWORK WAS TO READ JOHNNY TREMAIN TO THE END OF SECTION TWO (PAGE 114). We will continue reading aloud and discussing the text and vocabulary, relating reading strategies. It was fun having students take certain character roles today.
In math we received protractors and learned how to measure angles. This is very difficult for the children. We will work more on this tomorrow. We learned acute, 90 degree, and obtuse angles. Students estimated square angles and were introduced to measuring angles above and below the 90 degree mark. HOMEWORK IS LESSON 1 WORKSHEET, MEASURING ANGLES. Also, we started Meridian Math Club today. Students can earn privileges and rewards by attending Mondays and Wednesdays from 12-12:30 and Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:30-12:00. During Meridian Math Club I review any concepts that were missed on tests, review lessons of the day, review basic skills. Please encourage your child to attend. (Today I chose the students, just to see how it would go. Tomorrow it will be open club, for all who want to be there.)
For Writer's Workshop, students tried their hand at finishing their RDI's (Rough Draft Illustrations) for their character descriptions. They learned that the background must fit the description of the character. Students also worked on their other stories in their portfolios.
History's focus was Thomas Paine and his Common Sense pamphlet. Students worked together to create their own Common Sense pamphlets. They needed to include the four types of sentences (Declarative, Imperative, Interrogative, and Exclamatory), as well as pictures and personality.
One group was finished quickly enough to begin experimenting with magnets. They began a list on the board of objects that attract. Tomorrow morning the other students will add to the list.
Thanks for a great day!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
November 20th, 2012
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! NO SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK.
This morning we read more of Johnny Tremain, did spelling tests, finished up Global Scholar testing, and spent time in the library filing and browsing books. Most students were well prepared to teach each other about their Johnny Tremain reading. Dice games, memory, quiz questions, puzzles, in short - lots of hands on applications to reading strategies, were used. Students took pride in presenting well and being prepared. STUDENTS SHOULD READ JOHNNY TREMAIN PARTS IV AND V BY MONDAY. They will need to pace their reading. It is about 40 text pages, so 6-7 text pages each day would complete the assignment. You, as a parent, may read to them. Some of the vocabulary may need to be explained. Students can write all over their copy, underline difficult words, write questions, draw thumbnail sketches, etc. This will help them remember what they read.
New SAT words also need to be learned this week for 5th Graders.I WOULD LIKE TO TEST THEM ON THESE WORDS NEXT MONDAY, 11/26. The words are:
benevolent: showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
bias: a partiality that prevents fair judgement
boisterous: lots of energy, as in a storm
brazen: sharp, strong and rude rebuke
brusque: quick, short brush-off
Fourth Graders are working on pages 10-14 of Big Words for Little Kids. These can be found at the following website: http://www.readinglesson.com/pdffiles/bwdemo.pdf. They have packets of these root words. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY, 11/30.
Today in Math we took a test. Some of the questions were very difficult, and students are learning to read the instructions before they attempt the problem. Math Club will be starting up next week. Kids can eat lunch and get math help, plus enjoy a smattering of after school activities. I will be recommending a few children to participate.
During computer time we researched The Battle of Bunker Hill. The students discovered what a musket, cannon, embankments, foxholes, etc. really were. Some students found videos of reenactments and tributes to the militiamen.
At the end of the day, the 5th Graders enjoyed the K/1 class presentation while the 4th Graders attended their own Art class.
If you need any help with homework this weekend, feel free to call me on my cell at 801 691 9227.
This morning we read more of Johnny Tremain, did spelling tests, finished up Global Scholar testing, and spent time in the library filing and browsing books. Most students were well prepared to teach each other about their Johnny Tremain reading. Dice games, memory, quiz questions, puzzles, in short - lots of hands on applications to reading strategies, were used. Students took pride in presenting well and being prepared. STUDENTS SHOULD READ JOHNNY TREMAIN PARTS IV AND V BY MONDAY. They will need to pace their reading. It is about 40 text pages, so 6-7 text pages each day would complete the assignment. You, as a parent, may read to them. Some of the vocabulary may need to be explained. Students can write all over their copy, underline difficult words, write questions, draw thumbnail sketches, etc. This will help them remember what they read.
New SAT words also need to be learned this week for 5th Graders.I WOULD LIKE TO TEST THEM ON THESE WORDS NEXT MONDAY, 11/26. The words are:
benevolent: showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
bias: a partiality that prevents fair judgement
boisterous: lots of energy, as in a storm
brazen: sharp, strong and rude rebuke
brusque: quick, short brush-off
Fourth Graders are working on pages 10-14 of Big Words for Little Kids. These can be found at the following website: http://www.readinglesson.com/pdffiles/bwdemo.pdf. They have packets of these root words. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THEM ON FRIDAY, 11/30.
Today in Math we took a test. Some of the questions were very difficult, and students are learning to read the instructions before they attempt the problem. Math Club will be starting up next week. Kids can eat lunch and get math help, plus enjoy a smattering of after school activities. I will be recommending a few children to participate.
