Tuesday, February 24th

Good morning! With the weather bad and school delayed, I am planning for the event that we won't go at all today. I asked my homeroom to take home their reading yesterday, but I did not think to let Mr. Desin's class know. I have uploaded items for both Reading and Social Studies into my Dropbox account. You will need to go to www.dropbox.com or use the Dropbox app (if you have one on a tablet). The work is in the folder labeled "February 24th." I think most or all students have had practice using Dropbox (the login is my email and my password should be an easily remembered one). I would love for your child to work on some of these items at home. Some items you might need to print or write out on notebook paper if printing isn't an option. The items I have uploaded are all items we planned on working on today or in the next few days. So, these items aren't just "extra" work.

If you have any questions, just email me.
Mrs. Gordon

Donors Choose

Technology is something I feel I need to incorporate into my classroom more. I am trying to raise funds to purchase an iPad using Donor's Choose. If you are interested, please follow my link to find out more information.

People of the American Revolution Presentations

This is a reminder that the American Revolution presentations are due tomorrow. Your child was assigned a figure from the American Revolution and he or she may choose a way to present this person. Presentations will begin tomorrow!

Nick wants a sleepover!

Nick, our fabulous (and rotund) guinea pig, would love to come visit you over the weekend! If you are interested in having him as a house guest, please sign up using this Sign Up Genius. If you have absolutely no interest in having a rodent visit your abode, please consider donating supplies. We can use food, hay, and bedding (especially bedding!).

Photo coming soon...

Mrs. Gordon

Lexington and Concord using Legos!

***This is a fun video of the recreation of the battle of Lexington and Concord.

No Taxation without Representation!

We participated in an activity where students had to take on roles like King, Tax Collector, or Colonists. It was a fun activity, but the colonists were quite upset when they had to give up their "money!"

Week of February 9th

In Reading, students will be writing about their reactions to the Boston Massacre. This will be due at the end of the week. Students will also be asked to work on Greek and Latin derivations for vocabulary development and 3c:  Cause and Effect on Study Island.

In Social Studies, we will begin learning about the American Revolution. We will start with the battle of Lexington and Concord, then Saratoga (the turning point of the war), and the final battle of Yorktown. Students have been given a choice menu for an at home project and assigned a person to present. The presentations are due February 19th.

Please see our previous blog entry about our Valentine's exchange. Of course, this is optional!

Week of February 2

This week in math, the students will test on chapter 8 on Wednesday.  This was a tough chapter, as the fractions were very involved.  The following two chapters are also fraction-based.  So they won’t be going anywhere soon. 

Next Thursday the Math Recipe Project is due.  The kids can present however they choose as long as they meet the requirements on the rubric.  Cooking and sharing their recipe is entirely optional.

The students are working hard in science as they complete their menu choice board.  Your child has been learning some really cool information about the Solar System.  I am sure they will be more than happy to share these facts with the family.  Also, the phases of the Moon and Space test will be next week.

Valentine’s Day-We are going to pass out Valentine’s next Friday February 13^th.  The kids will decorate a brown paper bag in the classroom.  If your child would like to participate, please be sure they have enough for each student.  Desin's class size is 28 and Gordon's is 26. We are just planning to do the exchange for our homerooms.

Reading-We are reading two perspectives of the Boston Massacre to discuss the different versions of the accounts. We are practicing the "Close Reading" strategy which includes reading multiple times (three times, specifically). Each time the students read, they are asked to focus on a different skill. Work on Writing will be introduced on Thursday. Students will be asked to complete the writing by the following week. It will be related to this week's reading skill.

Social Studies- This week, we are finishing up the causes of the American Revolution. We will read about the Boston Massacre, analyze two primary sources (Revere's and Chappell's rendering of the Boston Massacre), completed a Reader's Theater on the Boston Tea Party, and finish up with The Intolerable Acts. Students are collecting information about each event and reflecting on it in their Social Studies notebooks. We have a project coming up, so look for more information on Thursday.