Some important schedule announcements for this week:
* Monday, April 23 - Full Schedule - Dismissal at 2:40
* Friday, April 27 - No School - Teacher Development Day
* Reading Log - Due Monday, April 23rd
Shout out for Reading Logs - Reading Logs are a tool to encourage students to grow as independent readers. Many studies show that independent reading is a key skill linked to academic success. Please encourage students to read weekly outside of school whether it be novels, informational books, graphic novels, magazines, blogs, or fan fiction.
Writing -
MEL-Con Monday: This week's topic article is about minimum wage.
MEL-Con is a formula for writing exceptional argumentative paragraphs. MEL-Con stands for Main Idea (topic sentence or claim), Evidence, Link (explanation) and Conclusion.
Each Monday, we'll begin with a Pro/Con topic article and practice picking a side, using evidence from the article to support our claim, linking or explaining how our evidence supports our claim, and conclusion (recap or summary).
For the rest of the week students will be teaching lessons on Figurative Language in poetry -Metaphor & Simile, Alliteration, Hyperbole, Imagery, Onomatopoeia & Personification.
Reading Groups - Reading Groups are back in full swing. This term we'll be focusing on character traits, plot and theme or message.
Independent Reading - Reading Log - Due Monday, April 23rd.
All classes have a goal for number of students turning in Reading Logs, so that we can earn a class reward!
Students are expected to complete at least 150 minutes of Independent Reading each week with parent/guardian signatures for their reading times.
Social Studies -
Last week, we finished our study of the Silk Road by learning about how goods and ideas were traded from the East to the West, and back. This week we learn about western culture as we begin our exploration of ancient Greece.