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February 1, 2020
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LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were to complete their 5 paragraph essay on the Themes of Dragonwings and to have turned it in yesterday, Friday, January 31. While most did, several did NOT submit this assignment. It is a huge part of their language arts grade as it culminates the entire novel and assesses multiple reading and writing standards. We will complete our last portion of the Dragonwings assessment Monday. Tuesday we will begin a series of short stories on the district adopted curriculum plan Studysync. March will bring about our second novel study SKILLS OF THE WEEK: writing a 5 paragraph essay. Citing text evidence. Demonstrating knowledge of capitalization and punctuation rules. Using topic and conclusion statements in each paragraph.
WRITING: Creative writing in narrative form will continue until spring break.
MATH: We tested Thursday on Chapter 8, equations and inequalities. We pre-test on Chapter 9 (dependent and independent varaibles) Monday and will dive into the chapter beginning Tuesday
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We have begun our study of Plate Tectonics and Seafloor Spreading as well as continued with lessons on Ancient China.
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NEW PROCEDURE: Weekly your child will come home with a small yellow (until I run out of yellow paper) slip. It has all missing assignments and will be stapled in to the planner. Typically this will come home on FRIDAY, but expect to see the first one Monday. Even if your child has NO MISSING assignments, he/she will still have this slip stapled into the binder. You will be required to INITIAL this in the section at the top entitled P.I. (parent initals) and return it to school the following day. SEE IMAGE AT RIGHT
February 14
Right now I am planning to have a small Valentine celebration. Students will be asked to bring in a Valentine card and/or small treat for each student (class roster to be in class dojo this upcoming week). I will have a sign up genius for food items/ paper products / beverages, so look for that next week also. Students will be given time in class the week of Feb 10 to decorate their Valentine’s day bag. Please send in brown paper lunch sacks if possible.
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January 17, 2020
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We are finishing Dragonwings next week. We are testing on Figurative language and will spend the week of January 27th completing an extensive end of novel assessment. Most of this will be done in class. The first week of February we will return to Studysync. March will bring about our second novel study SKILL OF THE WEEK: figurative language.
WRITING: We have been writing 5 paragraph essays. We will continue to work on adding detail, using correct transitions, essay structure, and using complex sentences. This past week we began our unit on Narrative writing. Student focus is on writing a clear beginning, middle, and end; introducing characters; using description to paint a picture and tell the reader information without coming out and stating it directly. Students are given one or more pictures from which to choose and write a creative writing piece that includes dialogue.
MATH: Chapter 7 was not a success. I am not sure if students weren’t quite in the frame of mind to test on the second day before winter break, or if we moved too quickly through the content. Either way, we need to master these skills so will back pedal next week and I will reteach and retest on the specific skills that students were most challenged. We have completed the first half of chapter 8 – solving one step equations using inverse operations. The remaining part of the chapter is solving one step inequalities.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: In the spirit of content overlap, we are now studying ancient China in Social Studies. Rather than completing one unit of science and one of social studies, I have decided to alternate one week of social studies then one week of science. Next week we will begin the theory of plate tectonics and sea floor spreading.
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HOMEWORK: Please check your child’s planner every day. We write what we have done that day in BLUE and any homework that is due in RED.
January 31
- That Friday is the merit trip. Students who have between 90 and 100 merits have an opportunity for credit retrieval. They were given an assignment and it is due this coming Tuesday, January 21. Upon turning this is on time, they will receive a permission slip. The 15 students who maintained all 100 merits, are bringing home a purple permissions slip today. Students who do not bring home either, do not qualify for the trip and will stay at school that Friday. The cost of the trip is $25 to cover the cost of buses.
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l Sur Dragons | Mrs. Newsletter Aug 16, 2019
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Happy Thanksgiving Break! I am thankful for my job as your child's teacher. As I told them today, they make me want to come to school. They make me smile, they make me laugh, they make me think, and eventhough sometimes they make me a little crazy, I love coming to school every day and watching them grow and learn. Today I went out and played with them at recess: I learned how to play handball, shot a couple baskets, joined in with the volleyball game, and threw a couple football passes to some of my students at the end of the day. Teaching makes me happy, and your kids are a huge part of that! Thank you for your support in the beginning of this school year and I look forward to more wonderful things happening in the 2019-2020 school year.
