March 3rd, 2015
Class activities for Tuesday, March 3
Spelling: We reviewed common patterns for the /ou/ sound: ou, ow. We also learned that those patterns can also make other sounds.
Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.
Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles.
Writing: Students continued prewriting for the final fiction project of the year. Each student has a daily writing goal of 150-400 words. The novel project is due Friday, March 27. Your student should be prewriting at this point. Look below for more details.
Novel Writing Project 2015
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 1,500-4,000 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:
- Here are some novels written by former students:
- 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 on this in school 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: Students continued working on multiplying decimals or other skills today. Here are some skills we’ve been working on lately or will begin soon:
- Multiplying decimals 1
- Multiplying decimals 2
- Dividing decimals 1
- Dividing decimals 2
- Dividing decimals 3
Homework is to practice math for 15 minutes or more using MobyMax or Khan Academy, and to work on MobyMax FactMaster for 5 minutes.
Science: Students finished working on an activity about interpreting motion graphs. Homework is to finish analysis questions 1-5 on pp. 14-15.
Social Studies: Students worked on a test about colonial regions.
Notes:
- Spring conferences are March 10-12. View or edit your time here.
- Our class play, The Legend of Lightning Larry, will be on March 31. Here is the practice schedule.
- Visit our Links page: keep track of all the websites we use for learning, or try something new.
- Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
- View grades, report cards, behavior, assignments, and attendance online.
- Fifth Grade Camp is May 7-8, 2015. Costs are $100 and payments are being accepted through May.
Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 6th grade.
