Plymouth Church Trip - March 27th

This week in ELA

• Monday, March 26th
• ReadyGen Lesson 2A.7 - We will read chapter 7 of Heart and Soul with a focus of determining the meaning of unfamiliar words and reading and comprehending literature at the high end of the 4–5 text complexity. 
• Tuesdeay, March 27th
• Field Trip to Plymouth Church - We will leave around 9:30 and travel to Plymouth Church in Brooklyn Heights.  While there students will learn about the role this church played in the abolitionist movement and as a stop on the Underground Railroad.   They might even spot the place that Abraham Lincoln sat.
• Wednesday, March 28th
• ReadyGen Lesson 2A.8 - We will read chapter 8 of Heart and Soul with a focus on reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension as well as a writing focus to link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses.  We will also continue to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative language.
• Thursday, March 29th
• ReadyGen Lesson 2A.9 - We will read Chapter 9 of Heart and Soul with a focus on reading with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension as well as providing a concluding statement related to an opinion statement.  We will also spend time looking at different types of figurative language in the text and illustrations.  
• Friday, March 30th 
• Spring Break Begins!

Homework:

• Spring break packets were given out last week with a current progress report to get signed.  Students signed that they got them on Friday!  They are due when we return.
• Homework Packet for this week is a Discovering the Underground Railroad learning book that is due on Thursday before the end of day.

Something Fun to Do Saturday!

ELEVATE Tuesday - Ace the Test

Today we had ELEVATE and the topic was "Ace the Test!"  The kids had a great time and I hope the skills they were taught helps prepare them for the upcoming ELA and Math State Tests!

Mat with One T

Next Week in ELA - March 19 - 23

I am very excited that I will be attending my first ever Albany Lobby Day on Monday, March 19th.  I have to be at the bus very early Monday morning for the long trip up to Albany.  While there we get to meet with legislatures and discuss our issues as Educators with them.  This is government in action and I am quite excited to be a part of it!  I can't wait to take loads of pictures and share the experience with the students about how "we the people" can have our voices heard.

• Monday, March 19th
• We will continue our study in overcoming obstacles by moving into ReadyGen Lesson 2A.5   The reading focus is determining a theme of a story from details in the text, including how characters in a story respond to challenges; summarize the text (RL.5.2) and to gather information for an opinion piece by providing logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details. (W.5.1.b) as we read Chapter 5 of "Heart and Soul".
• Tuesday, March 20th
• Elevate - Today is our last workshop with Elevate.  This is our final Study Skill Session with Elevate! The Theme of the Lesson is: "Ace the Tests!"  
• Wednesday, March 21st 
•  As we move into Chapter 6, we will continue to determine a theme of a story from details in the text, including how characters in a story respond to challenges; summarize the text (RL.5.2) as well as read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. (RF.5.4)  In writing we will organize ideas for an opinion essay so students can produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (W.5.4)  From 9:50 - 10:45 we will head down to the auditorium for a special presentation by our head custodian on building safety.  I am looking forward to this informative talk about our building. 
• Thursday, March 22nd 
• Chapter 7 of "Heart and Soul" will find us describing how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described (RL.5.6) and we will write opinion pieces on topics, supporting a point of view with reason and information (W.5.1) by doing peer review of essays to strengthen reasons and evidence to support the opinion in an opinion essay.
• Friday, March 23rd
• Skills Review Friday:  We will be practicing the skills we have covered this week by reading the Time For Kids article Meet the Influencers.  We will read articles about Teen Influences, look at the character traits they exhibit, and discuss how these traits have helped them to overcome obstacles. 

Crazy Week in ELA... Looking Forward

This past week was crazy.... field trip, snow storm, end of unit testing and PBA's due....  Next week we start a new unit and I am very excited....

Heart and Soul

Author Kadir Nelson

• Monday:  We will be starting Unit 2A in ReadyGen.  After looking at the unit overview and what the next PBA will be, we will move right into our new text "Heart and Soul.  Our focus will be to describe how a narrator’s point of view influences how events are described as well as to determine a theme of a story from details in the text, including how characters in a story respond to challenges; summarize the text and to compare and contrast the varieties of English used in stories. (Prologue and Chapter 1)
• Tuesday:  We will be reading Chapter 2 of "Heart and Soul" with the focus of analyzing how visual elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a text.  In writing we will work on writing an opinion piece about how one or two images contribute to the meaning, tone, and beauty of the text.
• Wednesday:  Lesson 2A.3 focuses on determining the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes through reading Chapter 3 of "Heart and Soul".  We will also determine the theme of a story from details in the text and analyze how visual elements contribute to the meaning of a text.  We will also write an opinion piece about the author’s style, particularly the effect of dialect and idiomatic expressions.  Using mentor text to "mimic" writing style is what good writers do.  
• Thursday:   Each class will meet for about an hour before going to lunch and early dismissal.  We will read Chapter 4 of "Heart and Soul" while focusing on how to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

Students will have lunch from 10:45 - 11:15 AM
Students dismissal at 11:20 AM
Afternoon Conferences are from 12:10 - 2:20
Evening Conferences are from 4:30 - 7:30

• Friday:  Skill Review Friday - Time for Kids article Best Inventions of 2017 with a focus on main idea, problem/solution, and persuasive writing.  Social Studies: Review explorers unit by doing chapter review and then have students show understanding by doing a short chapter test.  Preview next unit as time permits.

