Classroom News for the Week of November 28th

News and Upcoming Events: 

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments!
• 12/12 Holiday Program
• "What Makes Our State Special?" Please see the schedule below. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend. As guests, you will play the role of potential tourists. The students have designed and prepared presentations to convince you to visit their California region. Each group will have approximately 5 minutes to present and answer audience members' questions. Please come to the MPR on time as presentations will begin right away.
•  Friday 12/9 8:30a.m. :Gayelle, Julissa, Lyric. This presentation will be in room 12.
• Tuesday, 12/13:  8:30 a.m. Bryan, Gigi, Chloe; Grace, Rowan, Janelle; Kaiden, Aiden, Ewan; Joaquin, Payton, Hope; Eduardo, Tyler, Luke
• Thursday 12/15 1p.m. Soleil, Orson, Senaiah; Genevieve, Ann Elise, Jonathan; Braeden, Sean Gahbriel; Alex, Milan, Bridget; Meha, Maggie, Colin
• 12/19 - 1/6 Winter Break. School resumes Monday, January 9th.
• Thursday, January 12th - CA. Mission projects due. Use the checklist provided under "Mission Project" in the Class Handouts menu on the right side of this page, to help guide you.

Donate to Our Class: 
We need-

• Swiffer duster refills. Thank you!

 Also-
 We are in need of printer ink. If you would like to help out, use this link to shop for items for our classroom on Amazon. You can have items sent directly to the school c/o Ms. Convey. Please be sure to include your name, so I can thank you!  Ms. Convey's Class Supplies

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

Understanding division with arras and area models; Vocabulary of division

Reading:

This week we will begin a mini-unit "The Power of Words". Students will be reading, discussing, and analyzing various selections from the Treasures anthology. 

Students created a new Genre Genius template before the break. Ask your child about his/her selections.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
This week's words are:

• inscribe
• inscription
• prescription
• transcribe
• scribe
• autograph
• biography
• grammar
• graphic
• graphite

Writing:

Scripts and note-cards for "What MakesOur State Special?" project

Arts:

Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text; Creating mandalas with multiple lines of symmetry (bilateral and rotational symmetry)

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Script Writing, Visual Aides, Rehearsal


Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Mission System

Earth Science: Earth and Human Activity (Energy and Fuels that humans use are derived from the Earth; Environmental impact of energy extraction and use)

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.

Classroom News for the Week of November 14th

News and Upcoming Events: 

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments!
• Monday 11/14 is a shortened day. Students will be dismissed at 12:54
• On Thursday students will receive instructions on a social studies project related to California Missions to be completed at home. The project is not due until Jan. 13th, but I want to give families plenty of time to complete it either on the upcoming breaks or during the school weeks. Please review the instructions with your child and email me with any questions. Thank you!
• 11/21-11/25 School Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Donate to Our Class: 
We need-

• Swiffer duster refills. Thank you!

 Also-
 We are in need of printer ink. If you would like to help out, use this link to shop for items for our classroom on Amazon. You can have items sent directly to the school c/o Ms. Convey. Please be sure to include your name, so I can thank you!  Ms. Convey's Class Supplies

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

This week we will use the standard algorithm for multiplication to complete multi-step word problems. Students will be solving 3 and 4 digit x 1 digit. There will be a multiplication assessment on Thursday.

Reading:

This week we will finish reading Island of the Blue Dolphins. Students will complete a short writing assignment based on what they've read and will take the Accelerated Reader quiz for the book on Friday.

On Tuesday, students will be co-creating a new Genre Genius. Ask your child about his/her selections.

Spelling & Vocabulary:
This week's words are:

• support
• export
• deport
• import
• portable
• structure
• destructive
• instructor
• obstruct
• construction

Writing:

Creative Writing - A Day on Mars continued; Writing about theme in Island

Arts:

Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text.

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Script Writing, Visual Aides, Rehearsal
 

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: The Birth of the Missions; History of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving

Earth Science: Rock classification and Fossils

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.

Classroom News for the Week of November 7th

News and Upcoming Events:

• Monday is Orchestra. Remember to bring your instruments.
• Week of 11/7 Parent Conferences. Please use this link to sign-up for a conference Conference Sign-Up. 
• Conference Week Schedule Change- School ends at 12:54 p.m. M, W, TH this week. Tuesday is regular dismissal at 1:34. No lunch will be served at school. Brunch will be served from 10:00-10:30.
• 11/8 Upper Grade Election Day Celebration - Students will spend the day rotating among the 5 upper grade teachers. The will learn about the history of our flag, the electoral college system, characteristics of debate, and much more! Please ask your child about his/her experience. Talk with your child about the election and results. Encourage your child to share his or her opinions in a way that reflects his/her knowledge and intelligence. Many of the children have very strong feelings about both candidates, and we want to support their thinking and discourse by modeling how we can disagree respectfully.
• 11/10 Picture Make-up Day
• 11/11 Veterans Day holiday - school closed
• 11/14 Early Dismissal 12:54
• 11/21-11/25 School Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Donate to Our Class: 
We need-

• Cleaning cloths ("wipees") to clean and disinfect our table tops. 
• Swiffer duster refills. Thank you!

 Also-
 We are in need of printer ink. If you would like to help out, use this link to shop for items for our classroom on Amazon. You can have items sent directly to the school c/o Ms. Convey. Please be sure to include your name, so I can thank you!  Ms. Convey's Class Supplies

What's Going On This Week In Class:

Math: 

This week we will use the standard algorithm to complete multiplication problems. Students will be solving 3 and 4 digit x 1 digit.

Accelerated Math (Individualized practice)

Reading:

Chaps. 22-25 of Scott O'Dells Newbery-Award winning book, Island of the Blue Dolphins. This historical fiction book ties in with our current social studies unit on the geography of California. We will be using Depth and Complexity icons to help us dig deeper into the text.

Reading non-fiction text in Scholastic News.

Spelling & Vocabulary:

There will be no words this week.

Writing:

Creative Writing - A Day on Mars

Arts:

Using the Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) to build meaning from visual text.

Project-Based Learning:
Student teams continue working on our class project. Our driving question is: What makes our state special? Students have received a letter from the California Director of Tourism asking them to research a particular area of California and create a 2 to 3 minute presentation designed to encourage visitors to visit that region. Ask your child about the project and check the blog frequently for presentation dates. This interdisciplinary project addresses standards for research and inquiry, speaking, language arts, visual literacy, social studies, and science.

Lesson Focus: Script Writing and Visual Aides
 
Second Step (Social and Emotional Health):
Lesson Big Idea: Understanding Complex Feelings. No home assignment this week.

Social Studies/Science:

Social Studies: European Explorers in California

Earth Science: Rock classification and Fossils

Reminders:

Tardies:

 Please make sure your child is at school and in line by the 8:06 bell. We try to start the school day at 8:11 promptly. Thank you for your help!

Homework:

Please check your child's Homework Log nightly and sign or initial after the work has been completed. Remind your child that completed homework and the HW log are due in class daily.