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We have completed 5 chapters of our Dragonwings novel and the kids are really into it! Small group comprehension sessions have been fun to see how they are progressing with inferences, summaries, and predictions. We continue with our roots, prefixes and suffixes as well, using strategies to decode vocabulary words. I was able to purchase a class set of The Giver for our next novel study which I anticipate starting in February, so thank you to those who contributed to our Carnival basket, and/or carnival games!
WRITING: We continue writing summary paragraphs on the chapters in Dragonwings. We have completed our first 5 paragraph essay on Our Hero. There is some great writing that has transpired with lots of editing and revising. After the break we will use part of our Social Studies curriculum to do research to create another 5 paragraph expository essay.
MATH: We are in the midst of proportions and percent in chapter 5. When we return from break, we will finish and test on Chapter 5, then complete chapter 7 before winter break. Chapter 7 is algebraic expressions, which we have already begun solving in chapter 5. We will skip chapter 6 for now, and return to it at the end of the school year.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We presented and tested on the body systems. Students who kept good notes, and were organized with all of the presentations, did well on the unit test. We spent the past few weeks studying hominins like home habilis and homo sapiens. Students tested on this in class this past week.
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HOMEWORK: Math assignments will be both worksheets and ONLINE and students are expected to complete them at home each night. Some nights students will have classwork to complete in their Dragonwings notebooks.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Alyssa: Alyssa works hard every day. She is neat and organized in her personal space and her work. Alyssa is patient and helpful to others and demonstrates the meaning of true friendship every day! I appreciate how hard she works, how much she cares, and how respectful she is! Keep up the great work Alyssa!
Frankie: Frankie is attentive, quiet, and respectful in class. He is responsible as well, often staying in on his own at recess to clarify something from the previous math lesson, or asking to come in at lunch to complete an assignment that may not have gotten done during class. Frankie knows the importance of education and works hard to always show his best self!
SUPPLIES: More tissues and hand sanitizer STILL on this week’s “wish list”.
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REMINDERS:
- If you are not already on classdojo, PLEASE join! It is the most efficient way to obtain information and communicate with me.
HELPING AT HOME: Please practice multiplication and division facts whenever you can!
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September 27, 2019
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Curriculum 9-27-19
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We have begun our next studysync lesson that includes an excerpt from the autobiography of Jackie Robinson. It has sparked come interesting conversations and I am impressed with the maturity all of the students have shown around what could be a sensitive subject. SKILL OF THE WEEK: citing text evidence.
WRITING: We worked on multiple versions of the same paragraph this week – each time attempting to make it better. We took notes on effective leads, and strong endings. This was a very effective way to give feedback that was implemented immediately. We will continue with this process and each paragraph will be a two week venture. The paragraph Topic for Sept 30 is Being a Good Friend
MATH: We completed chapter 2 and the class mastery was much higher than in chapter 1. Today we began a unit on integers. Students will be performing operations with positive and negative numbers throughout this unit. Once again basic multiplication and division facts are causing difficulties for several students. Please make flashcards, quiz your child, and emphasize the importance of this necessary skill.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We have been doing an in depth study on the parts and functions of organelles in Eukaryotic cells. Next week we continue with this idea and expand into organ systems.
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HOMEWORK: Math assignments are now ONLINE and students are expected to complete them at home each night. Please contact me if this is an issue for you. Spelling homework is now eliminated as long as students maintain 3 or 4 scores on the weekly assessments.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Lisa: Sometimes it takes a while to get into the groove of school tasks and responsibilities. I am so proud of Lisa’s work this past week – her effort, participation, and overall positive attitude have really made a difference in room 33 and in her PE classes. Keep up the great work Lisa!
