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

11/11/11 Veterans Day!

Thank you to our veterans on this special day. We know that freedom is not free, and we appreciate your sacrifices.

Homework:
Reading - Please read chapters 3-5 in Number the Stars, and complete your role for Thursday.
Writing - Make sure your journal is complete and ready to share on Monday.
SHARE YOUR TEST PACKET AND HAVE IT SIGNED, ALONG WITH YOUR FRIDAY FOLDER.

New Novel!

This sand artist is amazing! Watch the video, and see if you can follow her story. Tomorrow, we'll discuss what you were able to understand from her art.

During our Readers' Cafe today, we were introduced to our new novel, Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry. The novel is a Newbery Medal winner that tells the story of Annemarie Johansen and her best friend, Ellen Rosen. It takes place in Denmark during 1943, a time when Jewish people are being persecuted. During our cafe, Mrs. Rader and Mrs. McIlvaine shared some historical information as well as the first two chapters of the story. We are in new discussion groups and are looking forward to reading this book.

This afternoon, we gathered for our class meeting. It was time to think about all the rules we've learned in regards to anti-bullying. To review, we worked in our groups with Bullying Rules Roundup Cards. Each card gave a scenario, and we were to apply a specific rule. We had great sharing in our groups, and we brought our ideas to a close with the whole class at the end.

Homework:
Reading - Review vocabulary and story. Quiz tomorrow on story and assigned spelling list.
Math - Do one practice page. Study - quiz tomorrow.
Science - Quiz tomorrow.
Readers' Cafe - Read chapters 2-5 in Number the Stars. Prepare your assigned role based on the first 5 chapters.

Report Card Day

Students received their report cards today. An overall great effort is being rewarded! In addition to the report card, look for a fluency letter, parent/teacher conference information, classroom newsletter, and other important documents. The report card can be kept, but the envelope needs to be signed and returned.

In Language Arts, we thought more deeply about the characters and events in The Telephone Call. The main characters were all dealing with grief in different ways. John, for instance was objective and knew all the right things to say and do, while Vicky was empathetic and felt helpless to act or speak. Each character was hurting, and their actions and conversations they had with each other in the story helped us to know them better. On Friday, we will conclude our review of the story.

Tomorrow is the kick-off to our new novel, Number the Stars. Our group will join with Mrs. Rader's group to build some background knowledge, hear Mrs. Rader and Mrs. Mac read the first two chapters, and receive our reading and roles in our new groups.

On Friday, Social Studies books will be exchanged. We are moving on to Latin America.

Homework:
Reading - Quizzes on Friday. Review your vocabulary and story.
Math - A Weighty Decision
Science - Quiz on Friday.
Spelling - Quiz on Friday. Study your words.
SHARE YOUR REPORT CARD WITH YOUR PARENTS/GUARDIANS. RETURN THE SIGNED ENVELOPE AND CONFERENCE FORM.