Reading
We are finishing up our unit on Nonfiction Text Complexity by becoming experts on a topic of their choice. Not only will kids gain deep knowledge on a subject, but we will be focusing on how texts on the same topics vary. They may have different text structures, author biases, perspectives, and present information in very different ways. Because of this, I am asking kids to gather resources. We have books from our classroom that they are currently using, we have visited the Gold Rush Library, and I have printed a few articles for them. Please also help them gather text by printing articles at home and visiting the public library.
Writing
We are finishing up our Literary Essay Unit. Kids are in the process of finishing their second piece and will do one last one on a text of their choice. We have focused, not only on essay structure and tone, but have also really gotten into finding just the right evidence to support our thesis statements and then "unpacking" that evidence to show how it supports our thinking.
Math
Division is our next topic. We begin with whole number division then move into decimal division. Through this work we will be making estimates to check the reasonableness of our answers, dividing by one-digit divisors, and by two-digit divisors. I will teach both Partial Quotients and the Traditional Method of division and either option is fine with me. Typically students find it easier to use traditional with one-digit divisors and partial quotients with two-digit. The most important aspect at the end is that they have a solid understanding of division, are accurate, and are efficient.
Holiday Items
As a "gift" to the class, I will have an in-class Read-a-thon on Thursday the 18th. On this day kids can bring in a small blanket or beach towel to get cozy with, I will provide hot chocolate, and we will spend the day enjoying books! We will read fiction, nonfiction, science material, magazines, etc.
Upcoming Dates
Friday, Dec. 6th - Spelling Bee Pre-Qualification at 8:30 in the Gold Mine Room
Thursday, Dec. 12th - One-on-one Reading Assessments (there will be a sub this day as I test)
Wednesday, Dec, 18th - Read-a-thon and hot chocolate party
Thursday, Dec. 19th - Class Holiday Party
Friday, Dec. 20th - Winter Break Begins
