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!