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Spelling: We reviewed adding suffixes onto words when the final letter is doubled, as in stopped or running. This is the skill that will be tested on tomorrow’s spelling test.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due on Fridays.

Reading: None today.

Writing: We talked about explaining evidence in an essay by connecting the evidence to the theme. A writer can do this by talking about an example from the book, then saying, “This shows that…” to connect the example to the theme.

Students also continued to draft their literary essay project.

The next piece of writing, a literary essay (here’s an example), is due Friday, February 8. Students should be finishing their essay draft soon.

Math: We practices estimating quotients. Homework is to finish Jouranl P7-2.

Science: None today due to our math skills practice time.

Social Studies: We stated to learn about the regions of colonies in early America. Homework is to finish notebook p. 39.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 1
  
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 8): 1

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• 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.

Spelling: We reviewed common writing mistakes involving extra words or letters that should be “ditched.” Here are some examples:

• Say “until then…”, not “up until then…”.
• Toward, backward, forward, not towards, backwards, forwards.
• Say “whether”, not “whether or not”.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today was a reading and discussion day in Literature Circles.

Writing: We talked about different ways to begin an essay:

1. Summarize the book at the beginning using action details to interest the reader.
2. Lead with a question about the theme.
3. Use a quotation from the book.
4. Lead with the theme, then summarize the book.

Students also continued to draft their literary essay project.

The next piece of writing, a literary essay (here’s an example), is due Friday, February 8. Students should be drafting their essay at this point.

Math: None today due to STAR Friday.

Science: None today.

Social Studies: Students finished a test about early English colonies.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 1
  
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 8): 3

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• 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.

Spelling: We reviewed common spelling patterns for the /tch/ sound and learned that ch usually follows a long vowel sound, and tch usually follows a short vowel sound.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles; some groups worked on visualizing and making connections as reading strategies.

Writing: We talked about how the evidence and examples for an essay can be organized in different ways:

• By time:
  • In the beginning of the book…
  • Later in the book…
  • Near the end…
• By character:
  • One character…
  • Another character…
• By reason:
  • One reason…
  • Another reason…

Students also continued to draft their literary essay project.

The next piece of writing, a literary essay (here’s an example), is due Friday, February 8. Students should be drafting their essay at this point.

Math: We learned that dividing decimals by powers of 10 can be done with mental math by moving the decimal to the left. Homework is to finish Journal P7-1.

Science: We continued to learn about how scientists test medicines scientifically using treatment and control groups, and how the placebo effect is when some patients who take a placebo actually improve their health, even though they were treated with a medicine.

Social Studies: We reviewed for tomorrow’s test about early English colonies. Here is a practice test.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
  
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 8): 2

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• Congratulations to Sam, McGrath Spelling Bee champion! (pics here)
• 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.

Spelling: None today due to students receiving new seats.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today was a discussion day in Literature Circles.

Writing: Students started their essay project by having a prewriting conference or reading a book to write an essay.

The next piece of writing, a literary essay (here’s an example), is due Friday, February 8. Students should be prewriting what their essay will be about at this point.

Math: Students worked on a math test about multiplying decimals.

Science: We started to learn about how scientists test medicines scientifically.

Social Studies: Students designed an advertisement about all the features of Plymouth, or one of the other English colonies we have learned about. Homework is to finish notebook p. 38.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 0
  
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 8): 2

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• 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.

Spelling: None today due to extra time with writing.

Cursive: Ten cursive sentences of seven or more words each are due on Fridays.

Reading: Today was a reading day in Literature Circles; some groups worked on questioning and breaking words into parts as reading strategies.

Writing: We read a short story about a sibling rivalry and practiced writing an essay.

The next piece of writing, a literary essay (here’s an example), is due Friday, February 8. Students will start to write their own essays tomorrow and will need a book or story to write an essay about.

Math: We reviewed for tomorrow’s math test about multiplying decimals. A practice test can be found  in the math book on pp. 164-165.

Science: None today due to extra time with writing.

Social Studies: None today due to our math skills practice time.

Behavior Update:

• Yellow magnets: 2
  
• Orange magnets: 0
• Red magnets: 0
• STAR Awards: 0
• Magnets moved this week (goal: 8): 2

Check your student’s Personal and Social Growth grade online to see if your student moved their magnet.

Notes:

• 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.