This Week in ELA

What a busy, crazy, exciting week!  I have to say that this school year is really flying by.  Here is a recap of what happened this week, and what is coming up next week.

• Monday - Mr. McDougall was lucky enough to go to a workshop by a very respected speaker on Reading and Writing.  He was also lucky enough to listen to an author talk by Steven Sheinkin who writes historical young adult novels on real world topics in INTERESTING ways.   Students worked on comparing and contrasting the novel "Rachel Carson" with the non-fiction text we finishing "Rain Forest Food Chains".  
• Tuesday - We did our first Cyber Safety Video about "Private Information" and being safe online. Then we started a new short text called "Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York".  This is another true story about the first HAWK to start using a building in NYC as a place to nest.  This fits our curriculum because it shows how when we destroy habitats of animals, they must adapt in order to survive.  Hawks in NYC.... Can you believe it!
• Wednesday - We did our second Cyber Safety Video about being a "Super Digital Hero" about how to act online.  We continued working with "Pale Male" and continued looking at why the author used certain figures of speech.  We did a lot of discussion about point of view between bird watchers and people who live in the fancy building on fifth avenue.  We also started practicing writing techniques that Mr. McDougall learned at his workshop on Monday to build writing stamina.  
• Thursday - SHORT DAY!  Today is Report Card afternoon and evening.  We had the students for just a half day, so that means about 55 minutes between Mr. McDougall and Ms. Cruz.  We watched a video today on "Privacy Policy" and how nothing on the internet is 100% private and nothing on the internet EVER goes away.  Once it is out there, it is out there.  I showed students how to check for and read web page privacy pages and they were a little shocked to see what privacy we give away when we are on the internet.  We spent the rest of our 55 minutes reading WONDER!
• Friday - Skills Review Friday.  We watched our next Cyber Safety Video about "Cyber Bullying".  We worked on our Weekly Reader "Time For Kids" with our main articles being "The Homework Debate" and ""Do Kids Need Homework".  They worked on the skill of pro vs con reasons and benefits vs drawbacks from the two articles and then using the details and reasons to form an opinion that can be defended.  They had a short quiz from the reading as well.  

1. Homework Packets are DUE Friday!!!
2. This weekend students will have to read "To Save the Amazon Rainforest" and answer the four questions for a current event grade.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

• Wednesday - November 22 "Field Trip to See WONDER" 

• This trip will be paid for by Carmel Hill if your student reads (in class) and then passes the AR Quiz!