Week of December 7th

 Wrapping Up and New Beginnings!

Hello families!  

    This week we will wrap up our first novels in both 5th and 6th grade.  The new novels for Module 2 are already available for pick up at FCCS.  You may also turn in your student's copy of the novel from module 1 at that time if you like.  Your scholars have made so much growth during this first module.  I am so excited about seeing them apply the skills they have learned in speaking and writing to this next set of novels.   

    IMPORTANT NOTE:  Digital Notebooks will be turned in by Friday.  We will start a new notebook for Module 2 next week.  Whether we are hybrid or fully virtual, we will continue to use the digital notebook to make it easier to keep track of our work.

5th Grade

The 5th grade will be finishing up their Thunder Rolling in the Mountains book by Friday.  Please make sure you pick up The Phantom Tollbooth this week from FCCS.  We will start reading it on Monday, December 14th.

This week we will be looking back at our essential question:  How does a person's culture affect how their perception and reaction to events going on around them?  We will look closely at characters and the plot of our novel to share our feelings and thoughts about this question.

5th Grade Lesson Slides

5th Grade Planner for the Week

6th Grade

This week sixth grade scholars will be writing an essay to show their comprehension of our novel, Bud, Not Buddy.  They will be analyzing the main character's (Bud's) growth over the period of the story.  In addition, they will be analyzing the characters and events that contributed to the Bud's growth.  This essay will be written in the digital notebook and must be completed by the end of the week.  We will start background for our new novel on Friday this week.  Students will need the hard copy of the book by Monday when their first reading assignment will be given.  Please make sure to get up to FCCS for your scholar's copy of The Odyssey.

6th Grade Lesson Slides

6th Grade Planner for the Week

Thanksgiving Week

 Happy Holiday!  

I know that this year has been a year of challenges and trials, but hopefully, you have found many reasons to be thankful as well.  This year I have learned to be thankful for the simple things like having time to make a hot breakfast every morning, wearing jeans to work, teaching barefoot, having my dog in class, teaching on the go (Seattle and Ocean City), and video meetings with each of you are just a few of those small things.  Would I rather be in class with your scholars?   Absolutely, I would prefer being in person; however, I appreciate the ability we have to learn and grow while still keeping ourselves safe.  Thank you for the support you give to me and to your students as well.  I am very grateful for each of you and for your sweet kiddos; they make my day.  I will continue to look for things to be thankful for as we move forward; I hope you do too.

5th Grade

The students are really doing a great job with class discussions about character motives, mood, and plot.  This week will be short but nonetheless busy.  We will be analyzing Sound of Running Feet's interactions with the settlers and her reactions to them and their ways.  Students should be up to chapters 13 and 14 by now.   I have started setting aside the last day of each week as a Catch Up Day for assignments.  This week's catch up day will be Tuesday.  Please check with your student to make sure they have completed all 4 of the assignments for the quarter so far.  Assignments are listed in the planner on Tuesday's To Do.  Students can also click the grades link in the course menu to see their work as well as grades and feedback.

5th Grade Planner

Lesson Slides/Notes

6th Grade

We are quickly wrapping up Bud, Not Buddy.  This week we will compare Bud's experience with jazz music and the band to our experience listening to jazz.  We will also do a quick comprehension check of chapters 16 and 17.  Please check with your scholar to make sure they are up to date on assignments.  I have started allowing students to get started on their work in class so that I am available to answer questions and give support for writing.  I will continue to keep this up moving forward.  I have also started setting Fridays aside as a Catch Up Day for work.  This week's catch up day will be Tuesday.  Please check with your student to make sure they have completed all 3 of the assignments for the quarter so far.  Assignments are listed in the planner on Tuesday's To Do.  Students can also click the grades link in the course menu to see their work as well as grades and feedback.

6th Grade Planner

Lesson Slides/Notes

Week of November 16th

 Sweater Weather is here!

I hope you are enjoying these chilly but beautiful days.  The cool weather has got me layering up and sipping warm drinks.  The teapot is going constantly, it seems.  There is nothing quite as comforting as a cup of tea.  I hope you are finding ways of keeping warm and enjoying the change in temperature.

While the temperatures are cooling down, we are heating things up in ELA.  We have started the new quarter strong with most students demonstrating mastery of reading response.  The scholars are doing a great job of citing the text to support their opinions and ideas about their reading.  In addition, we have been analyzing figurative language and comparing characters.  Both grades are getting close to wrapping up their novels.  I will be in school this week to gather the next set of reading materials and will email you with times that you can pick up materials.  Thank you for supporting your student in all of their learning endeavors.