Matthew: Like Lisa, Matthew took a while to get motivated. Now, though, we learn so much from him! He has a vast array of knowledge in various areas and his insight in science especially has been exciting for all of us! Keep teaching me as I teach you Matthew!
SUPPLIES: Just snacks and expo markers are on this week’s “wish list”.
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Parent Teacher Conferences. Most of you have already signed up (thank you) and the kids are preparing for student led conferences. If you haven’t signed up the link is:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e45aaac29a5fa7-parent
REMINDERS:
- If you are not already on classdojo, PLEASE join! It is the most efficient way to obtain information and communicate with me.
- Today we changed seats, and next week we will change jobs. We had a super SWEET celebration today for our September birthdays! Thanks to those who sent in treats.
HELPING AT HOME: Please practice multiplication and division facts whenever you can!
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September 20, 2019
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Curriculum 9-20-19
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We continue work with our Greek and Latin roots. We have added prefixes that mean AGAINST, as well as two new root CRED. SKILL OF THE WEEK: citing text evidence.
WRITING: Today we read the story The Butterfly by Patricia Polacco and identified how to support our answers using text evidence. This should help us to improve our skill in this area which is a year long standard.. The paragraph Topic for Sept 23 is Being a Good Friend. Students will brainstorm and write about what qualities make someone a good friend. We will turn this into a 5 paragraph essay the following week.
**This week students will again be asked to BRING their rough draft to school Wednesday and will get peer feedback as part of the editing process. This was very successful this week!
MATH: We continue work with fractions multiplication and division. Our chapter test will be Wednesday, September 25. Once again basic multiplication and division facts are causing difficulties for several students. Please make flashcards, quiz your child, and emphasize the importance of this necessary skill.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: This week we worked on the scientific method, the basic building blocks of life, and 8 important organelles inside plant and animal cells.
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HOMEWORK: Math assignments are now ONLINE and students are expected to complete them at home each night. Please contact me if this is an issue for you. If on a particular night, your student is unable to complete the assignments due to internet outages or other technical issues, send me a message on dojo. Otherwise, I expect each student to complete the online math assignment each night.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Brook: Brook begins her Del Sur time with us in 6th grade this year. Her positive attitude, pleasant demeanor, and willingness to help others made her an immediate hit with her new set of peers. I appreciate her “can do” attitude and determination. Brook has done an outstanding job this month as my teacher assistant as well! Keep up the great work Brook!
Craig: Craig is the first to notice a new hairstyle, outfit, or school supply and gives all of us compliments often! His kind heartedness make him a well liked member of our classroom, and his demonstration of respect makes him high on my list as well! Continue to work hard and put smiles on the faces of others!
SUPPLIES: Thank you for the donations of kleenex! We are all set for the time being.
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SNACKS: I realize that not all students are able to come to school with snacks. Because of this, I am happy to provide snacks for THOSE students. (and many parents have provided snacks as well - thank you) However, what I have discovered is that the group of 4-6 students without snacks has increased significantly over the past several weeks (20 kids took snack on Wednesday and wiped out the entire snack supply). The snacks in the classroom seem to bevery desirable and I worry that some students may be simply taking classroom snacks because they like them better than the snack they brought from home. Please talk to your student about this, and email me if your child needs snack on a regular basis. As I said I am happy to provide it if this is the case! Thank you
REMINDERS:
- If you are not already on classdojo, PLEASE join! It is the most efficient way to obtain information and communicate with me.
- next Friday we will change seat, change jobs and celebrate birthdays for September **Please let me know if you plan to send in any treats.
HELPING AT HOME: Please practice multiplication and division facts whenever you can!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Upcoming: Parent teacher conferences will be held Monday, October 7 and Tuesday, October 8. THESE WILL BE STUDENT LED CONFERENCES. That means that your child NEEDS TO attend. A sign up genius link was sent out to all parents. Please schedule a conference time if you haven't already done so.
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September 13, 2019
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We are almost finished with our parts of speech unit. We have learned about adverbs, pronouns, and prepositional phrases. . In addition, we continue work with our Greek and Latin roots. We have added prefixes that mean NOT, as well as two new roots: PED/POD and AUD/AUDI. SKILL OF THE WEEK: main idea and supporting details.