Homework:

• Homework Packet #24 will be passed out on Monday.  Each day, students should read the first article and do ONE page of the homework packet.  Packets are due Thursday!
• Reading Response Journals are to be completed 5 nights out of the 7 days of the week.  Students are expected to read for 30-45 minutes on their own.  Then they should spend 5 minutes writing a brief summary of what happened in the pages they read.  They should spend another 5 minutes writing a reflection toward what they read.  What it meant to them.  What they felt.  How they can connect and relate to it.  This is part of STUDYING to be a better reading, writer and thinker. 

Co-Writing Introductions and Conclusions...

The Paley Center for Media Field Trip

Even though the field trip came a little before we started our next unit, we were lucky enough to work with Becka Fisk at The Paley Center for Media on the topic of Civil Rights and Social Justice.  The kids did an excellent job discussing the issues and comparing video clips.  Mr.s Fisk said they were WONDERFUL and would love to see them at the end of our next unit to see how much they have learned and how many more questions they have.   

Unit two starts with the struggle for equality with slavery and our new nation, and takes us through the great migration right up to the civil rights movement with Dr. King and Cesar Chavez.  As we wind down our study of exploration and gear up for social justice and what makes a hero... I am thankful the students got this opportunity.  

Next Week in ELA

• Monday, March 5th 
• We will be traveling to The Paley Center for Media by school bus to take part in an exciting program that is a GREAT introduction for our next unit in ELA.  Our next unit covers injustice and overcoming it.  This trip will introduce the topic by having them look at various video clips from the civil rights movement and identifying and discussing the injustices they witnessed and what makes people stand up to injustice. 
• Tuesday, March 6th
• ReadyGen Lesson 4B.16 with a focus on determining the meaning of academic and domain specific words and phrases in the text "A New Beginning" in the text collection (RI5.4).  They will also be able to determine two or main ideas of the text and explain how they are supported by key details as they summarize the text (RI5.2).  We will continue to work in class on the PBA by modeling a strong introduction and conclusion and then passing out drafting paper for them to start drafting.
• Wednesday, March 7th 
• STAR Testing for current Reading Levels.  Then we will do the last lesson for this unit - ReadyGen 4B.18.  Our focus will be to compare text structure and themes across the three texts we have read in Unit 4B.  Students will have time to work on finishing or revising their PBA with classmates.
• Thursday, March 8th 
• Elevate will be with us to continue our study skills series.  If time permits students will revise and edit their PBA which is due on Friday!
• Friday, March 9th 
• End of Unit Test - The test consist of one text that the students will read independently.  Students will then answer 6 text dependent comprehension questions, 4 text dependent vocabulary questions, and 1 text dependent written response.   With the time left over students must complete their final draft to turn in.

Homework:
Homework:

• Homework Packet #23 will be passed out on Monday.  Each day, students should read the first article and do ONE page of the homework packet.  Packets are due Thursday!
• Reading Response Journals are to be completed 5 nights out of the 7 days of the week.  Students are expected to read for 30-45 minutes on their own.  Then they should spend 5 minutes writing a brief summary of what happened in the pages they read.  They should spend another 5 minutes writing a reflection toward what they read.  What it meant to them.  What they felt.  How they can connect and relate to it.  This is part of STUDYING to be a better reading, writer and thinker. 
• PBA:  The PBA is due on Friday!  

Dividing Fractions & First in Math

Dear Family,

Throughout the next few weeks, our math class will be learning about dividing whole numbers by unit fractions and dividing unit fractions by whole numbers. We will also learn how a fraction represents division. You can expect to see homework with real-world problems that involve division with fractions. Here is a sample of how your child will be taught to use a model to divide by a fraction.


Querida familia,

Durante las próximas semanas, en la clase de matemáticas aprenderemos a dividir números enteros entre fracciones unitarias y fracciones unitarias entre números enteros. También aprenderemos de qué manera una fracción representa una división. Llevaré a casa tareas para resolver problemas de la vida diaria que incluyan la división con fracciones.



Ms.Cruz

Check out the following website!

https://firstinmath.com/home