5th Grade

The fifth graders are looking closely at the values that guide characters and their decisions.  They are learning how to compare/contrast ideas in the text as well.  This week we will learn about mood and how the author uses word choice, imagery, and settings to establish the mood of an event.  See below for details about class discussions and assignments.

Meet Lessons Slideshow

5th Grade Planner 

6th Grade

As we are coming to the end of Bud, Not Buddy, the main character, Bud, has changed or transformed from the beginning of the text.  We are looking closely at the new relationships and experiences that Bud is having in these last few chapters.  The students will create some free verse poetry this week using elements of the text that have sparked a change in Bud.  Scholars will also have an active listening activity involving jazz this week.  For more details on this week's discussions and assignments, see below.

Meet Lessons Slideshow

6th Grade Planner

Quarter 2!!  And the holidays are looming!!

Greetings

Welcome to quarter 2.  We have a fresh start, and I am hopeful that scholars will continue their good habits of keeping up with work.  It is much easier to do the work as it is assigned than it is to play catch up.  I have started building in a catch up day once a week as well to encourage students to stay on top of assignments.  Please check in once a week with your scholar to see how they are doing with their work.  You can have them open each course and click on grades in the menu on the left.  All assignments will show with grades and feedback.  If an assignment has a dash next to it, it is not done.  Please note that for some odd reason some assignments occasionally get crossed off, I am not sure why Schoology does this.  Those assignments are still active and count towards the course grade.   Thank you so much for your support!

5th Grade

Fifth graders are moving through their novel, Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, at a quick pace now.  This week our lessons will focus on chapters 7-9.  Is your kiddo up to date with reading?  I have shared recordings of each chapter for students who do better reading along with someone.  The recordings are in the reading course in a folder with the novel title.  This week we are looking at Chief Joseph and his daughter, Sound of Running Feet.  We are learning how to analyze characters and see how a character's values and beliefs guide their actions in the story.

5th Grade Planner

5th Grade Lessons Slide Show

6th Grade

The sixth graders are nearing the climax of the novel, Bud, Not Buddy.  We are looking closely at how Bud has been transformed over the course of his journey.  We are focusing on chapters 13-15 this week.  Please check to see if your scholar is up to date on the reading.  We are also looking at the culture of the time period by studying Langston Hughes poetry and listening to some jazz music.  It will be a busy week.

6th Grade Planner

6th Grade Lessons Slide Show

Week of November 2nd

 Rock the Vote!!  

Election Day is Tuesday, if you haven't already voted, make sure you get out there and  participate!

No School Tuesday

Greetings:

This week we wrap up the first quarter of the school year.  Please help your student check their work so that everything is in and revised by Friday afternoon.  I will be marking grades for report cards next week.

We are moving quickly through our novels in 5th and 6th grade.  Citing the text is a major accomplishment for the students this quarter and will need to be a part of every  response moving forward.  A few students are still in the beginning stages of this skill and could use a reminder if you are looking over work they submit.  

5th grade will be looking more closely at character analysis and comparison this week as the focus shifts from the conflict to the individuals involved in the story.  We will be analyzing character traits and comparing how character values affect their actions.

5th Grade Lesson Slide Show

5th Grade Work Planner

6th graders will be looking more closely at the setting, in particular the time period, and will be analyzing how the Great Depression affected different characters in the book as well as how accurately the trials of the time period are represented in this historical fiction novel.

6th Grade Lesson Slide Show

6th Grade Planner

Week of October 26th

 Reminder:  Friday is Costume Day!

Greetings!

It was wonderful getting to meet with so many of you last week.  If you were unable to schedule a conference or make your scheduled meeting and would still like to meet, please contact me to set a meeting up.  

A couple of points that I shared during conferences are 1.  I always allow students to revise and resubmit work that they are not satisfied with.  If they are willing to use the feedback that I give to improve, they can receive full credit.  2.  Students should check grades regularly and read feedback by clicking on the grades option in their course menu.  I have demonstrated how to do this multiple times for the students.  3.  I am always willing to meet with students who need help or support with assignments.

Thank you for all of the ways that you support your scholars and me as well.

5th Grade

The fifth grade continues to work through Thunder Rolling in the Mountains.  This week we are working on crafting a contrasting paragraph to show the differing cultural values and beliefs of the groups involved in the conflict.

Work Planner for the Week

Slideshow for Meets

6th Grade

The sixth grade is about half way through our novel, Bud, Not Buddy.  The students are analyzing the hardships that people experienced during the Great Depression and how they are depicted in the story.

Work Planner for the Week

Slideshow for Meets

 Week of October 19th

Coming Up This Week...

