Language Arts

This week in Ms. Bennett's Language Arts class we are focusing on a list of spelling words that are all homophones: addition, editions, bazaar, bizarre, borough, burrow, cereal, serial, complement, compliment, naval, navel, profit, prophet, wrapped, rapped, far, piece, great, and rode. Students will be creating fill-in-the blank activities to trade with each other. Our spelling test over these words will be on Wednesday, January 19. Our vocabulary words this week are from our Wordly Wise book, Lesson 5. These words are: antic, attire, captivate, deft, diligent, eclipse, evolve, innate, inscribe, posture, shroud, stifle, tentative, tranquil, versatile. Students will be matching words with their definitions, finding antonyms and synonyms, and reading a story including these words about Chinese painter Wang Yani. The quiz over these words will be next Thursday, January 20. From Open Court we will be reading The Grimke Sisters; this selection describes two sisters who championed various civil and human right cause during the early 19th century. The comprehension skill for this selection will be making inferences. Finally this week's writing assignments have been both creative and expository. The students are completing the combined fairy tales, and are also discussing the major parts of a written biography. Students will next be asked to choose a biography to read and share with the class.

Ms. Clark’s Language Arts: Phonological Awareness- The students are continuing with a series of several lessons on word endings. This week they will be focusing on -ic. They will be working on sound segmentation and building words from syllables using words with these endings. Phonics- The class has been given a new spelling list based on words with the endings -ic. Many of the words are high frequency words and other words that are commonly misspelled. Vocabulary- This week the students are looking for unknown words in both their SPIRE lessons and novel study. Students have a new vocabulary list with words from the novel The Lost Hero, and there will be a vocabulary quiz next Friday 1/21. Written Expression- Students are continuing to rewrite the essays that they began on their semester exam before the break. The class has been outlining the topic and using more detailed descriptions. They have created topic sentences that answer the prompt and are working to stay with the same topic throughout the whole paper. This week the class also began writing with adverbs. They are writing creative stories using a list of specific verbs and working those verbs into the plot of that story while adding adverbs to each one.  Reading Comprehension- This week the class is continuing to review Chapters 5-8 of the novel The Lost Hero. The class is focusing on recalling character traits, setting descriptions, and identifying and sequencing the main events that have taken place so far. Students are also reading a short story for both comprehension and to identify adverbs in the writing. 

Language Arts with Mrs. Hayes: Phonemic Awareness- With our missed days due to the snow, students will continue to work on the new suffixes -er, -ar, and -or that all make the /er/ sound. Students will continue to practice the words using the phonogram cards and letter tiles. Fluency- Students are reading The City of Ember aloud to practice fluency and reading with expression.  The boys are doing a nice job attending to the punctuation when reading dialogue in our exciting novel. Spelling-Students need continued practice with the words photographer, remember, carpenter, thunder, inventor, professor, counselor, refrigerator, governor, indicator, calculator, dollar and calendar. Vocabulary- New vocabulary words include gorge, convuluted and frenzied. Comprehension-Students are ready for Chapter 14 in The City of Ember  which continues the climax of the book with the main characters, Doon and Lina looking for the way out of Ember.

This week in Mrs. Hibbs’ Language Arts class:  Phonological Awareness- The students are completing the reinforcement lesson in SPIRE over mis-, dis-, re-, pre-, pro-, de- and ex-.  The class is doing a great job of dividing words into syllables and identifying prefixes.  Phonics- We are continuing to review the spelling rules that we have learned in SPIRE this year and last year.  Vocabulary- Vocabulary words are being taken from our SPIRE reading passage about Martin Luther King, Jr.  We will have a quiz over these words at the end of this week or at the beginning of next week depending on how much practice the weather allows us to get with the words in class.  Written Expression- Students are working to write meaningful sentences using their vocabulary words.  Reading Comprehension- We are reading a passage in our SPIRE reader about Martin Luther King, Jr.  Students will take a reading comprehension quiz after reading the passage aloud together and discussing it.

