Week of January 3 - 7, 2011

Friday HW
1.  Social Studies project due January 13.  Good copy lanterns are ready in class for Monday to mount the pages.
2.  Field Trip forms and Fees are due Monday January 10.
3.  Book Report due date is extended to January 20.
4.  Spelling text activities:  p. 35 # 1,2,3; p. 36 # 4 and the Challenge; p. 37 ABC organizer started for Space.  Students will fill in more words as the unit gets underway.
We did a Data Management Math lesson today and worked on Spelling text activities after the dictation. In the afternoon we  introduced the use of the laptops and worked on Bitstrips activities in our Computer Lab period before the students moved on to Music/Drama.

As we ramp up for the use of the laptops, two items require your consideration with your parents:
a) The availability of a USB flash drive that you can bring back and forth to school. It isn't required but it makes life easy for you given the shaky nature of our home drives and network.
b) An email address you and your parents feel is safe and appropriate for you to use to sign up for online free accounts for things like surveymonkey.com for example. Personally I use a junk email address, which is not my main address, for such things.

Thursday HW
1. Work on Social Features rough page for tomorrow, which we spent 40 minutes on in class today. Project is due January 13.
2. Book report due next week.
3. Spelling Dictation tomorrow -- word up # 7
4. Field Trip form and fee for January 10.
We did a multiplication of decimals Math lesson today and continued our novel study and guided reading activities. In the afternoon we went to the library and introduced the use of the laptopsbefore the students moved on to French. 
As we ramp up for the use of the laptops, two items require your consideration with your parents:
a)  The availability of a USB flash drive that you can bring back and forth to school.  It isn't required but it makes life easy for you given the shaky nature of our home drives and network.
b)  An email address you and your parents feel is safe and appropriate for you to use  to sign up for online free accounts for things like surveymonkey.com for example.  Personally I use a junk email address, which is not my main address, for such things.

Wednesday HW
1. We again have limited homework tonight as we work towards the completion of our Social Studies project rough draft pages. Work on Political Features rough page for tomorrow, which we spent 40 minutes on in class today. Good copy pages were distributed yesterday. Project is due January 13.
2. Book report due next week.
3. Find out any additional facts you need to know about the 'Person I Admire'.  Many students did not have much information ready for that today.  I reminded the boys and girls that this is not an encyclopedic entry, but rather a personal reflection about a person they already know something about.  A few basic facts are required, but the basis of the selection is a personal connection or interest in the person which suggests a fair amount of prior knowledge already. 
4. Field Trip form and fee for January 10.
5.  Library tomorrow.
We did a division of decimals Math lesson today and continued our "Person I Admire" writing activity, which is an in-class only writing assignment. In the afternoon we tried our hand at dance activities in Gym before reviewing the Social Studies USA Political Features in the booklet before the students moved on to French.

Tuesday HW
1. We have limited homework tonight as we work towards the completion of our Social Studies project rough draft pages.  Work on Physical Geography rough page for tomorrow.  Good copy pages were distributed today.  Project is due January 13.
2.  Book report due next week.
3.  Find out any additional facts you need to know about the 'Person I Admire'.
4.  Field Trip form and fee for January 10.
We did some guided reading and novel study activities today and continued our "Person I Admire" writing activity, which is an in-class only writing assignment.  After reading buddies we had a double Art period in the afternoon before the students moved on to French.

 Monday HW
1.  Pages 56-57, Math HW book.
2.  Word Up # 7 Activities including 15 sentences.  Students that were absent today should visit the web page to copy the word up # 7 words.
3.  Language Power text pages 4-5.
4.  Social Studies rough draft work for project.  Work on the Physical Features page for Wednesday.  Due January 13.  Most class time for research and rough work has already taken place.  The remainder should be worked on at home.
5.  Field Trip form and fee for January 10.  Forms were distributed today.
6.  Second chess club take place tomorrow and continues on Tuesdays afterwards.
Welcome back to a new year.  The boys and girls were awfully sleepy as they got themselves back into the rhythm of a school day.  We completed some Math and started a Spelling cycle.  In the afternoon we worked on page 11 of the Social Studies booklet by looking at the text pages that would help us complete the work.  By doing a study of the United States following the same format as our project presentation my goal is to give the students some very direct guided modelling and practice in advance of doing their projects.