Updates and announcements

Welcome to our last week of the quarter! Students have worked so hard and have earned their time off. I am especially impressed with all of the state brochures. Students went above and beyond, creating beautiful brochures that capture the beauty of their state.

We will be doing our class spelling bee today. It is different than years past-students do not get the list to study ahead of time, so there is no preparation. Students can volunteer to compete, but do not have to. Ms. Canfield was kind enough to offer to proctor our class bee during grammar.

Our class celebration is on Wednesday. Thank you for all who are volunteering time and donations!

Our week in learning

In writing and grammar, students will be competing in our class spelling bee.

In Literature, students will finish up the class poetry unit.

This week in science, students will conclude their lab with Ms. Chaudhury and review the parts of the cell in preparation for our plant cells unit that will begin next quarter.

This week, students will finish their State Brochure Presentations.

This week in Math, students will take their last math test of the quarter on Monday, December 18th. There will be no math groups this week.Updates and announcements

Welcome to our last week of the quarter! Students have worked so hard and have earned their time off. I am especially impressed with all of the state brochures. Students went above and beyond, creating beautiful brochures that capture the beauty of their state.

We will be doing our class spelling bee today. It is different than years past-students do not get the list to study ahead of time, so there is no preparation. Students can volunteer to compete, but do not have to. Ms. Canfield was kind enough to offer to proctor our class bee during grammar. 

Our class celebration is on Wednesday. Thank you for all who are volunteering time and donations! 

Our week in learning

In writing and grammar, students will be competing in our class spelling bee.

In Literature, students will finish up the class poetry unit.

This week in science, students will conclude their lab with Ms. Chaudhury and review the parts of the cell in preparation for our plant cells unit that will begin next quarter.

This week, students will finish their State Brochure Presentations.

This week in Math, students will take their last math test of the quarter on Monday, December 18th. There will be no math groups this week.

Winter Celebration sign up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4aadae2baafb6-winter1

Updates and announcements

This is our last full week! If your child is going to be absent next week, please let me know so they can take any last assessments before they leave.

Our Where the Red Fern Grows celebration will take place next Wednesday.

Students will be cleaning their desks next Wednesday, but will not need to empty them as in years past. There is no need to send bags to hold their supplies this year.

Our week in learning

Students will finish their final drafts in class on Tuesday. On Wednesday, students will spend the day composing an essay by themselves as part of our writing workshop! I look forward to seeing what our students will produce. On Thursday and Friday, students will review their persuasive essays for the most effective arguments.

Students will take their 50 word roots test on Friday.

“The Snowstorm” recitations will take place this Wednesday, 12/13.

This week in science, students will review for and take their mitosis quiz, which will take place on Tuesday. Students will be expected to know the order of the stages of mitosis and what happens during each stage, as well as how mitosis differs from binary fission. On Thursday and Friday, students will conduct a bacteria-growing lab in which they will practice their scientific investigation skills.

This week in History, students will be presenting their Feudal Japan chapters as a group on Monday and Tuesday.

Students have finished the 50 states unit and will demonstrate their knowledge by creating a brochure for a randomly chosen state. States will be chosen and information given on Monday. Their final brochure is due for presentation on Wednesday, 12/13. We will present on their states until Winter break. We will present on a volunteer basis, so students who will be absent the last week of school must present on Thursday or Friday.

This week in Math, students find the area and perimeter of odd-shaped figures, explore the area of a triangle (½ x base x height), parallelograms, and the surface area of rectangular prism, cube, and cuboids. Their last test of the quarter will be on Monday, December 18th. There are no math groups this week.

Updates and announcements

Winter break is fast approaching and students are working hard to get to the finish line.

In our class, we have been discussing the homework and project work for the last few weeks. We talked about how if the projects and large assignments are done a little bit every night, they will not go over the recommended amount of time for homework. This is especially true when students do not have Spalding homework, or if there is no math homework. Students also know to prioritize (finishing the 100-point project first, then worrying about the state brochure assignment later). This is a great exercise in time management.

On Thursday, I will be working off-campus. Students will be in good hands with Ms. White.

Our week in learning

Students will take their mid-year grammar test on Tuesday.

Students will begin their next writing project this week on Persuasive Writing. They’ll write an essay as a turkey to a farmer entitled “Wait, wait! Don’t Shoot!” As pre-writing and rough drafts come home, please help your child edit for spelling and grammar errors.

