School is Out of This World!

Our day was very busy! Each class period seemed to fly by! There never seems to be enough time to finish all that we want to do.

We are currently studying the solar system in Science class! Please check out the link to the right to learn more.

In Math, we are learning the value of rounding and estimating numbers. An activity was sent home for further practice.

We worked on our first prompt in Language Arts for the story 'Teammates.' Both Jackie Robinson and his friend, Pee Wee Reese, demonstrated courage in the story in different ways. We are writing about the courage they showed, and we're supporting our writing using text examples. Our organizers were completed and many of us have completed drafts which will be edited. Tomorrow, during station time, we'll complete the writing.

In Social Studies, we took a ten point pre-quiz about our knowledge of Africa's geography. We then viewed a narrated clip about each region's geography. Many of us were pleasantly surprised at how much we knew! We also colored a map of Africa to become familiar with the countries, land, and climate that are a part of each region.

Homework:
Reading: Quiz on Friday for Teammates. Also, read through p. 61 in The Westing Game and complete your role for Thursday. By next Monday, complete Form A through p. 12 in your PSSA Reading book.
Social Studies: Study notes.
Spelling: Quiz on Friday (ei, ie words).
Math: Practice sheet due tomorrow.

We are Teammates!

We, groups 308 and 310, are teammates! Today, we read and discussed a relationship between two other teammates from the 1940s, and how each played an important role for the other. Jackie Robinson was a teammate of Pee Wee Reese. Each man played the same position. They were shortstops. Jackie Robinson was a talented and courageous man. Pee Wee Reese was a supportive teammate and friend. We enjoyed learning more about these two men and the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, who wanted to change the way things were. Jackie Robinson once said, "I'm not concerned with your liking or disliking me...All I ask is that you respect me as a human being." It's important for teammates to support one another. We will remember that throughout the year.

Our reading of The Westing Game is coming along. Most of us have made good use of our time and are well on our way to completing the reading and our roles which are due on Thursday. We're all looking forward to participating in our cafe.

During PSSA review today, we continued our lessons practicing the skills of identifying main ideas and themes AND finding mean, median, and mode. We're applying the skills to short passages in reading and were playing a short tic-tac-toe game for mean, median, and mode in Math.

Slowly, we're becoming familiar with the geography of Africa. We reviewed our Atlas Activity today, and many came up with good answers using the maps available.

In Science, we had a solar system scavenger hunt, which was a lot of fun. We're looking forward to learning about the planets in the weeks to come.

Homework:
Reading - Quizzes Friday for Teammates. Also, read pages 1 - 61 (first 8 chapters) in The Westing Game and complete your role for Thursday.
Spelling - Spelling practice page 8 (ie, ei list)
Writing - Grammar practice page 6 (types of sentences)
Music - Quiz this week
Long-term assignment - PSSA prep assignment for next Monday.

Special Reminders

Our New Novel!

Today, we were introduced to our first novel of the year, The Westing Game. It is a mystery, with many interesting characters and clues to follow. The first two chapters were read aloud by Mrs. Mac, while the class followed and took notes on the various characters that were introduced. We are excited to learn more about the chosen tenants of Sunset Towers.

The fundraiser kickoff to earn money to support our school's special programs and events was held at the end of the day. Packets explaining the fundraiser were sent home in the Friday folders. Please read through the packet! If every student sells two items, we'll be set!

Homework:
Reading - Read through chapters 1-8 in The Westing Game. Prepare your assigned role, based on the first 8 chapters. Continue taking notes on the characters, as discussed in class.

Star-Spangled Banner Day!

Today, our school met outside to celebrate our nation's anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner. We gathered outside, and Mrs. McIlvaine (our chorus teacher) gave a speech about the song and why it was written. Then, a quartet of students from our high school sang the song, in perfect harmony. We enjoyed this meaningful celebration, especially on the heels of remembering 9/11.

No homework this evening! PLEASE JOIN US FOR OPEN HOUSE THIS EVENING FROM 6:00-8:00! Our 6th grade teacher presentations will begin at 7:00.

What is Your Viewpoint?

Today in Language Arts, we practiced looking for clues that author's give to let us in on their point of view. Our new story, Teammates, is a biography. In it, we will learn more about Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. As we read our story, we'll be looking closely at words the author uses to describe his subject. This will help us to understand his feelings and point of view.

New vocabulary words were introduced for the story. Those words should be reviewed tonight at home.


We studied Africa's location and geography today, through the use of various maps: political,physical, vegetation, deforestation, and temperatures. The fact that was the most amazing was that Africa is nearly three times larger than the United States. We are looking forward to our study of Africa's geography and culture.

REMEMBER TO SHARE YOUR NEW YEARBOOKS WITH YOUR FAMILIES!

Homework:
Reading - practice book p. 5
Math - Ordering numbers to 100,000
Spelling - practice page 6 (spelling prac. b)
Science - Scientist Research

Let's Say What We Need to Say!

Everything we need to say can be said using four types of sentences! We reviewed the four types and practiced using them in Language Arts. Our journal writing is also coming along well! Once a week, we will share an entry that we're proud of, and today was that day. The writing was impressive!

New spelling words were given today that are a little tricky! Each word uses the ie or ei vowel combination. Practicing nightly will help! Don't forget to use Spelling City on the links section to the right, and remember the rule that was taught in class. This week's story is Teammates! I know you're going to love it!

Everyone was out to prove they could find absolute locations today in Social Studies. Several cities were given and the students were asked to match them with latitude/longitude measurements. Hopefully, no one got lost!

Our Open House at C.I.S. will take place this Wednesday! Please plan to visit us from 6-8 p.m.!

Homework:
Reading - Share Family Times for the week
Math - Patriot Day Parade sheet
Spelling - Trace +2
Science - Science Research