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"It always seems impossible until it is done."
Nelson Mandela
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Reading:
This week, we will continue our Reading Workshop unit on Informational Texts: Reading the Weather, Reading the World. This unit’s focuses on helping students to begin to read nonfiction closely. During this unit, students will use text structures to support understanding of big ideas and purposes for nonfiction texts. The emphasis of this unit is on helping children actually read nonfiction. During this unit, students will read expository texts, then move onto narrative nonfiction and eventually hybrids. Later students will be able to look over a text and determine if it is expository, narrative, or hybrid and adjust their reading strategies accordingly. These skills and strategies will be taught and practiced during the mini-lessons. Independent reading time will allow students to implement these skills and strategies on their own while reading a text at their reading level. I will continue to confer individually with each student during independent reading time.
Writing:
We will continue our unit, which is called: Boxes and Bullets: Personal and Persuasive Essays. This unit is designed to help students with the difficult and exhilarating work of learning to write well within an expository structure. This unit matches the demand of the Common Core State Standards and develops an approach to essay writing that can transfer across the curriculum. Students will gather entries, engage in inquiry into what makes strong freewriting, and look for mentor texts. They will also reflect on their previous writing. At the end of the first bend, they will develop a thesis statement and build plans for their essays. In the second bend, students will collect and write out the evidence to support the reasons for their opinion. They will construct drafts with cohesion that include an introduction and correcting for clarity. Students share their completed pieces with a writing celebration
Wordly Wise Vocabulary:
Wordly Wise is a dynamic and interactive program that helps students master the academic vocabulary they encounter in school every day.
Students will have fifteen vocabulary words from Wordly Wise Lesson 8 next week. We will be learning and reviewing these words in class for two weeks. The tests will take place every other Friday.
* There will be a vocabulary test on these words on Friday, December 20th. You will find a link to these words on the helpful websites tab labeled Quizlet Wordly Wise lesson
We will test on lesson 8 on Friday, December 20th.
Words Their Way Spelling:
The Words Their Way "Word Study in Action" Program will help to teach students spelling, phonics, phonemic awareness and vocabulary skills. Based upon the concept of a "sort," the process of grouping sounds, words, and pictures that represent words, into specific categories, Words Their Way encourages a close examination of the regularities and conventions of reading and spelling English.
This week in Words Their Way we will be working on Sort 15 (see your child's WTW workbook or Spelling City for the words). Students are tested on these words every other falling on all odd # sorts.
* There will be a test on sort 15, as it is an odd number sort. You will find a link to these words on the helpful websites tab labeled Spelling City.
Sort 15 test will be on Friday, December 13th.
Spelling tests will alternate each week with Wordly Wise tests.
Grammar:
This week, we will complete Lesson 15: Past-Tense Verbs
The Grammar Workshop curriculum is a research-based grammar program that provides instruction in the conventions of standard English along with abundant practice. The units and lessons are simple and systematic. They clearly explain and model the rules and principles of grammar, usage, and mechanics skills. This curriculum provides scaffolded exercise sets that give students practice in the skills themselves and application of those skills to writing.
Math:
Chapter 5: Factors, Multiples, and Patterns
Ch. 5 test: Friday, December 13th
Math workbook and check off sheet are due on the day of the test!
This year, we are excited to implement Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) strategies into our math program. CGI is a strategy of questioning children to learn and grow based on their unique understanding and learning styles. Click HERE for more information on CGI. We will be using these strategies with the GO! Math program, which looks different from Saxon. I think you will find a great benefit in the differences, where there are pictures and illustrations to support our students, as they are mastering mathematical concepts. One of the most major shifts in number sense will be the push toward, "Thinking in tens." As the year progresses, I believe you will see advancement in your child's mathematical thought processes, and mental math capabilities. As always, ixl.com is available for your child to practice math skills at home. I have sent IXL information to my math roster. Please let me know if you did not receive it.