WRITING: Today we created a sentence patterning chart that showed students how to create “master sentences” and a strong summary. Ask your students what he/she learned about George Washington Carver. We will use this approach for science and social studies concepts to help facilitate stronger writing with powerful sentence structure. We will also be learning about how to create an effective LEAD paragraph for an essay. This will enable us to get to 5 paragraph essays before November. The paragraph Topic for Sept 16 is Special Guest. Students will brainstorm and write about who they would invite to dinner and why. It can be someone no longer living.
**This week will be different in that they will be asked to BRING their rough draft to school Wednesday and will get peer feedback as part of the editing process.
MATH: We now completely move on from Chapter 1. Students who have not yet mastered NS2 (dividing multi-digit numbers), NS3 (divide and multiply multi-digit decimals), or NS4 (finding the LCM and GCF of two or more numbers) were given a packet this weekend to practice and work on these skills at home. Thus far in chapter 2 we have covered comparing and ordering decimals and fractions, as well as multiplying fractions and mixed numbers. Next week will include division of fractions, mixed numbers, and applying concepts with word problems. Our Chapter two test is scheduled for either Monday, September 24, or Tuesday Sept 25. Once again basic multiplication and divis4ion facts are causing difficulties for several students. Please make flashcards, quiz your child, and emphasize the importance of this necessary skill.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We completed our unit on Early Man and tested on it this past week. We begin the study of cells and the levels of organization next week.
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HOMEWORK: Last week was an unusually light week of homework. Beginning in October, students who score 3 or 4 on all September spelling tests will NOT have spelling homework if they can maintain the meeting or exceeding standards scores. I am currently working on switching to an ONLINE math homework system. Please contact me if you are concerned about your child completing assignments that are ONLY ONLINE. Weekly paragraphs will begin to turn into assignments of 2-5 paragraphs (increasing slowly in length)
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Alyaah: Alyaah is an attentive, active participant in class lessons. As a first year Del Sur student, she sets an excellent example with her outstanding organizational skills. Most impressive, however, is an amazing artistic talent! I know we will see her work someday in children’s books or graphic novels! So happy to have you in our class Alyaah!
Raphael: Raphael is a perfectly well-rounded student. He strives for perfection, and while always attentive and respectful, he knows how to laugh and joke when appropriate! I thoroughly enjoy his attention to detail, incredible work ethic, and radiant personality. Raphael keeps me smiling and on my toes as a teacher! Thanks for adding a ray of sunshine to every day Raphael!
SUPPLIES: Thank you for the HIGHLIGHTERS and STICKY NOTE donations. If you are able, we are in need of KLEENEX and SNACKS. Thank you for your support in our community classroom!
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REMINDERS:
- PLEASE SEND SNACK EVERYDAY if possible.
- If you are not already on classdojo, PLEASE join! It is the most efficient way to obtain information and communicate with me.
- Today we changed seats, changed jobs and celebrated the students who were born in the month of August!
HELPING AT HOME: Please practice times tables whenever you can!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Upcoming: Parent teacher conferences will be held Monday, October 7 and Tuesday, October 8. THESE WILL BE STUDENT LED CONFERENCES. That means that your child NEEDS TO attend. It also means we will spend the week prior, preparing for these during the school day. I find this a much more effective approach since it makes students take responsibility for their own learning. I will be sending out a “sign-up genius” to schedule these during those two non-student school days.
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August 30, 2019
Curriculum 8-30-19
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We have started our parts of speech unit. Doing so will help us write expert sentences using quality words and phrases. So far we have learned about nouns, 3 types of verbs, and adjectives. In addition, we are working on determining meanings of unknown words in text by breaking it down into its root, prefix, and suffix. This week we started an interactive Greek and Latin roots notebook. Our two roots this week were GRAPH and PHOTO. SKILL OF THE WEEK: main idea and supporting details.
WRITING: Our writing has taken a turn toward quality sentences, varying sentence style and using figurative language in our writing.. There will be NO paragraph the week of Sept 2.
