February Novels due by 2/9/09!

We have enjoyed reading about our new president!

Now, we are moving on to our February novels.

Please have these books in the classroom by 2/9/09.

5th grade BOYS:
Bud Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis

5th grade GIRLS:
Bud Not Buddy - Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watson's Go To Birmingham - Christopher Paul Curtis

6th grade GIRLS:
7th grade GIRLS:
Chandra's Secret - Allan Stratton

6th grade BOYS:
7th grade BOYS:
Elijah of Buxton - Christopher Paul Curtis

New Unit: Text Features and Graphic Features

New Unit: Text Features and Graphic Features
Starts Feb. 4th

All grades will be introduced to this new unit:
Text Features and Graphic Features

Text Features of Informational texts are parts of a selection that help you locate facts quickly.

Graphic Features of Informational texts show information that is easy to read and interpret.

IB Profile Attributes: Knowledgeable, Inquirers

GPS Standards: 5R 1W3, 6R2(C),7 R2(C)

This unit will encompass learning to identify in literature and define the following:

Captions
Photos
Illustrations
Heading
Glossary
Table of Contents
Title
Subheading
Subtitle
Charts – table
Graphs – Pie, Line, Bar
Index
Boldface Terms
Italics
Preview
Timeline
Bibliography
Footnotes
Maps – Descriptive, Statistical, Weather
Sidebar
Introduction
Conclusion

CRCT - Online Practice Tests

Your child has been given their CRCT online practice test user id's and passwords. They have also been assigned a test and due date. Please initial their CRCT online chart, stating that they did complete the test and you saw the results. We will each week go online in the classroom and review each test.

Website: www.georgiaoas.org


Test Due Date: 1/28

Test Number to complete:
5th grade: 89
6th grade: 93
7th grade: 96

Week of 1/21/09

Happy Week to all!

We are continuing with organizational structure - we will be working on

Compare/Contrast
Problem/Solution

also all classes will be given a Latin/Greek vocabulary/spelling packet, these words will be tested on Monday of next week. These packets will now be given on a weekly basis.

YES WE CAN -- We will be reading to chapter 9 this week and will have a quiz on 1 - 4.
Essay is due on Friday from study guide.


If you have any questions - please feel free to email me.

Update for Week of 1/16!

I hope all you had a productive week! I know we did! We focused on Cause/Effect and Sequencing. We also stopped to talk about Martin Luther King and his dreams. We then followed up with our own DREAM CATCHER BOARD - students wrote down their dreams and attached them to our bulletin board. These dreams will stay up the entire month of January, I want to show the students you can start NOW fulfilling your dreams. Please see attached pictures - they will also be on the blog.

For those of you all who are so blessed to attend next week's historic events - your absences will be counted as excused as this is a very important historic and educational experience. I have asked all of my students to keep a journal of their experiences so they can share their voices from this momentous occasion.

New Unit: Organizational Structure

All grades will be introduced to this new unit:

Organizational Structure.

Organizational Structure - is the way text (literature) is arranged.

IB Profile Attributes:
Knowledgeable
Inquirers
Principled

GPS Standards:
5R 1
6R1(C)
7R1(C)

This unit will encompass the following:

Cause/Effect
When reading, ask yourself the following: Why? --- (cause) What happened? --- (effect)

Problem/Solution
When reading ask yourself "What is the problem in the story?"
Ask "What attempts are made to solve the problems?"
Ask "When did things change? What happened to make the solution clear?"
Finally, ask "How was the problem solved?"

Compare/Contrast
When reading ask yourself "What is similar about these things?" and "How are they different?"
Similar -- Compare
Different -- Contrast

Categorizing
As you read, think about what things have in common.
Think about how you would group these things together.
Think of a title or label for each group.

Sequencing
When you read, ask yourself "What happened first, then what happened after that?"
Look for the dates or signal words such as first, then, next, finally for clues to the sequence of events.