Really cool things are going on!

It's the end of January and there are some really exciting things going on in Room 25 this week! Here's a breakdown of the awesome activities this week:

Social Studies
Last week we finished our first-person letters as frontier children.  The students took on the point-of-view as a child traveling to the Midwest, soon after the Louisiana Purchase and Homestead Act of the 1880's, and wrote letters from their new homes.  The students did an amazing job on the writing and even got to place themselves into pioneer scenes through the technology of green screen picture editing!

This week we finish up our Midwest unit with discussions around how transportation evolved through history.  This will include note-taking, video clips, and creating a time line.

Language Arts
Word Study
This week's list consists on words using the re-, dis-, and un- prefixes.  The focus will be on spelling, synonyms/antonyms, and using the words correctly in sentences according to their parts of speech. The words for the week can be found here.

Reading
The class will wrap-up our Nonfiction Unit this week; reviewing the different text structures (Compare/Contrast, Sequence, Description, Cause/Effect, and Problem/Solution) and comparing two texts around the same subject.  The class will take an assessment on Friday to show-off everything they have learned in the last few months regarding nonfiction texts.

Writing
Last week we finally finished our Dr. King essays that showed how the students interpreted certain quoted from the "I Have a Dream" speech.  I look forward to sending these home, as well as posting them outside the classroom.  Look for these graded essays by Thursday.

This week we are writing narratives; telling a story in another character's point-of-view.  Using the story Zane and the Hurricane, student's will retell a scene from Bandy's point of view.  In case you are wondering...Bandy is the main character's dog!  This writing should be fun!

Math
Following last week's success of the Friday quiz covering adding and subtracting fractions, we are moving on this week to converting improper fractions to mixed numbers, and vise-versa.  We will also begin adding and subtracting mixed numbers!  Here are a few resources to help at home:

• Improper Fractions to Mixed Numbers (Khan Academy video)
• Mixed Numbers to Improper Fractions (Khan Academy video)
• Adding/Subtracting Mixed Numbers

Have a great week!  As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

The Midwest, Martin, and More Fractions!

Welcome back parents and students!  I hope everyone had a great break...I know I did!  We are back to work and ready to work!  Here is what's going on in Room 25 this and next week:

Social Studies
This week we start our next unit in Social Studies: The Midwest Region.  We will be focusing on the geography, history, and economy of the region, along with extending our understanding of one specific state through a research project.  Students chose their states on Wednesday and will begin the research process this week.

As with past units, we also be focusing on the location and capital cities of the 12 states the region.  A practice map was created on Tuesday by each student and will be returned on Thursday.  This can be used for studying through the next few weeks.  The geography/capitals quiz will be Monday, January 23rd.  We will practice frequently in class, but at-home studying always helps!  Here's a map for your reference:

Language Arts

Reading

This week we are focusing on primary and secondary sources as part of our nonfiction unit.  I thought this was a great opportunity to incorporate stories, biographies, speeches, and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  We will be analyzing the "I Have A Dream" Speech, reading a letter written by Dr. King, and using the vocabulary from his writings for our Word Study.

Word Study

As mentioned above, our words for the next two weeks will revolve around words found in Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.  I'm not concerned on their spellings at all, but rather on their appropriate uses, and how the words can be interpreted through parts of speech and pictures.  Presentations will also be created for select words so that students can show how they understood the words in pictures. Here are the words for the week.

Writing

Staying with the persuasive writing theme, this and next week we will study how Dr. King was able to persuade so many people to peacefully protest and fight for equality.  We will be listening to audio, watching videos, and identifying powerful words he used in order to help us write a persuasive essay using Dr. King as a model.

Math

Fractions, fractions, and more fractions!  By next Friday we will be prepared to take our Chapter 6 test.  In the meantime, here are are the skills we are focusing on in the next week:

• Finding Common Denominators (video)
• Comparing Fractions (video)
• Ordering Fractions (video)
• Problem Solving using Fractions

Have an outstanding week!  Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.  Don't forget to follow us on Twitter at @misterholmes25 to see the awesome things that are happening in Room 25!