If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind? - Percy Bysshe Shelley On Friday, scholars were introduced to the March poem for memorization, "O Captain! My Captain!" They should aim to memorize one stanza each week to be ready to recite on March 31st. A copia exercise will be homework for Monday, as students find synonyms to practice replacing words with like parts of speech. Since there will not be Spalding or reading homework this week, students should invest 10 minutes on phonogram review. Additional nightly homework will include worksheets that review parts of speech. In class students will continue to draft paragraphs from key word outlines, as well as practice copywork and dictation skills. Seminar discussions for Little Women will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, so students should have thoroughly completed discussion questions and review the text, to be prepared to contribute to the greater conversation. Students should incorporate 15-20 minutes of reading into nightly homework. We will travel to the Desert Botanical Gardens on Tuesday, so please remember to pack a water bottle and sack lunch for your child. Students will return to the school at 1:30, and will need to remain in class to finish the school day. Have a great week and a happy spring break! Warmly, Mrs. Baird
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"With the wreck of her frail body, Beth's soul grew strong, and though she said little, those about her felt that she was ready, saw that the first pilgrim called was likewise the fittest, and waited with her on the shore, trying to see the Shining Ones coming to receive her when she crossed the river." - Little Women, Chapter 40, "The Valley of the Shadow"
Hello, Parents. We enjoyed a beautiful moment together in class on Friday as we read Chapter 40 of Little Women together, when Jo's sweet sister, Beth, passes away. The room was filled with sighs and tears, since we have come to love these characters in the novel, of which Beth was the favorite of so many. I encouraged the scholars to share this beautiful chapter with you this weekend, and hope that you were able to enjoy that time together. We are nearing the end of our novel, but I am thrilled that so many scholars have expressed the desire to read Alcott's, Little Men, this summer. Students were assigned Chapters 41-42 for weekend reading, Monday will be Chapter 43, Tuesday will be Chapter 45, Wednesday will be Chapter 46, and we will finish the novel on Thursday with Chapter 47. It is so important that students have read the chapters to be able to participate in meaningful discussion. Socratic style teaching relies on all the scholars to add to the conversation. Students are expected to participate every day, since their thoughts and the thoughts of their peers can be valuable and genuinely insightful. In Spalding, we will continue to focus on Rule 12, "Use the phonogram 'ie' unless it comes after a 'c', says /a/ or is in the list of exceptions." A sentence with the first group of exceptions is, "Neither foreign sovereign seized the counterfeit and forfeited leisure." Students will be learning more 'ie' and 'ei' spelling words, and a second group of exceptions this week. It is more beneficial to learning when Spalding homework is done with a parent, and not simply copied from the homework sheet. Thank you for your time commitment in this subject and all others. Your partnership is much appreciated. In Writing and Grammar, we ran short on time and were unable to hear all students recite, "Solitude," so we will complete recitations on Monday. Scholars will receive the next poem assignment on Friday, which will be recited at the end of March. Writing focus continues to be correct sentence structure, use of proper conventions in writing, and summarizing short articles into student's own words. We will use key word outlines as a tool to extract important details from paragraphs before restating the ideas into new sentences. Students will use thesauri to substitute or replace words as copia exercises. Congratulations to our courageous 5th grade representatives in the Bard Competition. What amazing recitations by all contestants! We look forward to Faith Copeland representing Archway Trivium East at the Great Hearts Network Bard Competition in April. Congratulations, Faith! Warm regards, Mrs. Baird 03/10 ACTE In-Service, No School 03/13-03/17 Spring Break! Hello, I hope you are refreshed from both the long weekend and the beautiful weather! Here is a brief overview of what to expect this week... Reading assignments for Little Women will not include any vocabulary and summary this week, as I want scholars to simply enjoy reading the specific chapter assignments, which will include some themes that would be good to discuss with your child. The chapters that will be read this week for homework will be chapters 34, 35 and 36. We will be reading chapter 40 together in class on Friday. An excellent exercise for students at home is to orally summarize what they have read to a parent or sibling. Chapters 41-42 will be assigned for reading over next weekend. We are nearing the end of our 47 Chapter novel! Spalding words will be taught on Tuesday and Wednesday, to be tested on Friday. Please ensure that words are written neatly for nightly homework practice. In Grammar and Writing we have been discussing figurative language, such as metaphors and similes, and we will continue to identify these literary devices in Little Women. We will also be identifying examples of imagery in "Solitude", which will be recited in class on Friday. Subject verb agreement will be practiced to improve scholars' written work. Time will be spent in class writing paragraphs with the support of key word outlines. Good luck to our Bard Competition competitors as they recite their poems tonight in the MPR at 6PM! Have a great week. Warmly, Mrs. Baird Hello, In Little Women students will be reading chapters 27, 29, 30 and 32 this week, skipping chapters in between. This will allow us to keep a good pace to finish