I hope that everyone enjoyed our combined winter/spring-like weather over break. It was so special to wake to winter white blanketing the ground and trees on one day, then to hike in a warm spring breeze the next, albeit through mud! Today we switch gears, back to the business of learning in school.
"Little Red Riding Hood" essays were due today; if anyone fell behind with this or forgot to print, tonight and tomorrow night will be the time to catch up. Today in class we revisited spelling rules, practiced using commonly misspelled words (linked below), and embarked on new rules in the form of plurals. Students worked on ten rules for creating plural nouns, and should finish up the packet if needed tonight. Tomorrow students will take the ELA department benchmark test that they took early in the year. While I score the test to determine growth across the three times it is given, the scores are not entered into Aspen and do not figure into report card grades. The data is informational for me and for our department to analyze students' growth and development. The test questions are written a la the newest version of MCAS, so they serve the dual purpose of being practice for that test. We will work on the essay component together so that will also become practice for the kind of writing required on the MCAS.
While this week is all business, students are in store for more choice reading next week! This time, they will return to fiction and read in pairs or small groups. Students in each class should think about with whom they might want to read, as well as a novel they want to read together. Students are welcome to borrow or purchase their shared novels on their own, but we'll visit the library next Monday to choose books, and I have multiple copies of many selections as well. They'll begin reading and meeting with their groups next week.
Homework
Monday/Tuesday: finish plural packet; finish/print Little Red essay to turn in if needed.
Wednesday: finish organizer for bee essay; if you want to begin drafting, go for it!
Thursday: finish essay draft
Friday: finish final draft of essay & print; self score on rubric (you will turn in essay and rubric Monday)
If you and your reading partner(s) are getting a book on your own (you each need a copy), bring it in on Monday (we'll visit library on Monday to get books).
Commonly Misspelled Words activity
Editing Checklist
Writing Rubric
Common Ideas Between "Hum" and "Why We Need Bees"
