Happy Thanksgiving!

A quick up-date on classroom activities is below.  I hope each and everyone of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Reading:

• Independent Reading Assignment (AR points, story map, book review, and WOW! words bookmark) are due Wednesday, Nov. 21.
• Our whole class novel Sign of the Beaver is drawing to a close. We will be discussing the overall plot structure, theme, and analyzing the characters.  Students will also watch a movie version of the book and write an essay comparing and contrasting the two.
• Students also completed a Common Core close reading of the story Eleven. You might ask your child what they thought of the story.

Math:

• We will be finishing up our geometry unit of study and begin focusing on division following Thanksgiving break. 
• Students have also be engaging in mental math activities and collaborating on solving word problems.
• For Thanksgiving week, students will be planning a Thanksgiving dinner and calculating the cost based on grocery store ads. 

Writing:

• Students continue to write to the prompt in their spelling books.  Many need to remember to use spelling words and proofread their writing. No run-on or comma splice sentences is our motto.
• A focus  in writing has been comparing and contrasting paragraphs using the transition words but  and however.  The semicolon has been introduced for combining sentences, especially with however.

 Science:

• Student will conclude their study of minerals by identifying a mineral based on its density number.  In order to do this, students must find the volume of the mineral using displacement and then calculate the density. 
• We will have a short investigation of buoyancy, and then head into our next major unit of study "Mixtures and Solutions."

Social Studies:

• To support students understanding of our recent presidential election, the Electoral College was investigated.  Students wrote their opinion as to whether or not to retain or rescind the Electoral College. You view their opinions on the bulletin board in the quad.
• We are reading about the "taxing" causes of the Revolutionary War. Students are using a cause and effect graphic graphic organizer to take notes on the events leading to the American Revolution.
• Students will be analyzing primary sources of the Boston "Massacre": Paul Revere's famous engraving, a newspaper article written shortly after the event, and  trial transcripts.

November 1- November 9

Virginia City

4th Ward School

The Virginia City field trip was a huge success!  The weather was perfect and so were the students.  Many thanks to all the parents that volunteered to accompany us that day. 


Virginia City Cemetery



Lunch at historic Piper's Opera House



 

 

 

 Tuesday, November 6

Voting Day!  No school.
Please remember to vote (how could you forget with all the phone calls and literature!).  Encourage your child to watch the election results on TV to support student learning of the Electoral College.

Most Wanted Mineral Poster

Students have been working on creating a Most Wanted Mineral Poster these last two weeks in the computer lab.  The final project is due this coming Friday, Nov. 9. Below is an outline of the project and the scoring rubric.  Students have been given a copy of this information to keep in their science pocket.

Feel free to be creative and add any other information or visuals that will enhance your poster. ONLY INCLUDE INFORMATION YOU UNDERSTAND. The poster size is up to you.

 Wanted: Name of  Mineral (you may not use quartz)

 

AKA (also known as):  Give the chemical formula for this mineral and list any other names this mineral might have.

Description:  Identify the physical properties of the mineral. i.e. color, streak, hardness, luster, transparency, crystal habit, magnetism, density (also known as specific gravity).

Last Known Location:  Where is this mineral commonly found?

Wanted For:  What are the uses of this mineral? Is it valuable as a natural resource?

 

*Include a drawing, picture, or illustration of your mineral on your poster.
**Please identify two sources of information. When identifying a website, give the name of the website and the web address. 
 

Scoring Rubric

A range	* All information asked for in the outline is present * Poster is neat & easily read *Student has gone beyond the basic outline--creativity & effort is apparent.
B range	* All information asked for in the outline is present * Poster is neat & easily read
C range	* Majority of information asked for is present  * Poster is neat & easily read
D- F range	* Information asked for is missing * Poster is disorganized; difficult to read