The 100-point project is due on Thursday this week.

Students will have their weekly roots test this week.

This week in science, students will consider the benefits and harm that eukaryotic protists can potentially bring to mankind, incorporating these viewpoints into a class discussion. Students may use this web site as a resource for the discussion worksheet: https://www.ck12.org/biology/protists-and-disease/lesson/Protists-and-Human-Disease-BIO/

Additionally, students will learn about how prokaryotic organisms choose to live together in a colony. Finally, students will be introduced to the stages of mitosis. They will take a short quiz over mitosis next week.

This week in History, students will take their “Golden Age to Glorious Revolution” test on Monday. Starting on Tuesday, students will begin their work on an in-class Feudal Japan project. In groups, students will be assigned a chapter from the book and design a lesson to teach their peers. They will create a poster board in class as well. There will be no homework for this project, everything will be done in class. As a group, students will teach their chapter on Monday and Tuesday of next week.

Students have finished the 50 states unit and will demonstrate their knowledge by creating a brochure for a randomly chosen state. States will be chosen and information given on Monday. Their final brochure is due for presentation on Wednesday, 12/13. We will present on their states until Winter break.

This week in Math, students find the area and perimeter of odd-shaped figures, and explore the area of a triangle (½ x base x height). This is the last week of math groups for the quarter! We will have math groups from 8:00-9:00.

Updates and announcements

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I spent mine working on a quilt for my in-laws and taking luxurious naps with my cats.

We have our first “normal” week for a while! We are excited to get back to a routine schedule-wise for the next three weeks.

Students have some big assignments coming up. We will be finishing units and the end of the quarter always has loose ends to tie up-meaning final tests and assignments to turn in before break. Please carefully read the “Our week in learning” section for more information on due dates for these assignments.

Our week in learning

Students will be introduced to direct objects and take a brief quiz tomorrow over Monday’s lesson.

Students will complete a weekly literature summary from last week’s reading of Where the Red Fern Grows, and continue to read the next three chapters of the book.

Students will continue their 100 point project this week based on Where the Red Fern Grows. Look for an information packet coming home! Students are given a number of mini-assignments work various point values ranging from 5-40 points, and must complete any assignments whose value adds up to 100 points. This will be primarily the student’s responsibility, and they will have until December 7th to complete it. I will give students some time in class to work on this, but it will primarily be homework.

Students took a roots quiz last week, so they will learn their new roots this week and resume quizzes next week.

Keep an eye out for the new poem coming home.

This week in science, students will begin studying animal cells. They will learn the functions and locations of organelles in the cell. There will be a short quiz on Friday.

This week in History, students will continue our unit on “Golden Age to Glorious Revolution”. We will discuss King Charles II and King James II, and the monarch’s that brought on the revolution-William and Mary. Students will complete the final draft of their Charles I articles due on Thursday. Study guides for the Glorious Revolution test will go home on Monday, 11/27, and are due on Friday, 12/1. The Glorious Revolution test will take place on Monday, 12/4.

Students have finished the 50 states unit and will demonstrate their knowledge by creating a brochure for a randomly chosen state. States will be chosen and information given on Monday. Their final brochure is due for presentation on Wednesday, 12/13. We will present on their states until Winter break.

This week in Math, students will review multiplying and dividing fractions, and solving word problems using division and multiplication of fractions. Students will test over Unit 4 on Thursday, 11/30. On Friday, students will begin learning about area, perimeter, and surface area.

Updates and announcements

It was so nice to see all of you at the Winter concert and the Fall Festival this week! What a wonderful community we have here at Arete.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!

Our week in learning

Students will be introduced to direct objects and take a brief quiz tomorrow over Monday’s lesson.

Students will complete a weekly literature summary from last week’s reading of Where the Red Fern Grows, and continue to read the next three chapters of the book.

Students will begin their 100 point project this week based on Where the Red Fern Grows. Look for an information packet coming home! Students are given a number of mini-assignments work various point values ranging from 5-40 points, and must complete any assignments whose value adds up to 100 points. This will be primarily the student’s responsibility, and they will have until December 7th to complete it. I will give students some time in class to work on this, but it will primarily be homework.

This week in science, students will be introduced to the structure of cells. They will extend on the differences between Prokaryotes (cells with no nuclei) and Eukaryotes (cells with nuclei), a concept touched upon in our Classification unit. On Tuesday, students will write a short compare-contrast paragraph about Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.

