Math and Science
The end is near! This week we will be finishing up chapter 11 in math. This is our last official chapter, as we already completed chapter 12 prior to MCAS testing. Because this is a short week, we will take our chapter 11 test next Tuesday (June 5th), and use Monday for review. For the next two weeks in science, students will be learning about density. We will learn new vocabulary, read about density, and calculate density using a formula. Next week students will be given the chance to put their STEM skills to use! They will be using common materials to build a boat, and we'll have a challenge to see whose boat can hold the most weight without sinking. Students should start thinking about bringing in materials for their boats such as craft sticks, straws, tape, foil, balloons, etc. English Language Arts, Reading and History Omnia Finis Imminet , Just to re-iterate Ms. Brach.... in Latin..... This is Julius Caesar week with information of his influence on the Roman Republic and subsequent history. I'll throw in a dramatic representation of the assassination as well. A cursory discussion of Roman government and the Roman Empire will follow. Grammar this week focuses on Adverbs. We continue with The Phantom Tollbooth. Great metaphors, complex sentences and idiom practice. The Interview I notes are due on Friday. Students should have a lot of details like names, dates, locations written in notes form, No full sentences or paragraphs! We start the writing on Friday!
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English Language Arts, History and Reading
We read the realistic fiction story "Ta-Na-E-Ka" and practice compare and contrast. We have been reading The Phantom Tollbooth as our class read a loud. Very much a local classic with piles of poetic and literary elements, many of which are above the heads of many 12 year olds, but still entertaining to discuss. Roman history continues with a brief discussion of Roman numerals, Roman Architecture including the Circus Maximus. I've been checking how students have been conducting interviews to make sure they do not wait for the last minute for this important writing assignment. I've seen lots of really good work and probably it has been a great opportunity to tell some pretty funny stories. I like to think this assignment is enjoyed by everyone. At this point, students should only have notes, nothing written as a text. I have given some time to work on Museum Books and provided so much paper for covering the walls and floors. By this time, students should be done with the wall paper and floors and we'll spend some time this week on the captions and drawings. We revisit spelling this week with a spelling test and homework due on Thursday. If we have time, we begin adverbs this week. Math and Science This week we will resume normal classes and schedules, as our testing is over! Hurray! In math, we are cycling back to chapter 10. This chapter has a focus on volume and surface area of rectangular and triangular prisms. We have done a lot of work with these concepts already, and students should feel very successful when applying their knowledge. There will be a quiz on Wednesday or Thursday, and a test next week. We will be moving through these last chapters quickly, as we have already done most of the lessons before MCAS testing. In science we will be learning about chemical reactions, which can be endothermic or exothermic. On Wednesday we will be doing a multi-part lab, where students will mix different ingredients together and measure the temperature change. Based on the change they will conclude if a chemical reaction took place, and whether it was endothermic or exothermic. A prerequisite to this experiment is the reading homework that will be assigned Monday and due Wednesday. Failure to complete this homework will result in students not being able to participate, since information for the experiment is contained in the reading. There will be a quiz on chemical reactions on Friday. English Language Arts, Reading and History We discuss the origins of Ancient Rome, Roman mythology and Roman numerals this week. The focus this week will be on sequence and cause and effect as we read "Exploring the Titanic" in the Treasures book. Students will not do vocabulary or the traditional test and instead use chromebooks to justify who is responsible for the sinking of the Titanic. Whatever does not get finished in class on Wednesday will be homework due on Thursday. We continue the wonderful wacky world of possessive, indefinite and relative pronouns. Students have their Interview Part II due on Friday. I would expect the full name of the person, the relationship, a location and the words and phrases answers for at least 15 questions. I've also assigned the History Museum Book due June 14. Details are posted in the homework upload section. We continue in Massachusetts Book Awards books for reading groups. Math and Science Finally, our last week of "drive by" math lessons! We will be finishing up our chapter 12 preview this week by looking at how the distribution of data on a graph can tell us even more information about the data, when to use what types of graphs, and how to interpret line graphs. These 3 lessons come from chapter 12. We will also continue to review math skills from the whole year in order to make sure everything is fresh for our MCAS tests this Thursday and Friday. I feel confident that students are prepared and will feel comfortable and successful on this exam. To prepare for our upcoming physical science units, students will have an article to read and answer questions about. This will be due on Wednesday. English Language Arts, Reading and History The Colosseum questions are due on Wednesday followed by some discussion of the famous slave Spartacus, film clips of Kirk Douglas and a gladiator game. The Interview Project Part II has a check in on May 18 with completed interview notes due on June 1. Remember students should only be jotting down notes in words and phrases. The rough draft will be completed in class. I hope you've been having fun talking about the"olden days." We're building a "Museum Book" in class this week. The project will require students to present main ideas and key details of each of the 4 units of history we have studied this year. More to follow... We started the classic book "The Phantom Tollbooth" today, another favorite book. The Tom Sawyer one pagers were remarkable, creative and very informative. Thank you! |