This week in Mrs. Howard's Language Arts, after enjoying the snow at the beginning of the week, students wrote descriptive essays about their snow experiences. Students used the Open Court language arts handbook and Open Court graphic organizers as a guide for these essays.  We concluded our study of the Open Court text selection, “The Land I Lost.”  The students used the strategies of visualizing, summarizing and making connections while reading to increase their comprehension. We continued our focus on the author’s point of view, the author’s purpose, and how the autobiography form supports that purpose. In grammar this week we again focused on adjectives, specifically the use of adjectives in descriptive writing.  Our vocabulary focus this week came from this same selection, “The Land I Lost”  and includes the following words: hamlet, cultivate, passion, mythology, and karate. Students strengthened decoding skills by dividing vocabulary words into syllables and using context clues, word structure, and apposition to determine meaning. Spelling:  Students continued with their Spellography Lesson 20 review. This lesson includes the vowel -r study: specifically the ar and or patterns.  Our Spellography quiz will be next Wednesday January 19th.

Ms. Kienzle’s Language Arts class: We will continue to learn the SPIRE vowel pair oo (food, spoon). Vocabulary: Vocabulary words will be drawn from SPIRE lessons. Comprehension: Students will read SPIRE stories and answer questions related to story content. Students will continue reading The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan and will answer comprehension questions. Written Expression: Students will complete daily oral language activities targeting capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Students will complete writing activities including narrative writing and chapter summaries of The Red Pyramid. Graphic organizers, prewriting planning maps, and Story Grammar Marker will be used as supports. Phonological Awareness: Students will segment target -oo words into individual phonemes or sounds. Beginning, middle and ending sound identification, as well as rhyming will be targeted. Phonics/Spelling: Spelling will be targeted each day during SPIRE lessons and written expression activities.

Mrs. Lewis’ Language Arts: Grammar: The students are doing a wonderful job in their identification of parts of speech. They are continuing to practice their editing skills through finding mistakes in my writing and in reviewing their own writing. Comprehension: We have finished reading our novel! This week the students will begin writing their own summaries in preparation for their final projects.

Mrs. Prewitt’s Language Arts continues working with Phonics (Sound/Symbol Relationships) SPIRE 6 silent letters wr and kn (write, knight) and mn, bh, gui (climb, ghost, guide). Phonological Awareness (Awareness of the different sounds in words, and the understanding of the relationships of the sounds) silent letter sound combinations kn and wr (knight, write) and mb, gh, gu (climb, ghost, guide).  Fluency (Using appropriate expression and speed in reading): Students will read words and drill with word cards on a daily basis. Students will read sentences pulling in learned sounds and new sounds. Students will read The Tomb of King Tut.  Vocabulary: Students will use vocabulary from SPIRE 6 including: ghastly, knelt, guide, guise, wrapped, knickknack, guard, numb, guarantee, and squire. These ten words will be their first vocabulary study unit of Quarter 3. Written Expression: Grammar with Daily Oral Language which includes editing two various types of written language (ie: sentences, addresses, quotes). Students continue to practice implementing the grammar checklist (known as COPS: Capitalization, Organization, Punctuation, and Sentences). Students will collaboratively write a five-paragraph essay about the New Year. Students will explore using extraordinary describing words in their writing by writing creative pieces inspired by abstract pictures. Students will also practice transitions in their writing (from one topic to another, paragraph to paragraph). Students will look at different types of writing to identify good examples of transitions for models.

Mrs. Ralston was very impressed with the class’ collaborative summary of the first six chapters of our class novel Frindle!  The boys worked very well together building upon each other’s recollections of the chapters read.  Phonics (Sound/Symbol Relationships):  The boys are maintaining progress reviewing previous phonograms with an emphasis on the phonogram ct which says /kt/.  Phonological Awareness (Awareness of the different sounds in words, and the understanding of the relationships of the sounds):  One drill this week involved segmenting rodeo into three syllables, then sound providing the individual sounds in the first and second syllables, and finally sound counting and providing with the last syllable.  Fluency (Using appropriate expression and speed in reading):  With the two snow days, the plan has changed to start their fluency drills again next week.  Additionally, students have worked on fluency with the two expository text SPIRE stories “Insects: Do They Attract or Distract You?” and “The Mayflower Compact.” Vocabulary:   SPIRE ct vocabulary discussed orally were conflict, inspect, victim, district, strict, conduct, and selected.  Comprehension:  The boys demonstrated understanding with targeted vocabulary by incorporating the vocabulary words into original sentences.  They each also provided an oral chapter summary based on their IVF/JOTT for Chapter 7 in Frindle in which the “Word War” between Nick and Mrs. Granger begins.  Written Expression:  The boys are in the editing phase with their own narratives describing their winter break.  The class has also focused on reviewing COPS: Capitalization, Overall structure, Punctuation, and Spelling.