We will be using our new math program, GO Math!, which was decided on and purchased by the district as another resource to support us in the teaching of the Common Core standards using the CGI method of instruction. This new program offers an engaging and interactive approach to covering the Common Core standards. The program ensures that students can access content at appropriate levels of depth and rigor. The program is focused, coherent, and rigorous. GO Math! at the elementary level combines 21st-century educational technology with modern content, dynamic interactivities, and a variety of instructional videos to engage today’s digital natives. Every student is supported through the universal access features of the program as they learn to think critically and apply their math knowledge.
You can access many GO Math! online resources through Clever!
* We will also supplement our instruction by working on Math Olympiad practice questions and other problem solving/critical thinking activities! We will also be using the iPads for xtra math fact practice, Ten Marks, Front Row, Math Bingo, Geoboards, Brainpop lessons, and Motion Math review and enrichment. We will also be learning about and practicing the Order of Operations (PEMDAS), Mathematical Properties, and adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing positive and negative numbers.
Please see the resources tab if you would like more math options.
Social Studies:
This week, we will begin to conclude our unit on the First California's and CA's Ancient Past by completing a Native California Museum Exhibit project. Students have been assigned a tribe to research and take notes on. They will then use this information to create a Keynote Presentation on their iPads as well as a clay artifact. Both of these will be displayed at Open House in March!
After we complete the content of First Californians students will participate in a collaborative group project on the First Californians. Students will become an expert on one California Native American tribe. Students will create a museum exhibition. The purpose of the exhibit is to share information with other students about how tribes from different regions use/and or adapt to the land’s resources, how they govern themselves and interact with other tribes, and how they celebrate their culture through art, religion, and ceremonies. Students will curate a museum exhibition for their tribe.
Students will receive their study guide for this unit a week before the test. We will review and complete the study guide together in class as well as go over important test taking tips. Students should review and study each night (at least 15 minutes a night) at home during the week leading up to the test. Completed study guides and note packets are due the day of the test for classwork credit.
As an additional resource, there are online interactive lesson summaries for each social studies lesson. Check them out here!
Science:
This week, we will work on passion projects and explore our coding bots! We will also participate in an Hour of Code!
Our district has adopted STEMscopes as a resource to teach the NGSS. We complete lessons (the 5E's) using resources provided through STEMscopes in class and in science lab. Your child has access to all of the online resources. They can log in by going to this website: https://n12005d17510.acceleratelearning.com/login and providing their username: 28lastnamefirstinitial and password: mbusd.
This year we will be implementing the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards. The NGSS were developed by states to improve science education for all students. A goal for developing the NGSS was to create a set of research-based, up-to-date K–12 science standards. These standards give local educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students’ interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship. The NGSS call for a three-dimensional approach to K–12 science instruction. This represents a significant transition from previous state standards. Thoughtful and coordinated approaches to implementation will enable educators to inspire future generations of scientifically literate students. Learn more and get resources by heading to the NGSS website: https://www.nextgenscience.org/
This year, our district has adopted STEMscopes as a resource to teach the NGSS. We complete lessons (the 5E's) using resources provided through STEMscopes in class and in science lab. Your child has access to all of the online resources. They can log in by going to this website: https://n12005d17510.acceleratelearning.com/login and providing their username: 28lastnamefirstinitial and password: panthers#### (the last 4 digits of their student id which is the same as google drive). There is also a shortcut to this website under helpful websites.
Click the "Useful Links/Resources" tab on the side for more science options and resources!
Visual and Performing Arts/Other:
On the iPads, we are practicing our typing skills using an attached keyboard. Your child has started using a website which can be accessed at home. Go to www.typingweb.com and log-in with your child's username to continue practicing. Your child's username is: 28lastnamefirstinitial@mbusdapps.org (For example, mine would be, 28cooka@mbusdapps.org). Your child's password is: panthers(4 digits). Happy typing!
