Yearbook

Randall Yearbooks--Order Deadline Fast Approaching

Randall yearbooks are available for purchase online: YBPAY.LIFETOUCH.COM.  The cost is $10 and the order ID code is 11286518.  If you wish to purchase your yearbook by check, we have extra flyers in the available in the office.  The order deadline date is Friday, February 2.

Math- Geometry

This week we worked on activating prior knowledge for upcoming work on shapes, angles and measurement. Here are the domain specific words we worked on this week.

Literacy

This week we began working together on a shared reading unit.  We have been reading Newbery Award winning book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. See more about the book here, Number the Stars. But please don't share this with our students, it gives away too much of the story...;) 

This shared reading experience is allowing the teachers to model how we want students to be responding to text.  We learned this early in the year, but as the year goes by students need reminders about what good responses look like, as well as making things a little more challenging as the year progresses. The kinds of assignments include summarizing, vocabulary, questioning, character mapping, visualizing and passage finder. Here are a couple of screen shots of examples that I have modeled for students using Number the Stars.  

We will also work on many other standards and concepts, here is the work we will do over the next few weeks. 

Hamilton Middle School Information

Hamilton came to visit us on Wednesday.  Students got a great introduction to life in middle school. Your child should have brought home a yellow election sheet that needs to be filled out and returned to your homeroom teacher by Friday, February 16th.

Also there was another sheet announcing an Orientation Meeting for Rising 6th Grade Students.
This visit to Hamilton is to teach parents and incoming 6th graders about:
-a typical middle school day
-school structures
-unified arts and music classes
-positive community
-student supports
-clubs and extra curriculars

Student Last Names Beginning with:

A-K attend Tuesday, February 13, 2018

L-Z attend Thursday, February 15, 2018

6:30-8:15 PM

4801 Waukesha St 

Childcare is not provided for younger siblings. 

Reading

We are finishing up Quarter 2 with some work on Reading Standard 5.3

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.3
Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters interact).

We compared characters from our favorite book Wonder. 

     We compared settings with the book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare. Now we are comparing and contrasting events in the story using one of our favorite Patricia Polacco books, My Rotten Red-Headed Older Brother. We are comparing and contrasting events in the book like the Merry-Go-Round incident with the rhubarb eating contest. Students had great similarities and differences such as: 

Math Multiplying Fractions

We have been working on multiplying fractions. We started using a scenario titled "The Big Bike Race".  Our first step in multiplying fractions is to be able to multiply a whole number by a fraction.

We then began work on a fraction by a fraction. Students are asked to solve the problems both in a representation as well as with equations. 

Here's our in class reference poster. 

Up next, dividing fractions!!

Social Studies Chapter 10

Essential Question: What British actions angered the colonists in the 1700s?

In an Experiential Exercise, I can plan a class party and then experience frustration when the PTA places restrictions on the party. I can relate my feelings to those of the colonists and then match metaphors of parent-child conflicts with key historical events.

After reading the text we did a short simulation to help the students understand what it felt like to be a colonist being "oppressed" by King George and the British Government. Ask your child what role they played in the simulation.

As we finish the chapter we are assessing the students by having them complete a timeline of the events that lead to the unhappiness of the colonists. Here are the papers we shared with the kids outlining the requirements and the scoring. We will be working on this in class unless unfinished at the end of next week.