Mrs. Richter's Language Arts class is continuing the v/v phonics (sound/symbol relationship) lesson in Level 7 SPIRE.  The lesson is about two syllable words that divide between two vowels such as violin, /vi/ /olin/.  Phonological Awareness: (awareness of the different sounds in words, and the understanding of the relationships of the sounds) Counting syllables, breaking words into syllables, and rhyming were the focus skills for this week.  Fluency: (using appropriate expression and speed in reading)  Students read multisyllable words that followed the v/v pattern.  Students also read stories from the SPIRE reader.  Vocabulary: Students finished compiling a list of unfamiliar words they encounter for a vocabulary test January 28.    Comprehension: Students read two articles this week.  Spelling: The words are create, ruin, giant, diet, science, quiet, prior, because, went and would.  The spelling test will be this Friday, January 14.  Written Expression:  Students write in their journals every day and practice grammar skills using Daily Oral Language warm-up drills.  This week students wrote about being out of school for two snow days.  In grammar this week students are reviewing complete sentence, run-on, and fragment identification.

Ms. Rigdon's Language Arts class is focusing on several different areas presently. Phonics/Spelling: The class is reviewing their words that have /ought/ and /aught/.  They will be taking their spelling test on Friday.  Each student claps for every syllable and is desperately trying to recognize the different pieces of the multi-syllabic words.  Fluency: is practiced within the novel reading this week.  Attention is being brought to the punctuation in the paragraphs, pausing at commas, and stopping at periods is still a main focus as well as reading with emotion.  Paragraph Grammar:  Commas in a series and comma usage with compound sentences and independent editing when using the Story Grammar Marker to adequately summarize the chapter.

Mrs. Rose’s Language Arts class will be diving into the deep blue sea as they begin a short novel study of Shipwrecked: The True Adventures of a Japanese Boy by Rhoda Blumberg. In the book, the text helps students understand the differences between American and Japanese cultures and the impact the whaling industry had on America in the 1800s. Due to snow days, the students may begin their novel early next week. To help measure progress with comprehension skills, students will complete a comprehension exercise on the computer in which they will be asked to read a story and answer a series of questions. The questions will include main idea, recalling details, and inferencing. Grammar: students will begin a short review unit on punctuation including periods, commas, apostrophe’s, question marks, and exclamation points. Students will practice identifying punctuation errors in sentences and rewriting them to demonstrate appropriate use of punctuation. Students will continue to discuss contractions this week as part of their spelling lesson. They will have some extra time with the spelling words which are as follows: can’t, don’t, wouldn’t, and many more. A spelling test is planned for Friday, January 14th. In Writing, students are working on accordion paragraphs. They have planned their paragraphs using color-coded outlines. They have done an excellent job identifying topic sentences, supporting details, and concluding ideas. The students have been using some of their time at home typing their paragraphs. They will edit and rework their paragraphs in class later this week. 

Last week Miss Southard’s Language Arts class jumped into the year with a new Language Arts unit in Open Court and discussions over which novel to read next. In class, students focused on Unit 3: Taking a Stand in their Open Court textbook. Students discussed past and current events when individuals have taken a stand to better our society. The first lesson covered, “The Pretty Pennies Picket", a story focusing on the Pretty Pennies Girls Club and taking a stand against unjust treatment. This week students will have completed "Class Discussion", a story about students who were concerned their school would close. This week, students will complete an activity on Miss Southard's Wiki discussion board. Each student will have an opportunity to share his relative opinions on the discussion board. The next Open Court reading includes "The Grimke Sisters" and "Gandhi". Students will also create Winter Similes this week in honor of the new season. Weekly vocabulary and spelling quizzes will take place on Tuesdays again this semester unless otherwise informed.

