Week of 10/19/2015

Highlights for the Week of 10/19/15

 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling - More Short and Long Vowels
The final test for this week's lesson will be on Friday, 10/23. Google Classroom activities are also due first thing that morning



Reading - "What does it Mean to Show Courage?"
The close read of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech has come to an end. I know that I sound like a broken record, but I can't say enough how proud I am of the kids and of how hard they worked to decipher this difficult text. Below is a video of two students working together to determine the meaning of the words "I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice."

On Monday, 10/19, students will take a QUIZ on Happy Birthday Dr. King & the "I Have a Dream Speech".  The quiz will be assessing how well students can find text evidence, so it will be open book. They will also be asked to identify theme and cause and effect, which are two skills that we worked on in this unit.

Below are some pictures of students using the Google Question tool. I posted the question, "What do Dr. King's powerful words mean?", and gave them the following quote from the speech: “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” By using this tool, they were able to respond to my question, and then make comments on their classmates' thoughts. We called it having a silent conversation.

English - The Sentence
We will finish the chapter with a look at run-on sentences. The chapter 1 TEST is scheduled for Thursday, 10/22.  Students should prepare for the test by reviewing the textbook, practice pages, and workbook pages for the unit. There is also a chapter review section in the textbook (p. 56-62) that covers all of the topics we have studied.

Social Studies - The Narragansett
We will begin our study of the Native Americans of the Northeast.  Students will learn about the culture and traditions of the Narragansetts. They will also learn about the Iroquois Americans, and will compare and contrast their culture with the Narragansetts. On Thursday, students will receive guidelines for a project in which they will illustrate a Narragansett Village. The project will be collected on 11/2.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 2 - Addition & Subtraction of Fractions
If you haven't seen the letter sent home about the topics in Unit 2, please ask your child for it. We will continue to focus on how to relate the addition and subtraction of fractions with unlike denominators to money and clocks. We will also take a look at multiplying whole numbers by fractions. 

Here are some pictures of students collaborating to use money pieces manipulatives to relate money to fractions...

Don't forget...

The Halloween celebration is scheduled for Friday, 10/30. Just a reminder that students may bring their costumes to wear that day, but the costume should be simplified for school. Students will be changing into their costumes at school, but will not be allowed to go to the bathrooms to change or to put on make-up. 






Week of 11/3 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (Homeroom students only) - Look for an email with sign ups next week.

Mrs. Karen Bell