Archives

Week 5

Sep13

Good Evening!

Your kids have been working so hard the last couple of weeks.  I am impressed with their motivation and excitement toward learning.  Please be sure you take a couple of minutes each night to check their planners and ask them about the work they have been doing each day in class.  Those conversations will help them connect what they are doing in school to home and will give you a good idea of how they spend their time.

4th level students have learned a new mnemonic to use as a strategy for opinion essay writing and they used it to outline their first formal essay/paragraph.  Writing is a skill that takes a lot of practice and patience.

5th and 6th level students are learning how to use a “Stoplight” graphic organizer for their essay writing.  Although they have not outlined a formal essay yet, they have worked in partners to practice using the strategy.  I’m excited to see where they go with it!

Ms. Rachael presented our first Botany lesson of the year today.  Your kids were so engaged and polite and I’m so proud of them.  We have the privilege of her lessons once a month this school year.  She is an amazingly knowledgeable Botanist!

6th Grade Expert Project

Please be sure your 6th grader brings their library books to class on Thursday.  We will be using them for our next lesson.  You can find all of the lessons to date at the link at the top of the blog.  I’m excited they are taking this seriously, as it is a lot of work, but it will be an amazing reward when they present their projects in April.

 

April 18 Update

Apr18

This morning your children were talking about there only being 6 weeks of school left.  I knew the school year was coming to an end, but I hadn’t completely wrapped my mind around it until this morning.  I am also a parent, and I know how fleeting these moments with our kids are.  One minute they are just learning how to talk, the next they are writing 5 paragraph essays for their SAGE exams.  Whew!  Time flies.

We ended our studies last week with an amazing art project that had a basis in math (photos forthcoming, I’m not the greatest at taking photos).   I want to thank Sharon Johnson for the countless hours she spent cutting thousands of 1×1 inch squares, enabling us to create this project that crossed math with art.  The artists we studied were, Ellsworth Kelly, Piet Mondrian, Victor Vasarely, Kenneth Noland, and Frank Stella.  Each of these 20th century artists utilize(d) math in their artwork.  Students created an abstract piece of art and then calculated the fraction, decimal and percent component of each color they used in their piece.  This has been my favorite project of the year.

This week we are cracking down on the following math concepts:

4th – Decimal Fractions

5th- Classifying 2D figures

6th- Percents (review), equations and equations (ongoing practice) and Statistics (just starting)

In addition to in class work, your children all have an essay due on Friday (Utah Compose) and IXL homework.  Each of them are given 20 minutes of computer time each day.  Any work not completed in this time is considered homework.

Lastly, the 6th grade students (and I) are headed to the Redwoods on Sunday, April 24.  Rachael Bush will be in our classroom with Ms. Kari during this week.

 

March 1st!!

Mar1

In like a lion, out like a lamb?  So far March as been quite sheepish.  I hope I don’t jinx this great weather.  Of course, you know what they say about weather in Utah, right?

Just a reminder that there is no IXL homework for the next several weeks.  Instead, your kids should be working on Utah Compose.  Each grade level has an assigned essay.  We have begun these in class, but students are expected to work on them at home as well. Essays are due Friday (meaning prior to the end of school).

Once child submits a draft, Utah Compose will recommend lessons to help your child improve his writing skills.  I highly recommend these lessons.  A reminder that our SAGE writing assessment is in April.  The skills your child is building now, and the time spent practicing, will directly affect his level of comfort and performance on the exam.

If your child is absent for a number of days in a row, please be sure they are looking at the essay assignment.  I understand that some illnesses do not allow for much more than lying in bed being completely miserable; however, the more your child is able to keep up at home, the less behind they will feel when they return to school.

A reminder that our 5th level students have maturation next Wednesday, March 9.

Science Fair, International Festival and Utah Compose

Dec6

As we enter the last two weeks of the year before winter break, please note the following important dates:

Utah Compose Rough Draft – December 6

International Festival – December 16(Report due December 15)

Science Fair – Materials and Procedures – December 18

Pancake Breakfast – December 18

In this final push, when your students are looking forward to Winter Break, it is important to stay focused and on task.  Please check in with your students to make sure they complete homework and other in class tasks on time.   Thank you for your support.

Introducing Utah Compose

Nov11

Writing in the upper elementary classroom is a big part of your child’s daily practice. From explaining their mathematical thinking to formal essay writing, it will be a near daily expectation for the remainder of the school year.

Your students have been working on opinion and argumentative essays in class.   We started with the basics including a graphic organizer/outline, wrote a first draft, peer edited, discussed using Utah Compose as an additional form of writing practice, and assigned the first essay deadline (11/11).

Because of the limited resources and time during school hours, your students are expected to enter their writing into Utah Compose at home.  A draft of the essay is due Monday evening so that both their peers and I have time to review and add comments and feedback by Tuesday.  Their final draft is due each Wednesday at the start of school, essentially Tuesday night unless they are waking up early to complete the assignment before school starts.

To help them keep track of deadlines and expectations your child receives a general study guide as well as a specific guide for the work we do with our Scholastic magazines.  Please talk to your kids about the work they are doing in class and required assignments, your interest will help them stay on track.