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