This week in History, students will continue our unit on “Golden Age to Glorious Revolution”. We will discuss the cowardice and execution of Charles I and the reign of Oliver Cromwell. Students will get to write an article describing the reasons behind the execution of Charles I. The rough draft is due on Tuesday, 11/28 and the final draft rewritten on construction paper is due 11/30. This assignment is normally given over 2 days, and students have 2 non-R&R days to complete the rough draft. Please note that there will be a 50 states location test on 11/21. Here are some online resources for students to use to study: https://online.seterra.com/en/vgp/3003

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/USA_Geography/USA_GL_click_1024.html

https://www.sporcle.com/games/Matt/find_the_states

https://www.bls.gov/k12/content/games/geography-quiz/geography-quiz.htm (This one lists statistics about the state.)

This week in Math, students will continue to learn about multiplying and dividing fractions. Students will be working on solving multi-step word problems that involve fractions.

Updates and announcements

We have a busy week coming up! I will be out of the classroom at a math conference on Monday and Wednesday. Our students will be safe in Ms. White’s capable hands. Due to this, I may be slow at replying to emails, so I apologize in advance. Rest assured, I will be at our Archway music concert this Wednesday, 11/15/17, despite being out during the school day.

The Fall Festival is this Saturday!

Our week in learning

This week in language arts, students will continue crafting their personal narratives, moving from abstract ideas to rough and final drafts.

Students will complete a weekly literature summary from last week’s reading of Where the Red Fern Grows, and continue to read the next three chapters of the book.

Students will recite their poems, “The Road Less Taken”, on Wednesday, November 15^th.

This week in science, students will take the unit test on Classification on Tuesday, 11/14. Study guides are due Monday, 11/13 and will be reviewed in class. Students will begin their next unit on cells by reading a selection of a text by Robert Hooke, a scientist from the 17th century who first looked at cells under a microscope. Students will compare prokaryotic cells (cells with no nuclei) to eukaryotic cells (cells with nuclei) and will begin to study the difference between plant and animal cells next week.

This week in History, students will begin our unit on “Golden Age to Glorious Revolution”. We will discuss the monarchs of England starting with Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary) and Queen Elizabeth I. We will also go over England’s defeat of the Spanish Armada, Sir Francis Drake, and the English Civil War, focusing on King James I, King Charles I, the Cavaliers and Roundheads. Please note that there will be a 50 states location test before Thanksgiving Break on 11/21. The study guides for this 50 states test are due on 11/20. Here are some online resources for students to use to study: https://online.seterra.com/en/vgp/3003

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/USA_Geography/USA_GL_click_1024.html

https://www.sporcle.com/games/Matt/find_the_states

https://www.bls.gov/k12/content/games/geography-quiz/geography-quiz.htm (This one lists statistics about the state.)

This week in Math, students will continue to learn about multiplying and dividing fractions. Students will divide a whole number by a fraction and divide a fraction by a fraction. There will be no math groups this week.

Updates and Announcements

We are closing in on some fun activities! Check out the “Important Dates” section for more information.

We have some important assessments coming up. If you have a planned absence for your child before Thanksgiving, please let me know so he or she can take it before you leave.

Our week in learning

This week, students will focus on Writing during Block. They will work on brainstorming and pre-writing maps.

For Poetry, students will memorize “The Road Not Taken” for 11/15.

Students will complete a weekly literature summary from last week’s reading of Where the Red Fern Grows, and continue to read the next three chapters of the book.

In science this week, students will wrap up the Classification unit by learning about Kingdom Protista and Kingdom Monera - quite different organisms from plants, animals, and fungi! The Fungi Kingdom open-note take-home quiz sent home last Friday is due Monday, 11/6. On Friday this week, students will participate in an in-class unit review to prepare for the upcoming test. The Classification study guide that students have been working on nightly is due Monday, 11/13, and the unit test will take place on Tuesday, 11/14.

This week in History, students will begin learning about the Reformation. We will be addressing this topic as a historical event-not labeling “good” and “bad”. Students will be learning about the objective corruptions within the Catholic church at this time, then the Counter-Reformation, and lastly, the Reformation’s effect on science. This week, we will review the study guide for their test. The Reformation test will take place on Tuesday, November 7th. We will also learn about Alaska and Hawaii. Please note that there will be a 50 states location test before Thanksgiving Break on 11/21. The study guides for this 50 states test are due on 11/20. Here are some online resources for students to use to study: https://online.seterra.com/en/vgp/3003

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/USA_Geography/USA_GL_click_1024.html

https://www.sporcle.com/games/Matt/find_the_states
https://www.bls.gov/k12/content/games/geography-quiz/geography-quiz.htm (This one lists statistics about the state.)

