Monday Kindness Week! PE | Tuesday O&A for Colonial Cooking | Wednesday ART | Thursday ELC & Buddy With Level 1 Celebrations of Learning 5:00-6:30 | Friday ART |
Important Upcoming Dates Feb 14th -- Kids are welcome to bring Valentines for the entire class. We will pass them out at the end of the day. Click here to see a list of names. Feb 15th -- Celebrations of Learning 5-6:30 Feb 19th -- No School, Presidents' Day April 2nd -- Complete this Returning Student Form by April 2 to hold your student's space for 2018-19. | Volunteer with Level 3 Click here to sign up:
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Don't miss your chance to order the 2017-18 FGCS Yearbook! Click here to order and pay for yearbooks online with credit/debit. If you prefer to pay with cash or check, you may download a paper form here or pick one up in the school office. Deadline for orders is 4 p.m. Thurs., March 22.
Homework - some differences this week!
Goals: As a family, log on to your child's Google Classroom and ask them to share their new goal reflection! This online document will be a way for your Level 3-er to track their progress on goals this spring. Please support them by looking at new entries each Monday and adding thoughts about successes or goals they have at home.
Writing: Work 20 minutes each night on your colonial fiction story - print it out at school to edit if you will not have online access at home. Final draft due by Friday at the latest.
Reading: The usual - read the newsletter as a family on Monday. Read a book of your choice the other nights, or catch up on lit circle if you fall behind.
Math: Daily math homework - check your child's agenda or contact teacher
Thursday: Attend Celebration of Learning!
Due dates: Due Friday-- Goal reflection & final draft of the historical fiction
Project
Student teams continued to survive and face challenges in the New World through our colonial simulation. We also read some primary sources --Native American speeches to include their perspective at this time. Reading these speeches helps us to realize how different their perspective is to that of Europeans who came over. With the help of the presenter Washington County Museum, we also compared the experience of early immigrants with more recent immigration, looking at the Bracero farmworker program in the 1940s and 50s that brought many Mexican immigrants to Washington County.
Ask, what was the reason the Braceros immigrated to the U.S.? How were they treated?
Talk about how the Braceros' experience was similar or different to other immigrant groups, such as Pilgrims, indentured servants, or current Syrian refugees.
Extend the learning by researching your family history - when and why did your family immigrate to the United States?
Literacy
In literature circle this week, we dove deeper into our books and looked at how writers of our books use language creatively to develop a historical setting you can imagine in your mind. We tried to bring this skill into our writing. Students also grappled with composing a strong climax and resolution for their historical fiction story. Come to Celebrations of Learning to see your Merlin's latest draft of their story! This week, they will return to their first draft and incorporate feedback to make it even better.
Ask how does your free choice book compare to Chains?
Talk about strategies for looking at a piece of writing in a new way to edit and revise it.
Extend the learning by reading a few chapters of your lit circle book together.
6th Grade Math
This week as a class we tackled a problem that looked at how fractions affect whole numbers. The situation dealt with a candy bar fundraiser. Each day a student sold a fraction of the bars that remained. We wondered if he could ever get to zero. It was interesting to see solid problem solving skills in the kids; however, when it came time to write down their method they ended up getting a different answer. And, an answer that was wrong! The problem brought up a lot of interesting conversations about the importance of showing work in a way that others could follow. I am not sure they believe me, but we'll keep working on it!
Ask how to do you show 3/4 of 8 in a mathematical expression?
Talk about when it's a good idea to be a strong math communicator.
Extend the learning by writing expressions that match situations you use math.
5th Grade Math
This week, fifth graders got ready to tackle long division - we reviewed multiplication and division by powers of ten, and practiced composing division word problems. We talked about two different ways to think about division - the "fair share" method, and the "grouping" method. We also thought about how division is like the reverse of multiplication.
Ask what is an example of a "fair share" word problem and a "grouping" word problem for division?
Talk about a word problem to represent the expression "120 divided by 6." Do you see a shortcut?
Extend the learning by looking for real-life uses of division.
For your agenda's mystery word: in honor of Kindness week, write yourself a compliment.