This week, we will continue our Reading Workshop unit on Informational Texts: Reading the Weather, Reading the World. This unit’s focuses on helping students to begin to read nonfiction closely. During this unit, students will use text structures to support understanding of big ideas and purposes for nonfiction texts. The emphasis of this unit is on helping children actually read nonfiction. During this unit, students will read expository texts, then move onto narrative nonfiction and eventually hybrids. Later students will be able to look over a text and determine if it is expository, narrative, or hybrid and adjust their reading strategies accordingly. These skills and strategies will be taught and practiced during the mini-lessons. Independent reading time will allow students to implement these skills and strategies on their own while reading a text at their reading level. I will continue to confer individually with each student during independent reading time.
Writing:
We will continue our unit, which is called: Boxes and Bullets: Personal and Persuasive Essays. This unit is designed to help students with the difficult and exhilarating work of learning to write well within an expository structure. This unit matches the demand of the Common Core State Standards and develops an approach to essay writing that can transfer across the curriculum. Students will gather entries, engage in inquiry into what makes strong freewriting, and look for mentor texts. They will also reflect on their previous writing. At the end of the first bend, they will develop a thesis statement and build plans for their essays. In the second bend, students will collect and write out the evidence to support the reasons for their opinion. They will construct drafts with cohesion that include an introduction and correcting for clarity. Students share their completed pieces with a writing celebration
Wordly Wise Vocabulary:
Wordly Wise is a dynamic and interactive program that helps students master the academic vocabulary they encounter in school every day.
Students will have fifteen vocabulary words from Wordly Wise Lesson 8 next week. We will be learning and reviewing these words in class for two weeks. The tests will take place every other Friday.
* There will be a vocabulary test on these words on Friday, December 20th. You will find a link to these words on the helpful websites tab labeled Quizlet Wordly Wise lesson
We will test on lesson 8 on Friday, December 20th.
Words Their Way Spelling:
The Words Their Way "Word Study in Action" Program will help to teach students spelling, phonics, phonemic awareness and vocabulary skills. Based upon the concept of a "sort," the process of grouping sounds, words, and pictures that represent words, into specific categories, Words Their Way encourages a close examination of the regularities and conventions of reading and spelling English.
This week in Words Their Way we will be working on Sort 15 (see your child's WTW workbook or Spelling City for the words). Students are tested on these words every other falling on all odd # sorts.
* There will be a test on sort 15, as it is an odd number sort. You will find a link to these words on the helpful websites tab labeled Spelling City.
Sort 15 test will be on Friday, December 13th.
Spelling tests will alternate each week with Wordly Wise tests.
Grammar:
This week, we will complete Lesson 15: Past-Tense Verbs
The Grammar Workshop curriculum is a research-based grammar program that provides instruction in the conventions of standard English along with abundant practice. The units and lessons are simple and systematic. They clearly explain and model the rules and principles of grammar, usage, and mechanics skills. This curriculum provides scaffolded exercise sets that give students practice in the skills themselves and application of those skills to writing.
Math:
Chapter 5: Factors, Multiples, and Patterns
Ch. 5 test: Friday, December 13th
Math workbook and check off sheet are due on the day of the test!
This year, we are excited to implement Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) strategies into our math program. CGI is a strategy of questioning children to learn and grow based on their unique understanding and learning styles. Click HERE for more information on CGI. We will be using these strategies with the GO! Math program, which looks different from Saxon. I think you will find a great benefit in the differences, where there are pictures and illustrations to support our students, as they are mastering mathematical concepts. One of the most major shifts in number sense will be the push toward, "Thinking in tens." As the year progresses, I believe you will see advancement in your child's mathematical thought processes, and mental math capabilities. As always, ixl.com is available for your child to practice math skills at home. I have sent IXL information to my math roster. Please let me know if you did not receive it.