• Conferences are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
• Wednesday Classes 12:15-3:15
• Thursday Classes 12:15-3:15
• Friday Classes 8:15-11:30
• Check email Monday for Adjusted Course Schedule

Greetings:

Fall is definitely here; the leaves are changing color and there is a chill in the air!  I love it!  I hope you are taking time to enjoy the outdoors.  I had the most wonderful walk on the beach this morning.  It's amazing how a little walk can help you refocus.  Make sure the kiddos are getting out there to enjoy the sun and fresh air too!  

As we are heading into conferences and winding down the first quarter, it is a good time to reflect on how routines are running in our homes.  How is the workload for your kiddo?  How have they adjusted to online learning?  I see my own scholar struggling in both of these areas, which is new for us.  Please take the time to complete the feedback survey in the recent S'More news.  I also encourage you to be open in our conferences this week.  Your honest feedback will help me to make decisions that are most beneficial to your student.

Fifth Grade Instruction

Fifth grade is making progress through their novel, Thunder Rolling in the Mountains, by Scott O'Dell.  We had some amazing class discussions in our Meets this week.  Our focus is learning how to use quotes directly from the text, both in speaking and in writing,  to support our ideas and theories we develop as we read.  We will continue to work on improving our ability to cite text in the upcoming weeks.

Work Planner

Meeting Slideshow

Sixth Grade Instruction

The sixth grade scholars have been continuing through Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.  I love the insights they are sharing about the main character, Bud.  They have been improving in their ability to cite text with exact quotes and page numbers to support their theories about the story.  Learning to pick just the right quote is a difficult thing, but the students are really starting to get the hang of it.  I have been impressed with the growth that I am seeing.  These kiddos are off to a strong start!

Work Planner

Meeting Slideshow

Week of October 12th

 Important Dates:

Spirit Week!

Monday - Sports Jersey Day

Tuesday - Wacky Tacky Day

Wednesday - Crazy Hair Day

Thursday - School Spirit - Show your FCCS pride!!

Friday, October 16th - No School:  Teacher Work Day

Greetings!

We are starting the seventh week of the year and are getting very close to the end of the quarter.  Please check to see how your student is doing keeping up with their assignments.  If you need support, please reach out through email or Schoology Messages.

Both grades are now officially working from their novels, if you have not picked up a copy, please head up to FCCS to get the copy set aside for your scholar.  I have digital copies available for the students in their Schoology Reading Course (5th grade) or English Course (6th grade); however, having a personal copy will be much easier as we look through the text to answer questions and look for specific evidence to support our responses when we are writing about reading.

I have attached both the daily assignment planner and the slideshow for our Google Meets for each grade below.

5th Grade

Digital Planner

Meets Topics

6th Grade

Digital Planner

Meets Topics

Week of October 5th

 Welcome October!

Important Dates:

• Friday, October 2nd - mid term for quarter 1
• Monday, October 5th - Ms Anzick in Training - NO MEETS
• Friday, October 16th - School Closed for Students

Greetings:

October is here and the chilly weather has come.  I hope you are finding time to enjoy the outdoors and this lovely weather.  I have a training for Wit and Wisdom on Monday, October 5th so I will miss meeting with your scholars on that day.  They can go to their Reading Course (5th grade) or English Course (6th grade) to find the planner with their video and work for the day.  I will have my phone and can check in on messages from time to time so students may still message me with Schoology questions.

Friday marked the half way point in our first quarter.  I have been working with students who need help to get caught up on work.  If you have not already done so, I would suggest creating a parent account for Schoology to keep up to date on your scholar's progress with work and concept mastery.  You will get weekly updates, but can request feedback more often if you would like.  You also have access to your child's course information as well.  Please contact me with questions or concerns.  In addition, please remind your scholar that they can also ask for help at any time.  I schedule small groups and individual help daily.  I truly want my students to be able to do their best and communication is key to that goal.  If I do not know there is a problem, I cannot help.  

It is a privilege to work with your children.  I really do enjoy our Meets and interactions.

5th Grade Update:

This week in 5th Grade, we are continuing to work on identifying the main idea and details found in informational text.  After more practice, we will take that skill one step further with summarizing the text using the main idea and details this week.  For more information about our lessons and work schedule, please check out the Lesson Slideshow and the planner linked below.  

Lesson Schedule 

Planner:  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17F2Gkyhp6pvYY3j994qR5m9nN4Xao04dIFq8ryal4wA/edit?usp=sharing

6th Grade Update:

This week in 6th Grade, we will continue reading Bud, Not Buddy.  We will look at how the character's actions help us get to know more about their traits and their motives.  Students will also continue to practice writing about reading and add citations to their responses to be more specific with their evidence to support their writing.  For more information about our lessons or the work schedule this week, check out the Lesson Slideshow  and Planner linked below.

Lesson Slideshow

Planner

Week of September 28th

 Salutations!