In Mrs. Yessick’s Language Arts class this week, students will continue the last phonological unit in Level 7 of SPIRE focusing on the suffix -ard.  The key word for -ard is lizard.  Students will continue to practice their fluency sheets which should be placed in the red folder and kept at home.  These are for the one minute fluency practice.  Spelling on -er, -or, -ar, and -ard was changed to Thursday, January 13.  The next spelling focus will be on contractions.  Grammar emphasis on verb phases will be tested on Wednesday, January 19.  A verb phrase consists of a helping verb and the main verb.  On practice exercises, after students find the verb phrase, the subject is identified by asking “who or what” did the action.  In written expression, students will be creating compound and complex sentences.  To create a compound sentence, students will use conjunctions.  A conjunction is a word that connects other words, phrases, or sentences.  The most widely used conjunctions are For, And, Nor, But, Or, and Yet.  Together they make the acronym FANBOY to help students recall conjunctions.  Compound sentences will be written with these and other conjunctions.  The thank you notes written last week have been sent home.  The students did an excellent joy on these!  If your home computer does not have a template for writing a note, students can fold a plain sheet of paper and create his/her own design on the front which will give it a personal touch.  Reading comprehension has consisted of reviewing past phonograms in SPIRE Level 7.  “Meteors” was an expository passage which contained review on V/V words.  This syllable pattern is when the first vowel has a long sound, because it is an open vowel.  The key word for V/V was violin.  Questions on this passage required students to return to the passage to look for details.  Students were reminded to read the questions first before reading the passage.  When reading the passage, they can highlight sections they recognize as part of the questions on the passage

Math

In Ms. Bennett's Math class we are reviewing the computations of fraction, percent, and decimal conversions. The students are practicing renaming between each of these types of numbers. Next we will advance by developing a rule for converting between decimals and percents. We will also practice converting fractions to decimals and percents by division. This is an exciting time as these skills are the culmination of many previous steps. The application of these skills will be used to create a circle graph about the increase in the amount of garbage over the past forty years.

This week Ms. Clark’s Math class is working on using prime factors to create expressions using exponents. The class is also working on converting percentages into fractions and decimals. Students are also learning how to find percentages of a number. Using these skills they are solving word problems and finding sales tax and discounts of dollar amounts. There will be a test over these concepts, as well as Roman Numerals, next week.

Students in Mrs. Hayes' class will be working on adding and subtracting money amounts written with a dollar sign and adding and subtracting decimal numbers that are not money amounts.  Using the concept of money has been helpful to our students when learning fractions and decimals.  The next lesson will be learning to work inside the parentheses first in an algorithm.  They will learn to recognize and apply the associative property of addition and multiplication.  Students did a great job with one step long division last week and are ready for two step long division. They will use the learned mnemonic as they work through the process of division.

This week in Mrs. Howard’s Math class student participation with FASTT Math and Zorbow continues to build multiplication and division fluency facts.  For application and concepts students continued reviewing and enhancing their division facts and concepts in preparation for our upcoming Fraction study. Students reviewed long division facts, partial quotient division algorithms, and division of a decimal by a whole number. Students used visualization techniques to support mental math.

Mrs. Lewis’ Math Class: This week begins our focus on fractions as ratios/proportions and decimals. The students will be practicing heir computation skills and building their fact fluency. As an introduction to ratios/proportions, the students will conduct an experiment to build a rich context of understanding.

Mrs. Prewitt’s class continues Unit 3: Fractions. Computation: Students will practice different types of mixed computation including adding and subtracting fractions, multiplication, extended addition and subtraction. Concepts and Applications: Students continue to add to their “Cheat Codes” books, which is a self made dictionary of definitions and examples of mathematical terms used in the Transitional Mathematics book (ie: conversion charts for measurement, common denominator). Students continue to review prime and composite numbers 1-29 to finish a project from the beginning of the year with manipulatives and graph paper. Student will begin to explore multiplication and division of fractions, beginning with fractions equal to 1 and fractions multiplied by 1. Students will continue to create equivalent fractions. Students will also practice reducing fractions (beginning with fractions equivalent to 1). Fact Fluency/Automaticity: Students continue Fastt Math in division. Students will complete speed drills rotating multiplication, subtraction, division, and addition on paper and online. Students will concentrate on subtraction facts this week.  

Students in Mrs. Richter's Math class are working on individual computation skills.  Some are practicing multiplying two digit numbers by two digit numbers using Making Math Real’s Chapter A and Chapter B Mystery Books.  Another group is starting a unit about fractions. Every day students start class computing problems from previously taught computation skills.  This week students continued to practice the following concepts and applications identifying money and making correct change and place value.  The new concept skill is finding the mean, median, and range.  Students used Numbers, a software program, to make their own pie, line and bar graphs.  In addition to this students spend time working every other day on FASTT Math, which is a computer software program designed to strengthen students math fluency with facts.  Students spent this week reviewing previously taught 9-Lines, 0s - 4s.  This week students studied the 5s.