We will be using our new math program, GO Math!, which was decided on and purchased by the district as another resource to support us in the teaching of the Common Core standards using the CGI method of instruction. This new program offers an engaging and interactive approach to covering the Common Core standards. The program ensures that students can access content at appropriate levels of depth and rigor. The program is focused, coherent, and rigorous. GO Math! at the elementary level combines 21st-century educational technology with modern content, dynamic interactivities, and a variety of instructional videos to engage today’s digital natives. Every student is supported through the universal access features of the program as they learn to think critically and apply their math knowledge.
You can access many GO Math! online resources through Clever!
* We will also supplement our instruction by working on Math Olympiad practice questions and other problem solving/critical thinking activities! We will also be using the iPads for xtra math fact practice, Ten Marks, Front Row, Math Bingo, Geoboards, Brainpop lessons, and Motion Math review and enrichment. We will also be learning about and practicing the Order of Operations (PEMDAS), Mathematical Properties, and adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing positive and negative numbers.
Please see the resources tab if you would like more math options.
Social Studies:
This week, we will begin to conclude our unit on the First California's and CA's Ancient Past by completing a Native California Museum Exhibit project. Students have been assigned a tribe to research and take notes on. They will then use this information to create a Keynote Presentation on their iPads as well as a clay artifact. Both of these will be displayed at Open House in March!
After we complete the content of First Californians students will participate in a collaborative group project on the First Californians. Students will become an expert on one California Native American tribe. Students will create a museum exhibition. The purpose of the exhibit is to share information with other students about how tribes from different regions use/and or adapt to the land’s resources, how they govern themselves and interact with other tribes, and how they celebrate their culture through art, religion, and ceremonies. Students will curate a museum exhibition for their tribe.
Students will receive their study guide for this unit a week before the test. We will review and complete the study guide together in class as well as go over important test taking tips. Students should review and study each night (at least 15 minutes a night) at home during the week leading up to the test. Completed study guides and note packets are due the day of the test for classwork credit.
As an additional resource, there are online interactive lesson summaries for each social studies lesson. Check them out here!
Science:
This week, we will work on passion projects and explore our coding bots! We will also participate in an Hour of Code!
Our district has adopted STEMscopes as a resource to teach the NGSS. We complete lessons (the 5E's) using resources provided through STEMscopes in class and in science lab. Your child has access to all of the online resources. They can log in by going to this website: https://n12005d17510.acceleratelearning.com/login and providing their username: 28lastnamefirstinitial and password: mbusd.
This year we will be implementing the new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are K–12 science content standards. The NGSS were developed by states to improve science education for all students. A goal for developing the NGSS was to create a set of research-based, up-to-date K–12 science standards. These standards give local educators the flexibility to design classroom learning experiences that stimulate students’ interests in science and prepares them for college, careers, and citizenship. The NGSS call for a three-dimensional approach to K–12 science instruction. This represents a significant transition from previous state standards. Thoughtful and coordinated approaches to implementation will enable educators to inspire future generations of scientifically literate students. Learn more and get resources by heading to the NGSS website: https://www.nextgenscience.org/
This year, our district has adopted STEMscopes as a resource to teach the NGSS. We complete lessons (the 5E's) using resources provided through STEMscopes in class and in science lab. Your child has access to all of the online resources. They can log in by going to this website: https://n12005d17510.acceleratelearning.com/login and providing their username: 28lastnamefirstinitial and password: panthers#### (the last 4 digits of their student id which is the same as google drive). There is also a shortcut to this website under helpful websites.
Click the "Useful Links/Resources" tab on the side for more science options and resources!
Visual and Performing Arts/Other:
On the iPads, we are practicing our typing skills using an attached keyboard. Your child has started using a website which can be accessed at home. Go to www.typingweb.com and log-in with your child's username to continue practicing. Your child's username is: 28lastnamefirstinitial@mbusdapps.org (For example, mine would be, 28cooka@mbusdapps.org). Your child's password is: panthers(4 digits). Happy typing!