I am excited to start diving into Wit and Wisdom this week.  Your students have done a great job adapting to the digital notebook and learning when to take notes, as well as how to take notes.  Just a reminder that my digital notebook is ALWAYS AVAILABLE in the Reading Course (5th graders) or English Course (6th graders).  If your child is absent or needs to catch up with notes, they can copy directly from my notebook.

Our novels for the start of the module have arrived!!!  I will be at school on Tuesday, September 29th from 1:30-3:00 to help distribute them.  You may also stop by during school hours on another day if that works for you.  Ms. Tucker has a list of students and can record the number of the novel that you sign out for the quarter.  They are paperback novels, please teach the children to treat them kindly and not to dog-ear them or leave them laying open upside down (this damages the spine).  6th graders will begin reading Tuesday (There is a digital copy linked to their planner and the meets slides); however, 5th graders will start with nonfiction studies to build understanding of westward expansion in the United States before starting with the novel study.  

• 5th Grade Novel:  Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O'Dell
• 6th Grade Novel:  Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

Please check to make sure your student is up to date on assignments.  This Friday  is midterm already!  I will be making a note of missing work to help you support your scholar in getting up to date.  It takes diligence and constancy to stay on top of work and courage to ask for help when it's needed.  I have been reinforcing each of these FCCS values with the students.  I am happy to help support your scholar or you in any way I can to help make learning a successful endeavor.  Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns at all.

Fondly,

Melissa

Important Dates:

• Tuesday, September 29th - Novels Available for Pick Up (1:30-3:00)
• Friday, October 2nd -  2 Hour Early Dismissal

Week of September 21st: Four Weeks Already?!!!

Greetings!

It is hard to believe that we are entering the fourth week of school.  It was wonderful seeing so many of you at Back to School Night last week!  For those of you who were unable to attend, or if you wanted a review, here is a copy of my presentation from Thursday. I am enjoying your children so very much.  They are lively learners, and we are making some great connections. In the spirit of Festina Lente (make haste slowly), we have been building the habits necessary for us to be strong readers and comprehenders. We have been working on establishing work habits and learning when to stop and annotate, as well as what to annotate, when we are reading literary text.  We have also been practicing how to respond to a writing prompt and use a rubric to evaluate our own work.  

Reptito Mater Memoriae:  Repetition is the Mother of Memory reminds us that it is important to practice new skills to build those memory paths in our brains.  With this pedagogy in mind, we will continue to practice note taking this week using short stories.  We will also continue refining our writing about reading.  For more detailed information about our studies and work this week, please refer to your child's planner linked below.

Next week we will embark on our novel study with Wit and Wisdom.  We are still waiting for hard copies of the novels.  Please be on the lookout for an invitation to come pick them up from school when they arrive.  While we wait, we will use my Kindle version.  If you would like to purchase your own copy of the class novel, you may.  They are widely available in hard copy and on digital devices.  5th Graders will be reading Thunder Rolling in the Mountains by Scott O'Dell and 6th Graders will be reading Bud not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.  

5th Grade Planner for the Week

6th Grade Planner for the Week

Reminders:

• 9/28 School is Closed
• 9/29 Novel Study Starts

Week of September 14th: Off to a Great Start!

 Important Dates:

9/17 Back to School Night for 5th Grade and Middle School Families

Helpful Hints:

Student Planners with Meet agendas and work are posted weekly in the Reading Course for 5th Grade and the English Course for 6th Grade.  Click to access the 5th Grade Planner or the 6th Grade Planner for this week.

To keep our Course looking tidy, I am putting all work in a weekly folder.  Past week's folders and work can be found in the black Previous Learning Folder.  I encourage students to complete work in a timely manner, but understand that sometimes that is not possible.  All work will be scored on a full credit scale regardless of when it is turned in.  

Reading This Week:

This week and next we will be focusing on comprehending literary text.  I have found that teaching students to annotate as they read increases their comprehension, but often students do not know what to annotate.  What is important to record?  To help with this, I like to teach Notice and Note as a strategy for note taking.  Students learn that author leave clues or "signposts' to help them discover messages and themes in the text.  We are learning how to recognize those signposts and are practicing looking for them in our independent reading this week.  Next week we will practice using short stories.  By October we will move into our novel studies with Wit and Wisdom and be ready to annotate as we read more complex text.

These anchor charts have been provided to the scholars to help them recall the different signposts.  I linked the charts in case some of you want a copy or if the students prefer a printed copy.  They will also receive a bookmark with the signposts when they get their ELA materials.

Questions?  Concerns?

Please know that you can contact me at any time with issues or questions.  My email is melissa.anzick@fcps.org.  You can also message me through Schoology.