Weekly Update: March 4, 2019

Happy Vacation!

Field Trip Information

The Badgers will be going on a field trip on May 1st.  Click here to download the information and permission slip.  Students all have paper copies.  Money and permission slips are due on April 12th.

Class Updates: 

Social Studies: S

Science:  This week in science students have figured out that individual organisms do not adapt, only their populations do.  We'll continue looking at examples of this after vacation.

Literacy:   We 

English: We focused on skills this week found in The Giver, specifically hooks, cliffhangers, allusions, similes, metaphors, and personification.  Students also wrote different journal entries relating to the characters and situations in the novel.  On Friday, we gathered in the library to choose independent reading books for March.  Students are able to read over February vacation in order to get a head start if they wish!  Project guidelines won't go home until Monday, March 4th.  Enjoy your break!!

Math: Las

Weekly Update: February 18th

Happy President's Day!   Enjoy the day off!

Class Updates: 

Social Studies: Students wrapped up Ancient Rome this week and learned about the collapse of the Roman Empire. Students will have an assessment on Tuesday. On Wednesday, we will be doing a massive review going all the way back to Greece and reviewing materials about Athens, Sparta, Alexander the Great, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire. On Thursday and Friday of next week, students will be working on their performance task to demonstrate their mastery of the Classical Civilizations unit. 

Science:  This week in science students have figured out that organisms have adaptations for survival.  Ask them about the butterflies in our classroom.  We ended the week researching different biomes in an effort to figure out if our wrinkled fingers are an adaptation.  Here's an idea for a great at home science experiment:  Students can do the dishes!  First they should try to pick up wet dishes in the sink with dry hands.  Then when their fingers get wrinkled/prune-like from doing the dishes, they can try picking up wet dishes again.  Do their fingers have better grip when they are wrinkled?

Literacy:   We presented most of the Historical Fiction presentations this week. Your students have learned some great technology skills this year! Students continue learning about how and why ordinary people have worked so hard to protect and defend human rights in America.  They will be reading about heroes like Mother Jones, and her work as an activist for workers' rights.  

English: We're about halfway through The Giver right now and students are coming to class ASKING to read (a teacher's dream)!  We've been discussing how wonderfully the author Lois Lowry builds suspense in her writing.  Ask your student which assignment Jonas receives in the book and why there is so much suspense around it.  Next week we will dig deeper with select reading skills, including: allusion, hooks and cliffhangers, similes, metaphors, and personification.  

*Note: there is NO February IRP due this month!  Students may begin reading their independent reading books for their March IRP if they want to get a head start!  I will be taking classes to the library on Friday, February 22nd.

Math: Last Friday we finished surface area and volume, overall students did very well on this unit!  Nice work.  We are going to start scale next week, students will learn about enlargement and reductions and how scale relates back to our proportions unit.  

Weekly Update: February 11th

Progress Report Envelopes are due to Advisories!
Advisories are also collecting Box Tops!

Book orders are due to Mrs. McGuire on Wednesday, February 13th!

Class Updates: 

Social Studies: Students spent the week researching a topic of their choice in relation to Ancient Rome. As they gathered research, students were asked to put together a slide show to display the new findings on their topics that they acquired via research. This was due on Friday. Please check the gradebook! Next week we will learn what ultimately caused the Roman Empire to fail.

Science:  This week in science students took the Genetics Assessment.  We started a new unit too.   Students are working on a real world science problem, "Why do our fingers and toes get wrinkled when we put them in water?"

Literacy:   Work focused on structure of the text in informational text, using Junior Scholastic Magazine. Students worked hard to convert facts into key concepts, or big ideas. Working from the same materials, we analyzed primary source materials, like editorials and historical journals.  Their Historical Fiction projects were due Friday, by 11:59 pm!  If they were not turned in, they will be marked as miss in the grade book.  I will certainly accept them late, but they will not receive full credit. Presentations begin on Monday! Latin 8 Mastery Test, Friday, February 15th!   

English: This week classes were busy in the world of Study Sync, and more specifically, analyzing point of view.  Ask your students about the different points of view authors use in a text.  Together we discussed the point of view Lois Lowry uses within The Giver as well as the benefits and limitations.  Next week we'll dive back into the book!  There will be a quiz on the point of view skill on Friday, February 15th.

*Note: there is NO February IRP due this month!  Students may begin reading their independent reading books for their March IRP if they want to get a head start!  I will be taking classes to the library on Friday, February 22nd.

Math: Students are wrapping surface area and volume.  We have learned about nets and surface area of rectangular and triangular prisms and will finish up with volume of rectangular and triangular prisms.  The study guide for this unit will go home on Monday and the test is Friday, February 15th.  Extra study materials are on Google Classroom.

Weekly Update: February 4th

The progress report window closes on Thursday, January 31st.  Progress reports will be sent home with students on Monday, February 4th. 

Class Updates: 

Social Studies: We spent most of the week learning about what everyday life was like for boys and girls in Ancient Rome. Ask your child about it! Starting Tuesday we will be beginning our first research project covering anything related to Ancient Rome!

Science:  This week in science we made babies.  Ask your student to explain the activity to you.  Look at pictures of some of the babies here!  Next Wednesday we will have our genetics test.  All students should have a purple paper in their binder to help them focus their studying. 

Literacy:   Structure of the Text and Analyzing Primary Source Material were the focus this week!  We've started notes for Latin Unit 8, but most importantly, your students should be working on their Historical Fiction projects, due Friday, February 8th.  All information necessary to complete this project is on Google Classroom under the banner HISTORICAL FICTION! 

English: We shifted our focus to a new science fiction unit this week. Students began reading The Giver and seem to be enjoying it so far.  Next week we'll dive into Study Sync, focusing specifically on the narration and point of view within chapter two.  Book orders will also head home this week and are due back on Wednesday, February 13th!

*Note: there is NO February IRP due this month!  Students may begin reading their independent reading books for their March IRP if they want to get a head start!

Math: Students tested last Thursday on circles, grades are posted in X2.  Next week we are going to start learning about surface area through nets of solids. Be sure to check the agenda nightly, we do have homework for math most nights.