This week in Math, students will continue to learn about multiplying and dividing fractions. Students will solve word problems that involve multiplying a fraction by a fraction and divide a fraction by a whole number. Open tutoring is on Mondays, 3:05-3:40. Math groups will take place this week at a different time due to the winter concert rehearsals. Math groups will be at 8:45-9:45.

Here are some fun resources for your child to use to study for the 50 States Location Test on 11/21.

https://online.seterra.com/en/vgp/3003

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/USA_Geography/USA_GL_click_1024.html

https://www.sporcle.com/games/Matt/find_the_states

https://www.bls.gov/k12/content/games/geography-quiz/geography-quiz.htm (This one lists statistics about the state.)

Updates and announcements

I love second quarter because our students really start to get comfortable in the classroom, they start taking academic risks, and the routines are perfected. We also have so many fun activities and classroom celebrations! We will be working closely with 2A throughout the quarter with buddy reading and Socratic discussion practice.

Our Read-a-thon is tomorrow! Please remember that students may dress up if their costume was approved by me (all proposals so far have been approved). Students should bring in a flashlight, pillow, and their favorite book to read in our blanket forts.

Friday is a half day due to teacher training.

Our week in learning

This week, students will start block for Writing and Grammar. They will be reviewing diagramming and classifying skills, as well as be introduced to pronouns.

We will start reading Where the Red Fern Grows this week. They will be working on a comprehension packet for each chapter that they read for homework.

There will be a weekly roots quiz on Wednesday.

Poetry recitations will take place next Wednesday, November 1^st. (Narcissa)

This week, students will continue their study of the Animal Kingdom and will be assigned a take-home quiz on Monday, due in homeroom on Thursday. They will also learn about the Fungi Kingdom and complete a take-home quiz over the weekend. Students will fill out portions of their Classification study guides concurrent with the day’s lesson each night. Study guides will be collected for points at the end of the Classification unit.

This week in History, students will begin learning about the Reformation. We will be addressing this topic as a historical event-not labeling “good” and “bad”. Students will be learning about the objective corruptions within the Catholic church at this time, then the Counter-Reformation, and lastly, the Reformation’s effect on science. This week, we will discuss the Counter-Reformation and the revolution in science that occurred with Copernicus and Galileo during the Reformation. Study guides will go home on Monday, October 30th and due Monday, November 6th. The Reformation test will take place on Tuesday, November 7th. We will also learn about the Northwest region of the United States. Please note that there will be a 50 states location test before Thanksgiving Break. The study guides for this 50 states test will go home on Wednesday, giving students 3 weeks to prepare.

This week in Math, students will finish our first fractions unit. We will review on Monday and take their test on Tuesday. We will jump right into our next unit on Wednesday, so there will be no math groups on Wednesday. Our next unit is continuing with fractions, focusing on multiplying and dividing fractions. Open tutoring is on Mondays, 3:05-3:40.

Updates and announcements

It was so great getting to meet with all of you last week to talk about your wonderful children. I hope everyone enjoyed their three-day weekend. Mine was spent sewing baby quilts.

We will be starting block scheduling this week! Students are very excited to be switching classrooms. They will have Science with Ms. Canfield and Writing/Grammar with Ms. Speagle. Classroom teachers are still responsible for assigning and reporting grades. Ms. White will be with them while they switch classes.

With the second week starting, students will be calling home when they have late homework assignments. For example, if an assignment was due on Monday and it is not turned in by Tuesday at recess, they will call home to inform a parent that they have a late assignment and it is now a zero in the gradebook. Please note that this is NOT to burden parents, or to have parents bring in the assignment, it is just to inform the parent. Students will always leave a message if needed.

The Science Fair is this Wednesday! Please come to see your child’s hard work on display.

Our Read-a-thon celebration will take place on Tuesday, October 31^st. Be on the lookout for a sign up from our wonderful class parents.

Our week in learning

This week, students will start block for Writing and Grammar. They will be reviewing organization of a well-constructed paragraph.