MATH: We have finally completed our testing on chapter 1 concepts which included GCF, LCM and decimal calculations. Chapter 2 focuses on fractions. We are using GCF to reduce fractions as well as practicing our division skills when we convert fractions to decimals. Today we worked on comparing fractions and decimals by converting all numbers to decimals or using benchmark fractions like one-half. Students who did not meet standards NS 2,3,4 (dividing, finding GCF and LCM, calculating decimals) will be reassesed at some point next week in hopes of meeting standard in those areas. The lack of kowledge with basic multiplication and division facts is definitely causing dificulties for several students. Please make flashcards, quiz your child, and emphasize the importance of this necessary skill.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We complete our study of cave paintings this week with come National Geographic videos inside actual caves in Europe. Next week we will be creating our own cave paintings with crayon and paper bags. THANKS TO THOSE WHO DONATED BAGS. We are all set; no more bags needed.
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HOMEWORK: Thank you for checking your student’s planner, signing rubrics and tests, and checking classdojo for updates! Some grades have been posted to Powerschool. Hopefully you are able to navigate the system to see not only the scores but the standards assessed with each assignment.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Reagan: Reagan has a positive attitude, shows flexibility with our schedule, is anxious to participate, and her math work is thorough and organized! Reagan sets a great example for those around her! Keep it up Reagan!
Joseph: While sometimes we strain to hear what he says, when Joseph adds to a discussion everyone listens! He is full of great insight, has outstanding math skills, demonstrates a high degree of modesty, and is ALWAYS on task! Keep up the great work Joseph!
SUPPLIES: We use HIGHLIGHTERS almost every day so please try to provide at least one color highlighter. Please send STICKY NOTES with your child if you can. I have some but not an unlimited supply.
NO SCHOOL MONDAY
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REMINDERS:
- PLEASE SEND SNACK EVERYDAY if possible. Thank you for the snack donations but we can always use more!
-I request that planners be signed every Monday and Thursday night.
-HOMEWORK is written in RED or PINK on the homework log and the other items are things we did that day – a starting point for a conversation of “what did you do today at school?” which avoids the common answer of “nothing.”
- Today we changed seats, changed jobs and celebrated the students who were born in the month of August!
HELPING AT HOME: CONTINUE TO: assist your children when needed but make sure the work coming back to school is theirs. This helps me help them in the areas most needed. Please practice times tables whenever you can!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Emergency Contact Information Sheets are due as quickly as possible so as to update the information in PowerSchool. Thank you! Picture day is THURSDAY SEPT 5th
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August 23, 2019
Curriculum
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LANGUAGE ARTS: We are still working on the standard about citing text evidence. They have started to demonstrate this skill on their own on the Chromebooks for studysync activities. For reading, each student selects a reading comprehension question to focus on that week while doing their independent reading. Some examples of those questions are: What conflict occurred in the book? Whose side are you on and why? OR Which character can you most identify with and why? Our skill of the week is Main Idea.
WRITING: In addition to writing quality topic sentences, supporting sentences that stay on topic, and writing a strong conclusion sentence, students are also correctly utilizing transitional phrases. In addition, we are focusing on INFORMATIONAL writing as it is only facts – not including personal opinions. Next Week’s Topic: ALWAYS LEARNING
MATH: we are FINSIHING chapter one this week and then TESTING on it Tuesday of next week. This will cover finding the GCF and LCM of two or more numbers, as well as all basic operations with decimals. We will work the whole year on number sense as we are now, with estimating and manipulting numbers to make problem solving easier.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We continue studying cave paintings and learning about archeologists, historians, and geographers.
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HOMEWORK:The amount of homework that came in this week was definitely an improvement from last week! Thank you for your help in this area! Also I will frequently send home graded work or rubrics and request signatures. Right now I am navigating my way through the changes made to Powerschool and I want to make sure any grades you see are accurate and provide as much information as possible. Please be patient and know that anything receiving a score is being sent home for signatures.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Braydon: Braydon is always very excited to share his thoughts and ideas in class. He makes positive contributions to class discussions and is always attentive and on task. I appreciate Braydon’s love of learning! Way to go Braydon!