During computer time we researched The Battle of Bunker Hill. The students discovered what a musket, cannon, embankments, foxholes, etc. really were. Some students found videos of reenactments and tributes to the militiamen.
At the end of the day, the 5th Graders enjoyed the K/1 class presentation while the 4th Graders attended their own Art class.
If you need any help with homework this weekend, feel free to call me on my cell at 801 691 9227.
Monday, November 19, 2012
November 19th, 2012
REMEMBER, TOMORROW IS THE LAST DAY OF THE WEEK FOR SCHOOL. HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
A NOTE: PLEASE LABEL ALL MERIDIAN HOODIES, AS MANY ARE BEING LEFT IN THE CLASSROOM AND COMMON AREAS.
This morning was the final rush to get most of our Global Scholar testing completed. There are only a few stragglers left to finish tomorrow.
The focus in grammar is CV, or Compound Verbs. When a subject noun does two or more things, we label the verbs CV. They are usually joined by a C, or conjunction. We also reviewed the spelling of some homonyms (its, it's; stationary, stationery; their, they're, there). We also learned new antonyms and synonyms. Students will go home with the vocabulary packets tomorrow.
Parents, please make sure your children are reading 30 minutes each day. The difference between a child who regularly reads 30 minutes each day and one who doesn't is an average of 6 points on the ACT College test. Read to them. Read with them. Have them take turns reading to you.
The Johnny Tremain Part III reading was to be finished by today. STUDENTS SHOULD COME TO SCHOOL PREPARED TO TEACH THEIR GROUP ABOUT THEIR READING STRATEGY. The students have had 6 days to read. I have also given them ample time in class.
Math Test 3 will be tomorrow. STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE REVIEW 3 DONE AND ANY UNFINISHED WORK FROM UNIT 3 COMPLETED. I will be collecting math books tomorrow to examine neatness, consistency, etc. over the long weekend. Next week we will begin our geometry unit.
During Writer's Workshop we worked on Rough Draft Illustrations for our character descriptions. THE FINAL COPY OF OUR ILLUSTRATIONS WILL BE DUE NOVEMBER 30TH. Many students are plugging along on their stories. Please tell them stories from your family histories, your childhood, and funny anecdotes. Describe interesting characters you meet. Make them come alive.
In history we recounted the Battle of Bunker Hill, and followed a dot-to-dot vocabulary and event fun sheet. The students were surprised to learn that the American colonists in Boston held the hill for so long without cannons or much ammunition. In addition to that, they were all disgusted that the battle was misnamed, as all the fighting happened on Breed's Hill. In a heated argument, they debated whether or not it could be labeled a 'victory' for the English, since "all they gained was dirt and over 1000 dead and wounded (1/2 of their troops who fought. We will look up the area tomorrow in the computer lab and compare geographical topography with the fighting methods.
A NOTE: PLEASE LABEL ALL MERIDIAN HOODIES, AS MANY ARE BEING LEFT IN THE CLASSROOM AND COMMON AREAS.
This morning was the final rush to get most of our Global Scholar testing completed. There are only a few stragglers left to finish tomorrow.
The focus in grammar is CV, or Compound Verbs. When a subject noun does two or more things, we label the verbs CV. They are usually joined by a C, or conjunction. We also reviewed the spelling of some homonyms (its, it's; stationary, stationery; their, they're, there). We also learned new antonyms and synonyms. Students will go home with the vocabulary packets tomorrow.
Parents, please make sure your children are reading 30 minutes each day. The difference between a child who regularly reads 30 minutes each day and one who doesn't is an average of 6 points on the ACT College test. Read to them. Read with them. Have them take turns reading to you.
The Johnny Tremain Part III reading was to be finished by today. STUDENTS SHOULD COME TO SCHOOL PREPARED TO TEACH THEIR GROUP ABOUT THEIR READING STRATEGY. The students have had 6 days to read. I have also given them ample time in class.
Math Test 3 will be tomorrow. STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE THE REVIEW 3 DONE AND ANY UNFINISHED WORK FROM UNIT 3 COMPLETED. I will be collecting math books tomorrow to examine neatness, consistency, etc. over the long weekend. Next week we will begin our geometry unit.
During Writer's Workshop we worked on Rough Draft Illustrations for our character descriptions. THE FINAL COPY OF OUR ILLUSTRATIONS WILL BE DUE NOVEMBER 30TH. Many students are plugging along on their stories. Please tell them stories from your family histories, your childhood, and funny anecdotes. Describe interesting characters you meet. Make them come alive.
In history we recounted the Battle of Bunker Hill, and followed a dot-to-dot vocabulary and event fun sheet. The students were surprised to learn that the American colonists in Boston held the hill for so long without cannons or much ammunition. In addition to that, they were all disgusted that the battle was misnamed, as all the fighting happened on Breed's Hill. In a heated argument, they debated whether or not it could be labeled a 'victory' for the English, since "all they gained was dirt and over 1000 dead and wounded (1/2 of their troops who fought. We will look up the area tomorrow in the computer lab and compare geographical topography with the fighting methods.