We will start reading Where the Red Fern Grows this week. They will be working on a comprehension packet.

There will be a weekly roots quiz on Wednesday.

Poetry recitations will take place next Wednesday, November 1^st.

In science this week, students will begin their classification unit, studying the animal kingdom and several different phyla and classes. They will learn the traits of different kinds of animals and how scientists distinguish them from one another. Additionally, students will put their roots skills to work learning species’ scientific names in Latin. There will be an open-note take-home quiz on Friday.

This week in History, students will begin learning about the Reformation. We will be addressing this topic as a historical event-not labeling “good” and “bad”. Students will be learning about the objective corruptions within the Catholic church at this time, then the Counter-Reformation, and lastly, the Reformation’s effect on science. This week, we will focus on other important people of the Reformation, including Zwingli, Calvin, and briefly, Henry VIII. We will get to have an enrichment day going over Henry VIII more in-depth after the unit is finished. On Wednesday, students will take the Midwest, Great Plains, and Rocky Mountain Region location quiz. We will also learn about our own Southwest region of the United States. Please note that there will be a 50 states location test before Thanksgiving Break.

This week in Math, students will continue with our fractions unit. We will work on converting measurements and solving word problems. Our unit test will be next week. There will be math groups this Wednesday, 8:00-9:00.

Updates and announcements

We are back and excited to begin our second quarter! I hope everyone had a wonderful Fall Break! I got to spend mine cuddling with my cats, quilting, and cooking.

This week is all half days due to parent-teacher conferences. I look forward to seeing all of you and getting to share the wonderful ways your child has grown this year.

Please send in “Where the Red Fern Grows” with your child this week.

Our Science Fair will be next Wednesday in the gym.

Our week in learning

This week, students will work on reading comprehension skills with short quizzes, which we will go over in class.

Next week, students will begin reading “Where the Red Fern Grows.” Expect to see a homework comprehension sheet for each completed chapter.

In grammar, students will learn roots 26-29 and take a short quiz on Friday. They will review classifying and diagramming throughout the week. Next week, students will begin studying possessive nouns.

This week in science brings our much-anticipated science fair presentations. Students’ diligence and perseverance has paid off with the result of wonderfully-constructed science fair projects. All this week, students will present their projects to classmates in their home rooms during approximately 5-minute long presentations. Please note that everything your child needs to present his or her project should already be at school - the trifold board and written essay. Other components of the projects should not be brought to school; however, students may bring additional pictures they wish to share.

On October 25, our all-school fifth-grade science fair will take place. All students’ projects will be submitted to qualify for awards! You are invited to come with your child and explore the fifth-grade projects, but attendance is not necessary for your child’s submission.

This week in History, students will begin learning about the Reformation. We will be addressing this topic as a historical event-not labeling “good” and “bad”. Students will be learning about the objective corruptions within the Catholic church at this time, then the Counter-Reformation, and lastly, the Reformation’s effect on science. This week, we will focus on the changes happening in thought due to the Renaissance, the printing press, and the birth of Protestantism with Martin Luther-detailing indulgences. On Wednesday, we will continue our U.S. geography study with the Rocky Mountain region.

This week in Math, students will continue with our fractions unit. We will work on identifying and comparing “benchmark” fractions, multiplying fractions by whole numbers, and converting measurements to be expressed as a fraction of a smaller unit. There will be no math groups this week.

We made it! Our students have worked so hard this quarter! I have a few updates for you before the break starts.

*I have documentation from all students who have their science fair posters finished! You will not get an email confirmation unless they did not complete the poster.

*Science packet grades are on the last page of the packet. Students may want these while they prepare for their presentations after Fall Break. Science Fair essays will go home to parents at Parent-Teacher conferences.

*Parent-Teacher Conferences are after break. Please sign up for a 30 minute slot to meet with me and Ms. White. Here is the link to the sign-up:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4aadae2baafb6-parentteacher

*Specials Parent-Teacher Conference Sign up: 2-5 Specials Conference Sign-up

*Ms. White and I have been working tirelessly to get your child’s quarter one grades complete before they leave for Fall Break. All work from quarter one, including the history test, history notebook grade, science fair essay grade sheet, roots test, science notebook grade, and open note science test, are coming home today. One quick note-the grades assigned to the field trip paragraphs refer to their handwritten final drafts, not the typed final draft. Please review the contents of their signed folder.