the novel by the end of the quarter. Nightly reading and completion of vocabulary and summary assignments will continue as it has been. In class we are able to refer to the summaries as a tool to recall chapters that students may have read over the weekend and need refreshing about. We will continue to work on vocabulary development by defining and using new words from the text. In Grammar, we will focus on understanding how parts of speech interact in sentences, and apply this knowledge to understanding words in context. Comma rules will be reviewed in order for students to reduce comma split errors in writing assignments. Literary devices will be discussed and identified in literature, and students will review subject verb agreement in practice exercises. Please continue to encourage your scholars to complete all assignments in their best handwriting. I have noticed a marked improvement in Spalding homework and appreciate the work you do at home with your child to encourage them to be excellent in their assignments. Have a wonderful week! Warmly, Mrs. Baird “Love is a great beautifier.” - Louisa May Alcott, Little Women Hello,
This week we will complete the first half of Little Women, which is an accomplishment that your fifth grader should be commended for. I have personally witnessed the joy and wonder sparked inside our scholars from reading this beautiful piece of literature. We will celebrate the end of Book One with a seminar discussion on Thursday. Keep up the good work of encouraging consistent nightly reading as we forge ahead into Book Two of Little Women. Time was spent in class modeling how a good summary can be In Writing and Grammar, we will continue to focus on elements of a five paragraph essay. Students will practice typing these collaborative paragraphs in Keyboarding class on Wednesday in preparation for the AZ Merit testing that will take place in the months ahead. We are concentrating our focus on writing more complex sentences by using clauses and phrases within sentences. For recitation at the end of February, scholars were given a copy of "Solitude," by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and should work toward memorizing the first stanza this week. Friday is a half day due to teacher in-service, so please remember that students can be picked up at noon. No lunch will be served, but students can bring a snack to enjoy during our recess break at 10:15. Have a great week! Warm regards, Mrs. Baird "Keep good company, read good books, love good things and cultivate soul and body as faithfully as you can." - Louisa May Alcott
Hello, On Monday and Tuesday of this week, scholars should be prepared to recite "Ozymandias" in class. This week we will continue to read a chapter each night in Little Women, covering chapters 17-20, with 21 & 22 assigned for weekend homework. Students should complete the brief vocabulary and writing assignment for each chapter. Twenty words will be assigned in Spalding and will be tested on Friday. We will continue to work on writing skills through composing paragraphs, and parts of speech will be reviewed using beautiful excerpts from our literature text. MAP benchmark testing for reading will be conducted on Wednesday. This data is used to track scholars progress in 3rd-5th grade, therefore there is nothing to "study" for to be prepared for the test. I always enjoy seeing how our students have grown throughout the year. Have a great week! Mrs. Baird "Success is sweet and sweeter if long delayed and gotten through many struggles and defeats."-Amos Bronson Alcott
Hello, This week in Literature we will cover Chapters 11-14, with nightly homework of vocabulary defining, key question and summarizing. Since Literature classes are held on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the summaries allow students to retain information from the chapter and provide a quick review before class when several days have passed before discussions. These assignments are being graded for completion and accuracy, and as a means of accountability for completing reading assignments. One chapter is assigned each night, with two chapters assigned over the weekends. In Writing and Grammar, we will be practicing writing skills by reading about the life of Louisa May Alcott, creating an outline, and writing paragraphs about how her life is reflected in her famous work, Little Women. There will not be any homework for this assignment, since it will be a project worked on collaboratively as a class. We will continue our Spalding routine with homework on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night. Students should be completing assignments neatly and with excellence. If you see that your child is receiving poor scores on Spalding and phonogram assessments, please ensure that he/she is reviewing unknown phonograms regularly. Have a great week! Warmly, Mrs. Baird Please note the following email that was sent from Jessica Hankerson, our class coordinator, regarding our fantastic Art, Music, Latin and PE teachers... Hello fifth grade parents! Hope you all had a great winter break! This year we are splitting up Teacher/Staff Appreciation and want to make sure you all knew the schedule for this. The school as a whole will be celebrating the Specials Teachers with the following schedule: Below is Mrs. Baird’s specials teachers' schedule. I have attached the teachers “favorites” form for reference. The gift themes are below, this means fifth grade parents and scholars are encouraged to show our appreciation to our Specials Teachers by bringing in Gift Cards, and thank you notes on dates below. January 23-27: Art and Music Teachers January 30-February 3: PE and Language Teachers Mrs. Baird’s specials class schedule is as follow: Tuesday 1/24/17 & Friday 1/27/17 = Music Tuesday/1/24/17 & Friday 1/27/17= ART
Monday 1/30/17 & Thursday 2/26/17 = PE Monday 1/30/17 & Thursday 2/2/17= Latin
**SEE “FAVORITES” FORM FOR REFERENCE ON TEACHERS INTERESTS, (email attachment) "A classic is something that everyone wants to have read, but nobody wants to read."