Ms. Rigdon's Math class continues to use FASTT Math to improve fluency of facts with the fact families 1-5 by practicing the opposite of multiplication which is division.  The class is getting more familiar with the language of word problems.  This week the focus of the class will be to identify the multiple steps to the problems and solve them in order.  Due to the shortened week, our quiz will be moved to the middle of next week.

Mrs. Rose’s Math: In Concepts and Application, the students are continuing to work with word problems. This week, they will practice reading a graph, interpreting data, and drawing conclusions from mathematical information. Computation, students are continuing to sharpen their skills multiplying two-digit by two-digit numbers. They are using a Making Math Real strategy called a Mystery book. The students will make several more paper mystery books this week as they strengthen their skills with this new concept.

Last week in Miss Southard's Math class students began a graphing unit. In class, each student chose a city and graphed the weather patterns of his or her chosen city over a ten day period. On Friday, students chose their own topics of interest to collect data for. Students were then given the opportunity to visit other Math classrooms to collect data for his or her research question. This week students will use the computer program Numbers to graph their collected data. Math vocabulary focus during this unit includes: survey, biased, unbiased, sample size, data, frequency, pictograph, table, bar graph, line graph, pie chart, and circle graph. Each student will work on a graphing project in class. This week the class will continue to discuss the importance of graphing as well as the visual benefits to graphing collected data. On Friday, students will be introduced to "x" and "y" coordinates in a fun coordinate graphing activity.

In Mrs. Yessick’s class, students have been been completing comprehension problems as a warm-up each day on a higher level than last semester.  The class has had a positive attitude when tackling some challenging problems.  The most challenging have been with adding and subtracting unlike fractions.  Reducing fractions are also included.  Division and fractions will be our next focus, but until that time, students are practicing these skills in their warm-up.  The class is continuing to practice two-digit multiplication problems with prompts being removed.  Automaticity is improving with the continued practice.  There will be a test on two-digit multiplication on Tuesday, January 18.  In addition to multiplication, students are enjoying using real money, especially examining the silver dollar, Susan B. Anthony dollar, and fifty-cent piece.  With the focus on money, students practice writing with the dollar sign and decimal for all amounts of money, adding and subtracting money, and counting money using the least amount of money possible.  An example would be handing a clerk a quarter and a dime for $0.35 instead of three dimes and a nickel.  Please use this time to reinforce the study of money at home in a variety of ways.  Have your student count loose change collected around the house.  Start a coin collection, or have your student keep a balance record of what he has earned and/or spent.  When you are out shopping, have your student pay for the item.  They should count out the money given to the clerk, and when given change, have them count the change given back to them.  The money focus is highly motivational! Fact fluency emphasis remains on multiplication by reviewing multiplication facts, especially 6s-9s.

5^th-Grade Science Lab

The fifth graders conducted experiments to go along with Unit B: Earth Science, Chapter 3: Ocean Floor.  Students mapped the ocean floor using clay.  Then they placed straws through holes to demonstrate how sonar mapping works.  Students also studied Unit C:  Physical Science, Chapter 1: States of Matter.  The students explored what matter is and the three different states of matter, which are solid, liquid, and gas.  The snow was a great example of how water can be found in three states.  

5^th-Grade Science

Students in Mrs. Hayes' class will be using a website about the floor of the ocean to find information and write two facts about the different layers including the continental shelf, continental slope, abyssal plain, rift zones and trenches.  They will draw the layers on a poster and add their typed information. After finishing their posters, students will be allowed to use a website to view bizarre and fascinating creatures that live in the deep zones of the oceans.

Ms. Rigdon’s class is studying the changing of the Earth's surface.  They will be finishing their notes as one of the goals with this unit is to use the study guides independently and effectively.  The vocabulary test for this unit will be next Friday.  It's never to early to start quizzing your child over their new vocabulary.

Mrs. Rose’s Science: The students are currently studying Unit C: Physical Science. Last week, the students began looking at the three states of matter which are solids, liquids, and gases. Students identified the properties of each state including qualities such as mass, form, shape, etc.. Students will continue to review these descriptions this week as they try to understand more complex ideas such as gas and its ability to expand. The students will work together to identify the differences between physical and chemical properties. 

