March 8th, 2012
Class activities for Thursday, March 8
Spelling: None today.
Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.
Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles.
Writing: We learned about working with an external conflict in a story. An external conflict is some type of problem caused by other characters or situations. We thought about these questions:
- What is the character trying to do?
- What is stopping the character from achieving their goals?
- How does the character struggle in the story?
- How is the conflict and problem resolved at the end?
Students also continued to work on their fiction novel project today. During this project, each student has a daily word goal of 150-300 words. The novel is due Monday, March 26. See below for more details. Students should be drafting at this point.
Novel Writing Project
The final piece of the 3rd Marking Period will be our final fiction project of the year. Students will write and publish a novel. Each student will write their own novel, with a word goal minimum of 1,000-3,000 words, based on their reading level (each student’s minimum writing goal is equal to their reading level multiplied by 500). The novels will be written in Google Docs (docs.mrhowd.com) to make use of the word count feature. Final novels will be uploaded to Lulu.com and published as paperback books, which can be purchased for reasonable prices. So yes, students will actually write and publish their own novels. This project is based on the National Novel Writing Month Young Writers program. Here are more details:
- We will start this project in class on February 27 and it will be due on March 26; however, students can begin early.
- This is our final fiction project; the novel can be any type of fiction story (mystery, science fiction, fantasy, realistic, historical, etc.)
- We will be working in the computer lab most days, using docs.mrhowd.com to type the novel. Students can also work on this from any internet-connected computer outside of school.
- Students might want to start thinking now about how they will use a computer afters chool if they need to, and if they will go to the library, use a home computer, or use a friend or family member’s computer.
- If friends and family would like to order a paperback version of the book, we will upload the final texts to Lulu.com. Most books will cost between $5 and $10.
- A big portion of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.
Math: We practiced multiplying with the partial products or expanded form today. Homework is to finish Journal P8-2.
Science: We learned more about what it would be like to be on the moon, and what an astronaut would need to survive. Homework is to finish the Astronaut’s Outfit review if not done in class.
Social Studies: We learned about large cities in the United States and what types of physical features they were located near.
- Yellow magnets: 2
- Orange magnets: 0
- Red magnets: 0
- STAR Awards: 0
- Magnets moved this week (goal: 10): 4
Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade at JupiterGrades to see if your student moved their magnet. Need help with JupiterGrades?
Notes:
- Spring Parent Teacher Conferences are in March. Grab your spot here.
- Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
- View grades, assignments, and attendance at JupiterGrades.
Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 5th grade.
