Here's what's up this week.
MAP Testing -
We'll be taking the Fall Reading MAP test on Monday and Tuesday. I feel horrible because I forgot to mention this on Friday. Students completed the Math test this week, but it will still probably be a nasty surprise on Monday. Please let your students know, and encourage them to get a good night sleep. Fall MAP score give us a baseline for the year, so we can continue to track growth and progress.
Language Arts -
On Friday, we started our first writing project - personal narrative, where students are adding their own chapter to Seedfolks so that they become a character in the book who discovers the Gibb Street community garden, and decides to plant their own garden patch.. We're focusing on Voice - showing our personality through our writing voice.
Independent Reading - 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.
Social Studies -
We're finishing Chapter 3 - Hunter Gathers to Farmers. Students created their own cave art on Friday to show what life was like in the Paleolithic or Neolithic Age. We'll do some chapter review on Monday and a Quiz on Tuesday before starting the next chapter - The Rise of the Sumerian City States.