6^th-Grade Science Lab

Students are finishing Chapter 3 of Unit B, the changing earth.  Students made a model of a volcano and erupted it (baking soda and vinegar).  Students also started Unit C, Chapter 1, Lesson 1: Properties of Solar Radiation.  This lesson is about wavelengths, so students used ropes to learn about vocabulary dealing with waves, such as crest and frequency.  Next week students will explore the spectrum of light.  ROY G BIV, which is red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

6^th-Grade Science

Ms. Bennett's Science class has been introduced to our new chapter about solar radiation. The vocabulary words for the first lesson are waves, wavelength, amplitude, electromagnetic waves, frequency, and radiant energy. Students will be using the vocabulary to make their own diagram of a wave. They will also be labeling their wave with the parts: wavelength, amplitude, trough, crest, and rest position.

This week Ms. Clark’s Science class is continuing the first lesson in Unit C, Chapter 1 about waves and solar radiation. The students learned about the electromagnetic spectrum and the different frequencies with which waves carry energy. The class discussed the different types of waves that exist and how they use varying amounts of energy. The class continued learning about the different parts of waves and finished the wave posters that they began last week.

Mrs. Lewis' Science class: Due to our shortened school week, we will be focusing on Social Studies. In Science Lab, the students will continue to study volcanoes and the earth's movement.

Last week in Miss Southard's Science spent several class periods during Homeroom time focusing on unpacking/ packing routines, checking and remembering proper dress code, transitioning from one class to the next, and CIA classroom expectations. Lots of rewards and prizes were handed out to students who exhibited fantastic CIA CPR (courage, respect, and responsibility) while practicing routines. This week in Science class, students will begin Unit C on Physical Science. The first lesson will focus on Properties of Solar Radiation. Students will explore vocabulary which includes: waves, wavelength, amplitude, electromagnetic waves, frequency, and radiant energy in class this week. This week students will also explore the electromagnetic spectrum by completing a frequency, energy, and wavelength activity in class.

5^th-Grade Social Studies

Students in Mrs. Hayes' Social Studies class are using an online website to find information about the transcontinental railroad.  They will mark the famous journey on a map and write information about the particular cities and towns along the way.  Our next lesson will be about how the cattle industry changed the west

Ms. Rigdon's Social Studies class is beginning to study the Westward Expansion.  We are discovering the Transcontinental Railroad.  The Chinese are being used for workers in building the railroad which brings up another discussions about civil rights.  This week is short due to the snow so Wednesday is our main day for history lessons. Thursday and Friday will be focused on Science.

Mrs. Rose’s Social Studies students are heading West, so to speak, as they talk about cowboys and the cattle drives that ultimately changed the farming economy in the United States. Students will pose as cowboys this week as they write a letter describing life on the trail. Students have also talked about how the railroads and expansion affected the way of life for many Indians living in the United States.  Students have been encouraged to take a new perspective this week as they study Indians and foreign immigrants that began to move into the United States. We will also discuss fair treatment and wages as we discuss the railroad working conditions. 

6^th-Grade Social Studies

This week in Social Studies, Ms. Bennett's class begins their journey into ancient Rome. We will begin our studies with the geography of that area of the world including a study of desk maps and outline maps. Students will be investigating elevations and profiles with the assistance of color coding that is typically provided with these types of maps. They will be assigned to create their own elevation map of a familiar place like home or Eskind Hall.

This week Ms. Clark’s Social Studies class completed Lesson 3 on Ancient Greece. Students finished outlines describing the Peleponesian War that took place between Athens and Sparta, and how it changed the economy and structure of Greece. Students are leaning more about the new government created in Athens and using this information to compare and contrast it to American democracy. They will be creating a diagram to show the similarities and differences. The class will begin discussing Greek Philosophy and other arts at the end of the week.

Mrs. Lewis’ Social Studies: This week, the students will continue to expand their knowledge of the Ancient Greek city-states through a variety of interactive projects.  They will be making vases and shields to represent Athens and Sparta. We will also begin studying the Olympics and its origins.