- Mark Twain Hello, Parents. As we return to our regular schedule this week, we will begin reading Little Women. I am excited for our scholars to read this charming classic and I look forward to the conversations that will ensue. Our desire at ACTE is to allow our students the opportunity to simply enjoy reading and discussing great works of literature. Hopefully this joy will be evidenced in your child throughout the year as they share their thoughts with you. Through reading these classics, vocabulary will be built, comprehension will deepen and students will interact in group discussions. Each night's homework will be about 10 pages of reading, so please support your student in setting aside the necessary time each night. Students should plan on defining vocabulary words and writing a few sentences of summary in order to retain information for discussion. We will use select passages from the text to work on writing and grammar skills. I have added a link to a Little Women audio to the "Links" tab if you feel your child needs that support. Below I have copied and pasted the information previously emailed about the Project Exposition Night. I look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday evening. Warm regards, Lisa Baird PROJECT EXPOSITION NIGHT: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Archway Trivium East would like to invite you to our Tour through History Project Night event on Wednesday, January 11th. You will have the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the most important figures in the history of the world from ancient times through the 16th century and to celebrate the learning of our Kindergarten through 5th grade scholars. Please plan to arrive with your scholar (in costume for 1st-5th graders) at 5:50pm. They will then report to their classrooms (3rd grade will report to the Multipurpose Room). Guests will assemble in the courtyard until 6:00 when the community will be invited to begin the Tour through History where they can visit the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome; see the symbols of our very own United States come to life; and view a museum of the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. Our scholars are excited to share their learning from Project Week and we encourage you to visit as many classrooms as you can on this evening. Plan to make your way back towards your scholar’s classroom at around 6:45 to be ready to depart from the event at 7:00.Costume and attendance are required for a History participation grade.Costumes may be simple and should reflect what the historical figure would wear or look like. Everyday objects and materials that families already have around are welcome and purchasing elaborate costumes is not required. Appropriate props are also welcome if they add to the representation of the historical figure. The same guidelines as Historical/Literary Figure Dress Up Day should be used:· Your costume should cover at least the same areas as the Archway polo and shorts/skirts (just above the knee).· Items in your costume should not have any logos on them.· You may wear non-uniform shoes (such as sandals), provided that they are appropriate for your character.· No masks, face paint, or hair dye are permitted.· Small props are allowed. No props that are weapons are permitted.· Students who do not follow the guidelines may be sent home. ·Gentlemen should dress up as male figures and ladies should dress up as female figures.· Students should be careful not to wear any costume that could be offensive to others. We look forward to seeing you all there! Fifth Grade Team "The more you know about the past, the better prepared you are for the future."
- Theodore Roosevelt Welcome back! I hope you are all well rested and refreshed from time with your family. As communicated before the break, students will be working in class during this week of half days on their fifth grade project. Each student has been assigned a historical figure that they will study and prepare a three paragraph summary on, as well as a short speech to present during a Project Week Exposition, on Wednesday, January 11th, from 6-7PM. All scholars will be provided a printed copy of information from which they can prepare their summaries, and detailed instructions to complete this process. Ample class time will be given for students to work on the written aspect of this project, although some students may need to bring home small amounts of unfinished work to complete at times throughout the week. Please support your scholar at home as they think of ideas and collect materials to dress up as their historical figure for the Project Week Exposition. Please remember that lunch is not served this week, but a snack break will occur around 10:15 if you wish to send a snack in with your child. Dismissal begins at noon. We will begin reading Little Women on January 9th. Most students have confirmed that they have this book in their locker, but for those who are keeping books at home please remind your child to bring it to school. Warm regards, Mrs. Baird 01/03 - 01/06 Project Week Half Days, Noon Release 01/06 ACTE Spelling Bee & Evaluations Posted 01/11 Project Week Exposition, 6-7PM 01/16 Martin Luther King Holiday, No School 02/10 Half Day/ Teacher In-Service |
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Mrs. Baird Archives
February 2017
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