February 28th, 2013
Class activities for Thursday, February 28
Spelling: We reviewed the ou spelling pattern of the /ou/ sound and noticed that the pattern can actually make many different sounds, as in the words you, rough, thought, and dough.
Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due on Fridays.
Reading: Today we practiced reading our Legend of Lightning Larry scripts with good fluency.
Writing: Students began 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 Tuesday, March 26. See below for more details. Students should be prewriting at this point. See below for more details.
Novel Writing Project 2013
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 1,500-3,500 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:
- Here are some novels written by former students:
- 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 after school 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.
- Half of this grade will be if students complete their own, personal word count goal.
Math: We practiced estimating sums and differences of fractions. An easy way to do this is to estimate whether a fraction is closer to 0, 1/2, or 1. Homework is to finish Journal P9-4.
Science: We fnished an experiment about how humans vary in their sense of touch. Homework is to finish the analysis questions on p. 31.
Social Studies: Students worked on a test today about colonial regions.
- Yellow magnets: 2
- Orange magnets: 0
- Red magnets: 0
- STAR Awards: 6
- Magnets moved this week (goal: 8): 4
Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.
Notes:
- Our class is performing a play called The Legend of Lightning Larry, based on a story by Aaron Shepard. Here are the after school practice and performance times. I’ve asked each student to look for things they can wear as their costume for this western cowboy play. If any family members would like to help with the set, just contact me!
- Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
- View grades, assignments, and attendance online.
Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 6th grade.