Satik: While not as vocal as Braydon, Satik is also always attentive and on task. She is never satisfied with anything less than her best! Satik contributes positively to class discussions and is thorough and extremely neat in all of her work! Way to go Satik!
SUPPLIES: We use HIGHLIGHTERS almost every day so please try to provide at least one color highlighter. Please send STICKY NOTES with your child if you can. I have some but not an unlimited supply
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REMINDERS:
- PLEASE SEND SNACK EVERYDAY if possible. If you can provide class snacks that is appreciated. Just today I had 15 hungry kids without snacks. Fortuntely I had enough but the supplies are dwindling quickly. Smart and Final has good deals on packs of individual snacks.
-I request that planners be signed every Monday and Thursday night.
-HOMEWORK is written in RED or PINK on the homework log and the other items are things we did that day – a starting point for a conversation of “what did you do today at school?” which avoids the common answer of “nothing.”
- We will plan to celebrate all birthday for that month on the last Friday of each month. August birthdays will be celebrated NEXT FRIDAY
HELPING AT HOME: CONTINUE TO: assist your children when needed but make sure the work coming back to school is theirs. This helps me help them in the areas most needed. Please practice times tables whenever you can!
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Emergency Contact Information Sheets are coming home today. It is important that these get returned as quickly as possible so as to update the information in PowerSchool. Thank you!
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Curriculum August 16, 2019
LANGUAGE ARTS: We have been focusing on the standard about citing text evidence. They are doing this in the novels they are independently reading and I am modeling this in our reading curriculum. Our skill of the week is Point of View.
WRITING: Focus right now is on writing quality topic sentences, supporting sentences that stay on topic, and writing a strong conclusion sentence. Next Week’s Topic: MY FAVORITE BOOK
MATH: we are in chapter one which revisits major standards from 5th grade. We have been finding the GCF and LCM of two or more numbers, as well as basic multi-digit long division. We will work the whole year on number sense as we are now, with estimating and manipulting numbers to make problem solving easier.
SOCIAL STUDIES/SCIENCE: We will alternate units with social studies and science. Right now we are just getting into our social studies unit on ancient civilizations by studying cave paintings and learning about archeologists.
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HOMEWORK:
I was disapointed at the large number of students who did not complete this week’s assignments. Spelling words are individualized to meet the needs of individual students and it is extremely rare that any two students will have the same list after this week. Words are selected on Friday so they have a full 7 days to complete the 4 practice tasks that are due Friday. The weekly paragraphs are passed out on Monday but the topic will also be posted here every Friday. Homework is assigned to meet the needs of students. There is a lot of work we need to do by way of just writing a quality paragrah. I will provide feedback every week and the goal is that students use the feedback to improve their writing from week to week.
LEADING BY EXAMPLE:
Angel: Angel has been an active participant in class duscussions. He is not afraid to take a risk and make an educated guess! Plus he has turned in every assignment due this week! Way to go Angel!
Autum: Autum is neat, organized, and a great group worker! She also has turned in every assignment due this week! Way to go Autum!!
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REMINDERS:
-I request that planners be signed every Monday and Thursday night.
-HOMEWORK is written in RED or PINK on the homework log and the other items are things we did that day – a starting point for a conversation of “what did you do today at school?” which avoids the common answer of “nothing.”
-send water
HELPING AT HOME: Please assist your children when needed but make sure the work coming back to school is theirs. This helps me help them in the areas most needed. Please practice times tables whenever you can! In the car on the way to sports? Quiz them!
BIRTHDAYS:
School policy is to provide healthy pre-packaged food only, but once a month we can have a celebration. At the party or celebration they CAN bring in something not the healthiest like cupcakes/cookies. We will plan to celebrate all birthday for that month on the last Friday of each month. August birthdays will be celebrated on AUGUST 30
- Contact me if your child has a birthday this month and we can coordinate based on want to bring.
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