6th and 8th grade social studies for the week of 11.26.12

OVERVIEW: We are continuing our Immigration Unit, concentrating on European immigration at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century.  We are reading from the textbook History and Geography.  Students will be reading, identifying text features, and note-taking.

Strategy to take notes (one sentence per paragraph):

Questions to ask yourself:

1.       What one idea are all the sentences in this paragraph about?

2.       How does that idea fit in with what I know about this topic?

3.       What sentence adds information to the most important idea?

Be sure to include bold words.

HOMEWORK: Students will need to take notes on section 1 "A Nation of Immigrants," p. 242-246.

QUIZ/TEST: Students will have a quiz on note-taking at the end of the week.

6th and 8th grade writing (Scott) for the week of 11.26.12

OVERVIEW: We have started a new unit this week putting together two skills we have been working on in both social studies and writing: creating a thesis or topic sentence and supporting with details.  The new literary essay unit will be concentrating on reading a story, creating a thesis and then pulling details to support our thesis.

HOMEWORK: Students will read and take notes on The Marble Champ.  Students will also need to correct Conventions Tests 1 and 2 to earn extra points and improve test scores.

QUIZ/TEST: see homework

5th Grade word study words for week of 11/12

VOCABULARY WORDS WITH THE suffix “ation”

 which means action, or process

1.     violation

2.     education

3.     dedication

4.     limitation

5.     exploration

6.     graduation

7.     conversation

8.     nomination

9.     inspiration

10.  evaporation

11.  cancellation

12.  demonstration

13.  consideration

14.  anticipation

15.  communication

Write down 3 bonus words with the suffix “ation”.

1._________________________2._______________________3.________________________

Monday:  Copy definition of each word and make flash cards of the vocabulary words.

Tuesday:  Continue to write down definitions and finish flash cards.  Write a story using at least 5 of the vocabulary words.

Wednesday:  Write down a synonym for each word using the Thesaurus.

Thursday:  Practice learning the definitions with the Bingo board.  Study with flash cards.

Friday:  Review definitions and spelling/Vocabulary test Friday.

5th Grade Upcoming Events and News Week of 11/12/12

Important News and Dates:

• Scholars in 5A now have Technology on Mondays. These scholars will not have Gym this quarter, so they should not wear their gym uniform on Monday's. 
• All scholars must log on to Compass Learning daily to work on folders and passing the quizzes at a 70% or higher. Scholars also have one day a week in the classroom to log into Compass Learning and must bring headphones on their assigned day. 
• November 20th, 2012: Progress Reports go home with scholars.
• November 20th, 2012-Holiday assembly
• November 21-23: Thanksgiving Break

Reading Objectives:

• Learning how nonfiction readers ask questions before, during, and after reading 
• Learning the difference between fact and opinion 

Writing Objectives: 

• Finalize informational essay thesis statements
• Draft introduction of essay and first paragraph

Great websites for ISAT/MAP practice

Dear Parents/Guardians,                                   

Here is a list of websites to prepare your scholar for the ISAT and MAP test.

Please let us know if you have any questions or would like any other resources.

      List of Websites

•  http://www.merriam-webster.com (great for vocabulary practice)
• ISBE.net (you can find practice ISAT tests from previous years. Click on Assessment, then Assessment Sample. You can time your scholar; 60 minutes per session)
• http://www.sheppardsoftware.com
• http://www.coolmath-games.com
• www.funbrain.com
• http://www.quia.com
•  http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/elagrade4.cfm
• http://www.playkidsgames.com/
• http://www.gamequarium.com
• http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/ (choose your MAP range) 
•  http://www.sowashco.k12.mn.us/ro/pages/studentlinks/map/reading.htm  (choose your MAP range)

Middle School Literacy-Fofana Week of November 12th

Important Updates:

• Scholars in 6A now have gym on Mondays. Please ensure that scholars are coming to school on Monday's in gym uniforms.
• All scholars must log on to Compass Learning daily to work on folders. Compass learning grades will be recorded every Monday for the previous week's activities.
• November 20, 2012: Progress Reports go home with scholars.
• November 21-23: Thanksgiving Break

Objectives: SWBAT

6th Grade

Monday: Identify details about setting and about the main character

Tuesday: Evaluate how the setting contributes to the conflict.

Wednesday: Identify the effects of setting on a character’s actions

Thursday: Evaluate the effects of setting on conflict resolution

Friday: Read and analyze a magazine article and its features

Word Study: Syllables

7th Grade

Monday: Complete a chronological order assessment

Tuesday: Identify the central conflict of a given text

Wednesday: Evaluate how cause-and-effect affects events in the plot of a given text

Thursday: Identify the effects of point of view on the theme of a story

Friday: Identify the climax of a given text.

Word Study: Multiple meaning words

November 5th-9th

This week both the 7th and 8th graders will be focusing on the following:

Understanding and Identifying Chronological Order using several pieces of text.

Analyzing and defining the word parts Chron-/Chrono- and Log-

Vocabulary for the week:
chronological
chronic
chronometer
chronology
logic
monologue

* Notes
Picture day is Tuesday, November 6th

Permission Slips and payments for the 6th,7th,and 8th grade field trip are due on or before November 7th.

Have an amazing week and don't forget to get out and vote! 

Ms. Blanchard