Have a wonderful Fall Break!

Updates and announcements

What a quarter! We are in our last week before Fall Break and students are persevering toward the finish line. I am quite excited for our week off to get some quilting done.

Our first celebration of the year is on Friday! Your donations of either time or supplies will make our celebration special.

Parent-Teacher conference sign up will be going out on Friday.

Our week in learning

This week in language arts, students will finish up their final drafts and begin typing and publishing them within the class.

In literature, students will finish out the Voyage of the Dawn Treader with a test (they will be expected to put main events of the story in chronological order) and discussions about the characters and their journeys.

Friday, we celebrate the end of the quarter and the end of our book!

Please bring in Where the Red Fern Grows after fall break. :)  

In science, students will learn about Mendeleev’s ordering of the Periodic Table - so precise that he even guessed where undiscovered elements would fit on it! Students will learn about atomic properties and their relations to the Periodic Table, and watch two videos about the mystery of the Periodic Table, relating historical discoveries to our modern-day understanding of chemistry. On Friday, students will take an open-note matching quiz on the chemistry unit. Science Fair packets and projects are due on Friday, October 6!

This week in History, students will finish the Renaissance Unit. Study guides were due today, Monday, 10/2. The Renaissance test will be on Tuesday, 10/3. We will be learning about the Great Plains region of the United States this week. We will set up their Reformation foldables on Thursday.

This week in Math, students will continue with our fractions unit. We will work on adding mixed numbers, word problems, multiplying fractions. We will have math groups this Wednesday 8:00-9:00.

Updates and announcements

It was so nice to see some of you at the Math and Phonics night last week! If you were unable to attend and would like the completed handout, please let me know.

There will be no school this Friday.

Be on the look out for an email from our class parents with a sign-up genius for our upcoming celebration!

With the upcoming Science Fair project due, please note that we are taking measures to alleviate some student work next week, such as a catch-up day to complete the history study guide in class, and an open note test in science (which should not require too much studying if their notes are complete).

Our week in learning

This week in Language Arts, students will begin the writing process with pre-writing tools such as graphic organizers and outlines. They will be composing a descriptive essay about an imaginary field trip their class took. Please look for rough drafts coming home to help your students with spelling and grammar checks!

This week in literature, students will finish The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and update their notebooks in preparation for the last literature test of the quarter. They will be expected to place the events of the children’s adventures in the order that they occurred.

Finally, students will be preparing for their Latin and Greek Roots (1-25) test on Thursday.

In science, we will begin to wrap up their chemistry unit, delving into the structure of the Periodic Table and how atomic properties give the Table its order. They will learn how atomic weights were discovered and that the order of the Periodic Table is extraordinarily regular. There will be an open-note chemistry quiz on Friday, October 6.

This week in History, students will continue learning about the Renaissance, focusing discussion with the Castiglione and Machiavelli readings, and the Renaissance in northern Europe. Study guides are going home today and will be due on Monday, 10/2. With their Science Fair essays due on the same day, we will have a catch up day on Thursday for students to finish any incomplete notes, work on their study guides, and study for their test. The Renaissance test will be on Tuesday, 10/3. There will be a states location quiz covering the South, Mid-Atlantic, and New England regions this Wednesday 9/27. We will be learning about the Midwest region of the United States this week.

This week in Math, students will continue with our fractions unit. We will work on understanding the relationship between fractions and division, addition of fractions, and subtraction of fractions. Math groups will continue this Wednesday, 8:00-8:45.

Updates and announcements

This week, we cordially invite you to Math and Phonics night on Wednesday, September 20^th. In addition to word problems and Spalding, we will also be covering the basics of sentence diagramming.

Please be looking through the signed folders with your child at the end of every week, then returning the empty folder on Mondays.

Please check the due dates for the Science Fair in your child’s science fair packet.

There will be no school next Friday, September 29^th.

Please see this week’s family newsletter from Office Manager, Rachele Holcomb, for a link to the annual homework survey. If you are not receiving the weekly family newsletter, email Rachele Holcomb at rholcomb@archwayarete.org.

Our week in learning

This week in grammar, students will take a test on Prepositions and prepositional phrases. They will review sentence diagramming and practice reconstructing sentences from their diagrams.

In literature, students will read through chapters 10-11 and continue building their summarization skills. They will end the week with an exercise summarizing the events of chapters 1-11 in anticipation of an end-of-book test in the first week of October.

