Dear Parents, Thanksgiving is past and it is finally socially acceptable to start quietly humming Christmas songs. It also means we are coming to the end of our quarter, but we have a lot of learning left to do. As we close out the last three weeks we will be covering a lot of different content, but the most important things to focus on are fundamentals. Students should be making sure they are paying attention in class and getting their homework done. We have had a mini homework epidemic in the past two weeks, in Math in particular. Please remind your students that it is their responsibility to get their homework fully completed and turned in! Their final grade will reflect their diligence directly in this manner. This WeekIn Spalding we will continue to practice our Spalding tools using words in list R. We will also be learning a spelling rule that tells us how to spell words that have an ending that starts with a vowel and a final syllable that looks like a one-one-one word. Something your students will be hearing a lot of is: "My base word is begin, my ending is ing. I must write begin and double the 'n' because my the second syllable of my base word begin looks like a one-one-one word and my ending ing starts with a vowel." That might seem like a lot, but it really does make sense, and it is rules like these that help students make sense of the English language. In ELA we are going to be working with historical texts and learning how to summarize a story that may not have a 'problem' in the strictest sense of the word. What is a story about if it is (a) non-fiction and (b) doesn't focus around any particular conflict? We will be discussing this throughout the week, so feel free to ask your student about their ideas. In Math we are continuing our exploration of fractions. Monday and Tuesday should be fairly simple. we are learning that when we add and subtract like fractions, that it is just like adding or subtracting wholes, just the name of the things we are adding or subtracting are different. On Thursday and Friday we will be getting into mixed numbers and improper fractions, which may take a bit more thought, but we will get through it. In Literature we are continuing to prepare our play, Twelfth Night, for you to see on December 15th! Make sure to get there and see your student perform! In History we will be learning about how Islam spread throughout the Middle East and as far as Spain in the West and the Malaysian islands in the east. Feel free to ask your students questions about what they are learning. In Science we are learning about the function of the Human Circulatory system. This week we are focusing on the human heart. We will have a quiz on Thursday, so make sure your students are studying their notes! Upcoming Assessments1) Math Quiz on adding and subtracting like fractions. Wednesday (29th)
2) Science Quiz on the human circulatory system. Thursday (30th) 3) Spelling Test on Friday (Dec 1st) 4) We have a Math test coming up next week! Students should be practicing and explaining fractions every day to make sure they understand the concept. Get them teaching others! That is what will solidify the content! Comments are closed.
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AuthorBurk Ohbayashi is a husband, a father, and an educator. Archives
March 2018
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