December 1st, 2016
Class activities for Thursday, December 1
Spelling: We reviewed irregular verbs today. This will be the skill tested on tomorrow’s spelling test.
Cursive: Ten cursive sentences, seven or more words each, are due on Fridays.
Reading: Today was a reading skills and AR practice day. We discussed using this time wisely and not fake reading or fake answering. There were several students getting poor scores, and it was discovered that they were spending about 2 seconds per question. Clearly, a student won’t become a better reader if they don’t practice well.
Writing: We talked using a consistent verb tense in writing, rather than switching between past and present tense. Most stories are written in past tense, but a student can write in present tense as long as they are consistent throughout the story.
Students also worked on drafting today. Our current piece of writing, a fiction narrative, is due Friday, December 16. Homework is to work on writing for at least 15 minutes. Your student should be drafting at this point.
Math: We practiced multi-digit division today. Homework is to practice math for at least 15 minutes using MobyMax Math or Khan Academy.
Here are some Khan Academy topics your students might have missing:
- Divide by 1-digit numbers (no remainders)
- Zeros in the dividend (no remainders)
- Zeros in the quotient (no remainders)
- Divide with remainders
- Basic multi-digit division
- Multi-digit division
Science: None today due to our reading skills practice time. We actually used this time to discuss a story from CNN Student News about student debt. The story said America has a $108 billion student loan debt problem. Many people pay 10% of their wages for 20 years to pay off the debt.
We did a little math experiment to see what would happen if someone invested that money. We assumed an average monthly wage of $4,000. So if that worker invested $400 a month at 12% return, instead of sending it to pay student loans, and did that for 20 years, a worker would have $387,000. If they did that another 10 years, it’s up to $1.3 million. Still another 10 years…$4 million. All for investing 10% of a paycheck, instead of paying it to student loans. We talked about how students can avoid student loans by starting in 5th grade to make their brains as smart as they can. That happens by using class time for learning, by learning new skills, by completing work, and by doing daily homework time. Smart brains equal college scholarships, and then your student is on their way to being a millionaire!
Social Studies: We read about how Jamestown struggled to survive, having lost 440 people during one winter. But turning tobacco into a cash crop saved their colony, along with the help of Pocahontas.
Notes:
- The Pizza Kit Camp Fundraiser is due tomorrow, December 2.
- Have you set a Daily Homework Time for your student? Consider 15 minutes of math, 15 minutes of writing, and 20 minutes of something else to make a brain smarter!
- Check out our class calendar to stay up-to-date.
- View links to all the websites we use in class.
- View grades, assignments, and attendance at JupiterGrades.
Our Mission:
All students in Room 130 will do their best and get ready for 6th grade.