Hello, Parents. This week we each student will receive a blue Spalding notebook to begin recording rule pages. We will spend both days of Spalding writing down the rules of the English language, while practicing our best cursive handwriting. Already I see a growth in students' sense of wonder related to why words are spelled the way they are, and this fifth grade class is eager to find the exception to the rule. Scholars should continue to work toward mastery of the first 70 phonograms by the end of the first quarter, meaning they should be able to both write the phonogram from hearing and say the sounds upon seeing. Besides phonogram practice, homework will consist of cursive practice pages. We will wrap up Voyage of the Dawn Treader this week with a final seminar discussion. It is gratifying to see the eagerness with which your children engage in sharing their unique perspectives during these discussions. They look forward to these times of collaborative learning, and many have voluntarily started taking notes during seminars as a way to participate when it is not their group's time to converse. I am also aware that scholars' depth of understanding is reflective of the time you have invested as parents to discuss the chapters at home, so thank you for your contribution to our discussions as well. Please send in Where the Red Fern Grows if it is not already in your child's locker, as it will be the next piece of literature we read. During Grammar and Writing this week, we will focus on creating basic outlines from narratives, as well as historical and science passages. We will work through this activity as a class at first so that students will become more confident in selecting the main idea of a paragraph. Last week students struggled to summarize when given a specific number of sentences, and reported that they have always been encouraged to write as much as they can; while that might be a good strategy at times, we are guiding our students to be precise and intentional with word choice and would rather they are clear on what points matter and which are non-essential in their summaries. Student will also memorize another short poem this week, The Eagle, by Alfred Lord Tennyson. Students should practice this poem by reading several times each night, and be prepared to recite in class on Friday. Please be sure to review "Friday Folders" with your child to stay connected regarding where they need help and where they have made progress. Sign items labeled tests and quizzes and return in the signed file folder, and keep the other assignments at home or recycle. For English Language Arts, papers that will need to be saved for future study should already be filed in the assigned place in ELA binder, so homework practice or other assignments need not be saved. Warm regards, Mrs. Baird Important Dates: September 21 - Spalding Clinic for Parents, 6-7PM September 23 - Spirit Day, Archway Trivium East spirit wear September 30 - Half Day, Noon Release (No lunch served)
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Mrs. Baird Archives
February 2017
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