Last week Miss Southard's Social Studies class focused on unpacking/ packing routines, checking and remembering proper dress code, transitioning from one class to the next, and CIA classroom expectations. Lots of rewards and prizes were received after students exhibited fantastic CIA CPR (courage, respect, and responsibility) while practicing routines. Miss Southard's class also began Chapters 3 and 4 in their Social Studies text book. They focused on Chapter 3: Athens' Age of Glory. Vocabulary included: assembly, jury, philosophy, and Peloponnesian Wars. People and places focus included: Pericles, Socrates, Plato, Acropolis, and Parthenon. This week students will focus on Science during homeroom time. Next week Miss Southard's class will continue to study Chapters 3 and 4 and explore the Athenian government in depth, Greek entertainment, and take a virtual tour of the Parthenon.

Tutorial

Ms. Bennett's Tutorial class has completed our fairy tale combinations. These creative and hilarious new stories are now being used by the class for editing practice. Students are reviewing their work with a fine tooth comb to check for mechanical errors. They will be specifically looking to make corrections in capitalization, usage, punctuation, and spelling.

This week in Ms. Clark's Math Tutorial students continued working on word problems involving time and money. Some students will also be working on counting and comparing money amounts, writing money amounts in the form of cents and dollars. Students are also working on finding elapsed time. During tutorial the students are also practicing their math facts using several math fluency games.

Students in Mrs. Hayes' class will continue to work on learning the basic elements of writing a report. They will learn to organize the basic parts of their reports by writing a plan sentence, blocking out what they want to cover in each paragraph, create an informal outline, choose transitions, jot down ideas for a conclusion, write a first draft, revise, edit and create the final copy.

Mrs. Lewis' Tutorial class: This week the class will be introduced to a long-term project which will refine their skills in measurement, computation, conversions, critical thinking and problem solving.  They will be continuing their practice of fact fluency and partner work.

Mrs. Richter’s Tutorial class is a focus on written expression with an emphasis on generating ideas and adding details to writing.  Students spent this week finishing the editing process of the papers they wrote last quarter.  Students used CUPS (Capitals, Usage -- word choice, sentence structure, paragraph structure, Punctuation, Spelling) to edit their papers and print wonderful final copies.  Next week students will start a research paper of a topic of their chose approved by the teacher. 

Ms. Rigdon's Tutorial class is wrapping up their stories from magazine pictures.  They will be moving into some direct editing teaching that will utilize COPS as well as instruct them on how to make their writing more interesting by using different types of sentences.

Mrs. Rose’s Tutorial students are practicing their theatrical reading of Someone Is Eating the Sun. This week, the students will use Inspire, a Promethean board program, to practice their reading fluency. Each page of the book has been scanned into the program. On each page, students will record themselves reading aloud. We will listen to our own recordings to identify strengths and weaknesses from the reading. The students will use special characters and symbols to mark each page to help them remember reading strategies. For example, students might draw a pair of googly eyes to remind them to “look ahead” when reading. Looking ahead while you’re reading helps students prepare for commas and end punctuation. 

Last week in Miss Southard's writing Tutorial, students created story plants using an online program with their laptops. Each student identified setting, characters, climax, and conclusion while creating their online story. Once students completed their assignments, they identified transition words within their work. Students also completed their story plant by providing an ending to the open ended composition. This week students will participate in a "drop box" assignment where they will be asked to electronically submit written assignment to Miss Southard. Paragraph topics will include "A day in a life of a student" and "life of a 6th grader". Students will use Step Up to Writing in order to form paragraphs with topic sentences, star ideas, key details, and conclusion sentences.

Students in Mrs. Yessick’s class have been challenged this week with geometrical puzzle building. The first game the class played was “Top This,” which Mrs. Howard shared with us. There are three different levels from beginner to expert. The game can be played by one or as a team challenge. With each challenge, the students are given game pieces of two separate colors. The goal is to create the same shape. The great thing about the games is that it has forced the students to work together, because of the challenge. Everyone responded with leadership and respectfulness when working with classmates. Since geometry and measurement is the focus, the class has been reviewing geometrical shapes using geoboards and rubber bands. Students are learning geometrical vocabulary such as polygon, rectangle, square, triangle, and types of triangles (equilateral, right, isosoles, scalene, acute, and obtuse). While building these figures on the geoboard, the class discussed measuring the shapes using degrees. It has been a fun and challenging start to our geometric study.