Dear Parents and Friends,
Thank you to those who were able to attend the DARE graduation last night! I know the students had a great time, and they represented our class well! Yesterday we also had our school Winter Party. I think everyone had a blast! Progress reports for third quarter are coming home in Friday Folders today. If your child has a 'D' or an 'F,' it must be signed by a parent and returned to school on Monday. Thank you for your assistance in this! Reader's Workshop is structured a little differently this semester. Rather than have the students write a letter about a book to me each week, I have given three choices for larger book report projects. Here are the choices: 1) A minimum 2 page (single spaced) letter detailing all the story elements, a summary, main idea and supporting details, and their opinion on the book. 2) A Burger Book Report-students create a burger with toppings and on each layer a different requirement to explain. For example, the burger patty has them explain the main idea and details, the tomato requires information on the setting. This should be a big enough burger to fit 1-2 full paragraphs on each layer. I have an example and template for the students to use, and will be uploading it to the website soon. 3) A Book in a Box project-students will collect a minimum of 10 objects that relate to their book and place the objects inside a shoebox. A paragraph description about each object should be included that explains why it was chosen and how it relates. The box itself can also be decorated. There is an explanation and rubric of this already on the website. The first round of these projects is due on February 4th. That gives students two weekends and 10 days to complete this project. The students have known about this project since the beginning of the semester.
0 Comments
Dear Parents and Friends,
We will have a short week next week with no school on Monday due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In class, we have been talking about the contributions Dr. King and many others made to our country. Please talk with your children about this so they can share their knowledge with you! Students at Mill Creek brought up the fact that they wanted a winter spirit week. So, next week are all winter spirit days. Here are the dress up themes: Tuesday: Twin Day (dress like a friend) Wednesday: 100th Day of School (get creative!) Thursday: Rock Star Day [dress like a rock star (school appropriate)] Friday: All Star Day (wear your favorite sports outfit) I will be out of the building on Tuesday. I am attending a MAP testing seminar all day. I can be reached by e-mail if necessary. Thursday the 24th is our school Winter Party. This will happen sometime in the morning, because in the afternoon we will be walking to the Freshman Center to have a practice for the DARE graduation. Permission slips for this are in Friday Folders, please return them to school on Tuesday. The actual graduation for DARE will be the night of the 24th. Students should wear the DARE t-shirts (or a black t-shirt if theirs is lost) and plan to arrive at the Freshman Center between 6:30-6:45pm. The graduation begins at 7:00pm. The Polar Plunge is being held next weekend, January 26th at Longview Lake. This is for a wonderful cause and if you attend, you will see several of Mill Creek's teacher take the Plunge! Don't forget to order from Scholastic! A few parents have coupons for free books (to be used any time!). If you'd like to get a coupon, all you need to do is place a Scholastic order online. This is a great way to supplement reading material at home, and also help us get books for the classroom! For every parent that orders online, we get a coupon for $3 off a book! If you have questions about ordering online, please let me know. I still also take traditional mail-in orders. Have a wonderful and safe three day weekend! -Mrs. Morehead We had a successful first full week at school and are already busy with upcoming assignments and projects.
Last week in Friday Folders, students were sent home with a permission slip for the "Growing Up" video. The students will have the opportunity to watch this video in the next week or so. If you need another permission slip, please send me an e-mail and I'll get you a digital copy. In math, students are finishing up a graphing project which will be due on Tuesday. Students wrote a survey question and collected data from nearby fifth grade classes. Many groups are creating circle graphs or line plots to display their data. Reader's workshop will be combined with social studies again this quarter. Students are learning strategies to understand non-fiction texts about the American Revolutionary War. Students are also participating in literature circles and are reading historical fiction books about this topic. I have given students a few new options for showing their knowledge after completing a book. Students are required to submit one project each month and can choose from the following options: 1) 2 page detailed letter about the book 2) Build a burger book report (each layer of the burger asks for different knowledge/skills from the book) 3) A book box (students use a shoe box and collect at least 10 artifacts that represent the book and write a summary of how each object relates) Once a month, students will present these projects to the class. The students are already enthusiastic about these new projects and a few have even begun! DARE graduation is coming up (Thursday, January 24th). Graduation begins at 7:00pm and will be held at the Freshman Center. Our class is finishing up our DARE essays in writer's workshop in anticipation of this, and will be moving on to revising pieces of work. Also on January 24th is a half day. This is the day that has been rescheduled for our Winter Party. Clubs will resume after school next Tuesday. Have a great weekend! -Mrs. Morehead Welcome back to second semester and the third quarter at Mill Creek. Final grade cards for Quarter 2 were sent home today. Please look for them in the small manilla envelopes. Your students know that the envelope must be signed by a parent and returned to school on Monday.
Here is a link to a webpage that has a list of businesses that may participate in rewards for good report card grades. http://theprudentpatron.com/2010/06/report-card-rewards-free-stuff-for-good-grades.html Please keep in mind that not all stores participate, so it may be a good idea to call the local ones ahead of time. Enjoy! Also sent home was a white form about the "Growing Up" video that students watch in fifth grade. Please complete this form and return it to school with your child on Monda I hope you all had a relaxing time spent with family. I was thoroughly impressed by everyone coming back yesterday, ready to learn and follow our school expectations. I know we will continue to have a great year, and I'm looking forward to the learning your children will do in the next five months! Happy Friday! -Mrs. Morehead |
AuthorI teach fifth grade at Mill Creek. I sponsor the Homework Club and the Swimming Club. This is my third year at Mill Creek and I'm looking forward to another exciting year! Archives
January 2014
Categories
All
|