In science, students will continue studying chemistry by learning about molecules and compounds, as well as mixtures and solutions. Students will practice writing chemical formulas with atomic symbols, and learn the difference between a solute and a solvent. They will read about the difference between acids and bases and conduct a lab to determine which known substances are acids, bases, or neutral, based on their prior knowledge of the substances.

This week in History, students will continue learning about the Renaissance, focusing on Venice, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Castiglione. On Friday, students will get to read unabridged excerpts from Castiglione’s The Courtier and Machiavelli’s The Prince in preparation for a socratic discussion on leadership on Monday. Please note that these are difficult passages and may need some parental or older sibling assistance to comprehend. I would suggest taking time to read these, and maybe creating a vocabulary list. The readings can count for reading log credit. We will also be learning about the South region of the United States on Wacky Wednesday. There will be a states location quiz covering the South, Mid-Atlantic, and New England regions next Wednesday, 9/27.

This week in Math, students will finish the unit on “More Calculations with Whole Numbers and test on Thursday. Students will start Unit 3: Fractions on Friday with a review of fractions, equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and comparing fractions. Math groups will continue this Wednesday, 8:00-9:00.

Updates and Announcements

Week 5 has come and gone and we are hitting the ground running with week 6. Sometime throughout my years in college, a professor told me that week 5 is the most difficult week of the semester and year as students are adjusting to the full workload. I would say we are just about there as students are working diligently on their science fair projects and we begin our fourth unit in History.

Thank you so much to all of the grandparents who came to our classroom on Friday. The students enjoyed hearing you all read “The Magician’s Nephew” to them!

Picture day is this Thursday!

Our week in learning

This week in Grammar, students will take a test on Tuesday, and practice reconstructing a sentence from a sentence diagram.

In Literature, students will continue reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. There will be a short test on Wednesday where students will put the events of the book so far in order. Their summaries should be helpful with this.

Students will recite “The Tyger” and have their weekly roots quiz on Wednesday.

This week in science, students will begin their chemistry unit by studying the periodic table and the history behind the discovery of the elements. They will read about the chemist Robert Boyle, who conducted experiments to determine acids and bases using violet water, and will conduct their own experiments on acids and bases on Friday.

Science fair project proposals are due TODAY, Monday, September 11. Packets must be signed by parents and brought in for teacher approval.

This week in History, students will continue learning about the Renaissance with a general overview, the difference between artists and artisans, Florence and the Medici family, and the role the Renaissance popes played in Italy. Students will be practicing using fill-in-the-blank notes and column-style notes. We will also be learning about the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States on Wacky Wednesday.

This week in Math, students will continue the next unit, titled “More Calculations with Whole Numbers”. We will practice multiplying and dividing by 2 and 3 digit numbers. Students will practice using graph paper to help them stay organized in solving the problems. Math groups will continue this Wednesday, 8:00-8:45.

Updates and announcements

Another week gone! We have a lot of exciting things coming up this month. Be sure to check out the “Important Dates” part of the blog.

Our week in learning

This week in language arts, students will be introduced to prepositions, objects of prepositions, and prepositional phrases. They will practice using them to build sentences, as well as classifying and diagramming them. Look for notebooks coming home this week to help with diagram questions.

In literature, students will read through chapter 9 of the Voyage of the Dawn Treader and practice outlining events using a traditional outline format.

Students will have their weekly roots quiz. “The Tyger” will be recited on 9/13.

Students will prepare for their upcoming unit test in science this week by reviewing their foldables and quizzing each other in class. This week, students will also be introduced to their science fair projects, due 10/6. This will be due on Monday, 9/11.The unit test will take place on Friday, September 8. The first section due will be their project approval, which will require a parent signature.

This week in History, students will finish their unit on the Meso-American Civilizations with a review day on Tuesday and the test on Wednesday. On Thursday, we will begin our weekly US geography lessons, starting with the New England region. Please note that students will have periodic map tests over all of the regions, and end the unit with a 50 states map test. On Friday, we will begin our study of the Renaissance.

This week in Math, students will continue the next unit, titled “More Calculations with Whole Numbers”. We will continue working on mental math strategies and start lessons on solving word problems with bar models. Weekly Math Groups will begin this Wednesday, September 6th, 8:00-8:45. Open math tutoring will continue Monday, and by invitation only math tutoring will continue on Wednesday.