Busy Friday!

It was a busy week and a busy Friday! Today, we tied up some loose ends; completing writings and working on reading/roles for our next cafe, since we have a shortened week with the coming of Thanksgiving. We also brushed up on our fluency in writing by revising a story about Thanksgiving, with short choppy sentences, into something more enjoyable to read. All in all, we accomplished so much!

The pictures above are from Wednesday's Science class with Miss Fitch, Ms. Scheidler's field student from CAL. Her lesson, Physical and Chemical Changes, was presented to group 308. One of the activities for her lesson involved the students observing a lit candle for physical and chemical changes. The students noted changes in the wick, the wax, etc. These physical and chemical changes were discussed following the experiment.

Homework:
Reading - Please read chapters 6-10 in Number the Stars and complete your role. Our next cafe will take place the Thursday after Thanksgiving
Social Studies - Study. We will have a short quiz on Wednesday.
Science - Finish crossword and read "What is Matter?" and answer questions on back.

Readers that Rock!

Newly formed groups were working together in McD's Cafe today! Our historical fiction story, Number the Stars, is one that is keeping us on edge. With every turn, we are worrying about our main characters, who are compassionate, courageous people in a very difficult situation.

We seem to improve our discussions with each cafe. We share our thoughts and listen when others share. The voices are quiet, as if we are really in a public cafe. Special thanks to Devin and Kylah, as well as their parents, for the delicious drinks.

Homework:
Reading - Read chapters 6-10 in Number the Stars for our next cafe after Thanksgiving break. Complete your assigned role.
Writing - Finish your narrative for tomorrow.
Math - Swimmers' Snack Bar sheet and study for quiz tomorrow.
Wellness - Skin, Hair, Nails sheet due tomorrow.

Writers at Work!

Could you smell the wood burning today? Our class was hard at work on our personal narratives. We wrote about a new or different event that resulted in a change in our lives. The events that evoke the strongest emotions within us make the best personal narratives. Today's drafts were colorful and varied. There were stories about moving to a new town, saying goodbye to a father, welcoming a new baby into the family, embarrassing moments, and others. Some were so funny, while others brought tears to our eyes. Many of us shared our stories with Mrs. Mac and began typing after editing. Look for them on display! They're great stories!

One sure sign of the holiday season is extra chorus rehearsals! Today was the first large group practice. We will be doubling up each week until the concert.

Homework:
Reading - The first 5 chapters of Number the Stars will be discussed in cafe tomorrow. Make sure you're prepared with your role!
Math - Practice page (Dollar Day at the Flea Market)
Writing - Personal narrative is due by Friday
Wellness - Personal health plan is due Friday

Things We May Never Understand

Now that we have finished reading The Telephone Call, we began to think more about the way the story ended, with the words "there were things we would never understand." We were asked to think about what things the characters in the story felt they would never understand. Many of us expressed that we've heard those words before, usually when life changing or tramatic events occur, like those our characters experienced. Today in Language Arts, we searched for those things in the story. We will use a portion of the text to support our answer.

After we began organizing the information from the story that pertained to the prompt, Mrs. Mac took us aside in small groups to hear our chosen journal entries. Many of us are going to town on our journals, but some had some unfinished work. Work that was complete and showed evidence of our effort received a high score.

In Social Studies, we began exploring Latin America using various maps in a group atlas activity. Tomorrow, we will continue the activity and share what we've found.

Our Health class was devoted to the study of hair, skin, and nails. We learned what we must do to keep them healthy.

Homework:
Reading - Finish your final copy of your prompt. Also, read chapters 2-5 in Number the Stars and complete your role.
Math - Homerun balls worksheet
Social Studies - Finish page one of atlas activity
Science - In the Lab Rules
Wellness - Personal Health Plan due Friday