January 21-24

I hope everyone's enjoying their weekends. Here are the plans for the week:

-Interim Assessments take place this week. Kids will take 2 Math tests and 2 Language Arts tests. These will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. These tests are to measure the changes we're making in our curriculum as we implement the Common Core Standards. 

-The Robert Crown field trip is this Friday, January 24th. 

-Please remember to turn in the Hill Middle School class designation form at your earliest convenience. 

5H Math: We will take the Unit 5 test this Wednesday. There are optional study sessions Tuesday during lunch and/or recess as well as after school until 4:10. Tuesday we will work on adding and subtracting mixed numbers in story problems and review comparing decimals. Students have several handouts as well as notes that will be helpful in studying. They can also refer to the unit 5 links in the math tab. 

Language Arts:

This week we'll finish up Red Kayak, one of our read aloud books. The main character has been struggling with a tough decision which has led us to some discussions about courage and decision making. We will finish up our courage unit this week by returning to our original definitions of courage and revising them as necessary. Students will reflect on all the topics we've connected to courage and determine what they believe to be the best example of courage (could be from a read aloud, independent book, current event, personal experience, etc.). Students will explain why they believe this example shows courage by connecting it to their definition.  

Word Study: Kids will take a quiz on words that contain suffixes this Thursday. The words are the same as I emailed you last week. Kids will need to spell the words correctly, as well as circle the suffix and underline the base word. 

examine
masculine
feminine
chlorine
routine
college
privilege
voltage 
proposal
denial
personality
equity

Science: On Tuesday, we will focus on circuits. Students will learn what a circuit is, and the difference between a parallel and series circuit. Wednesday, we will review what we've learned in this unit. We will take our Magnet and Electricity test this Friday. Students should focus on the concepts below.

• The basic parts of an atom and how they relate to magnetism and electricity
• Properties of magnets
• Circuit electricity: parallel and series circuits (what is a circuit? what is the difference between these two types?)   
• The 2 types of electricity (static and current) and their similarities and differences
• The relationship between magnets and electricity- how can electricity magnetize another object? (electromagnet) 

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Young Authors

The Young Authors information went out on our website before break, but many families have not gotten the word. Here are the specifics:

-Be in by the deadline 2/14/14. (Late manuscripts will not be eligible for awards.)

-Include a rough draft. (Handwritten or typed. The final copy should reflect revisions.)

-Have a cover with pages securely attached.

- Have a detachable title page including the child's name, grade, and title of the book. (This page will be removed for anonymous judging.)

-Writing must be done by the student. The final manuscript should reflect the student’s writing ability and developmental stage. (For example, an excellent kindergarten submission may use very basic language and may have some grammatical errors.) PARENT INPUT SHOULD BE MINIMAL

Letters of intent to participate were supposed to be in Friday, but Mrs. May has extended the deadline. You can find the Intent to Participate form in an email from me!