Friday, November 16, 2012
November 16th, 2012
NO SCHOOL NEXT WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, AND FRIDAY. WE WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE THANKSGIVING BREAK.
What a week!!! We were busy and learning, running every minute! Kudos to the kids for working so hard.
This morning we started with Vocabulary, Root Word, and Grammar tests. Students handed in spelling activities. One group went with Miss Sherman for spelling. I REMINDED THE CHILDREN THAT JOHNNY TREMAIN PART III IS SUPPOSED TO BE READ BEFORE MONDAY. Monday we will be working on presentations to be presented Tuesday to reading club groups.
We have started memorizing the state capitals. There are great online resources for students to study these. If you google "state capital games online", a slew of fun resources will appear. WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST TEST ON THE STATE CAPITALS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH.
In Math I introduced students to the idea that cancellation eliminates a lot of work. I'm not sure they are convinced, however, as they insisted that bar models were lots easier and you could just see the answer. Some called cancellation a "long-cut"! I gave out an extra credit sheet for students to practice cancelling on. Please be sure they pair up numerators with denominators to cancel. Some students have the idea that two numerators or two denominators can cancel each other out. This is definitely NOT the case! Exercise 19 we did in class. It was a bit challenging. HOMEWORK IS THE FIRST THREE PAGES OF THE CHAPTER REVIEW. MONDAY WE WILL ALSO REVIEW FRACTIONS. TUESDAY WILL BE THE CHAPTER TEST.
Today in Cultural Roundtable students learned about Austria. Food, castles, celebrities, clothing, etc. They even received an Austrian treat.
We discussed paradigms and principles in the Covey 7 Habit lesson today. Some were quick to point out that King George certainly had a different paradigm on fairness than the early colonists.
We turned the lights out for history after the kids had situated themselves in a comfortable place in the room. Dividing a paper into six sections, they first listened to various accounts of the beginning of the Revolutionary War in the dark as I read by flashlight. In the account intervals, students illustrated for two minutes what they had just heard. Many wrote and drew accounts as comic strips. A few wrote as if they were newspaper journalists. All listened, digested the information, and were spellbound as Paul Revere and Billy Dawes and Dr. Prescott set off to warn the people in Lexington and Concord. They were quite satisfied with the difficult march home that the British Redcoats had, and they were very happy that the colonists did not suffer great losses. Review this with your children.
Minicourses were successful today. I will be at school tomorrow morning to complete grading.
NOTE: A FEW CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN FEELING WELL. PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CHILD GETS ADEQUATE SLEEP AND EATS A GOOD BREAKFAST.
What a week!!! We were busy and learning, running every minute! Kudos to the kids for working so hard.
This morning we started with Vocabulary, Root Word, and Grammar tests. Students handed in spelling activities. One group went with Miss Sherman for spelling. I REMINDED THE CHILDREN THAT JOHNNY TREMAIN PART III IS SUPPOSED TO BE READ BEFORE MONDAY. Monday we will be working on presentations to be presented Tuesday to reading club groups.
We have started memorizing the state capitals. There are great online resources for students to study these. If you google "state capital games online", a slew of fun resources will appear. WE WILL HAVE OUR FIRST TEST ON THE STATE CAPITALS ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 30TH.
In Math I introduced students to the idea that cancellation eliminates a lot of work. I'm not sure they are convinced, however, as they insisted that bar models were lots easier and you could just see the answer. Some called cancellation a "long-cut"! I gave out an extra credit sheet for students to practice cancelling on. Please be sure they pair up numerators with denominators to cancel. Some students have the idea that two numerators or two denominators can cancel each other out. This is definitely NOT the case! Exercise 19 we did in class. It was a bit challenging. HOMEWORK IS THE FIRST THREE PAGES OF THE CHAPTER REVIEW. MONDAY WE WILL ALSO REVIEW FRACTIONS. TUESDAY WILL BE THE CHAPTER TEST.
Today in Cultural Roundtable students learned about Austria. Food, castles, celebrities, clothing, etc. They even received an Austrian treat.
We discussed paradigms and principles in the Covey 7 Habit lesson today. Some were quick to point out that King George certainly had a different paradigm on fairness than the early colonists.
We turned the lights out for history after the kids had situated themselves in a comfortable place in the room. Dividing a paper into six sections, they first listened to various accounts of the beginning of the Revolutionary War in the dark as I read by flashlight. In the account intervals, students illustrated for two minutes what they had just heard. Many wrote and drew accounts as comic strips. A few wrote as if they were newspaper journalists. All listened, digested the information, and were spellbound as Paul Revere and Billy Dawes and Dr. Prescott set off to warn the people in Lexington and Concord. They were quite satisfied with the difficult march home that the British Redcoats had, and they were very happy that the colonists did not suffer great losses. Review this with your children.
Minicourses were successful today. I will be at school tomorrow morning to complete grading.
NOTE: A FEW CHILDREN HAVE NOT BEEN FEELING WELL. PLEASE BE SURE YOUR CHILD GETS ADEQUATE SLEEP AND EATS A GOOD BREAKFAST.
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