Weekly Memo (January 13-17)

A New Semester

For most of us, a new year is a great time to start new things and make changes, and the same is true in a classroom. This semester, we’re going to do things a little differently than the fall semester. Here are few of the changes we’ll be making or have already made:

New seating arrangement— For the first semester, our room was set up in cooperative learning groups of 4 (and one group of 5).For this semester, we our room is set up in more of a stadium-seating arrangement with students sitting in pairs. We’ll still be able to do many of the same cooperative learning activities that we did before, but just in a new arrangement.
Spelling Tests— We’ll follow the same format of having a pre-test on Thursday and the test on Friday, but we’ll add a review assignment to help students master the words. For any words missed on the pre-test, students will need to rewrite them five times and turn in the next day prior to taking the spelling test.
Vocabulary Tests— In addition to testing over the vocabulary words from the Journeys chapter each Friday, we’ll also include vocabulary words from our Social Studies and Science lessons.
Class Novels— In addition to independent reading novels and reading stories from our Journeys textbook, we will also read two novels together this semester (Fish in a Tree and Indian in the Cupboard). Both are great books, and I’m looking forward to reading them as a class. We’ll start our first one in the next two weeks.

These are just a few of the things we’ll add to our routine this semester, and there will be a few more along the way. I’m looking forward to another great semester as we prepare to move to middle school next year.

What We’re Learning This Week (if all goes as planned)

I’ll mark each thing we get finished, and you can check back each day to see what we were able to get accomplished (and what we didn’t quite make it to).

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Pull-Outs	Comp. 10:20-10:50 PE 1:25-1:55	Comp. 10:20-10:50 Music 1:25-1:55	Comp. 10:20-10:50 Music 1:25-1:55	Art 8:30-9:30 Comp. 10:20-10:50 PE 1:25-1:55	Book Buddies 9:10-9:30 Library 2:10-2:40
Bible	Journal Learn Memory Verse Caleb & Joshua— Leadership (8.3) Key Question: What makes a good leader?	Journal Memory Verse Caleb & Joshua— Leadership (8.3)	Journal Memory Verse Caleb & Joshua— Leadership (8.4)	Journal Memory Verse Caleb & Joshua— Leadership (8.5) Review	Memory Verse & Bible Test (DID NOT GET TO— WILL BE NEXT WEEK)
English	DLR- Monday Adj. vs. Adverb Questions Chart	DLR- Tuesday Good vs. Well Very vs. Real Negatives	DLR- Wednesday "There is/There are" sentences	DLR- Thursday Adverb Clauses	Adverb Clauses (continued)
Spelling	List #20 (p. 96)	List #20 (p. 97)	List #20 (p. 98 & 99)	Pre-Test Rewrite missed words five times	Test (if necessary)
Math	Lesson 52 Practice multiplying by 2-digit numbers Choose Survey Topic & Run Sample	Grade Lesson 52 Lesson 53 Gather Data for Chart	Grade Lesson 53 Lesson 54 Sketch Draft of Chart	Grade Lesson 55 NO MATH SET (Art) Work on Charts	NO MATH SET Finish Chart Type Explanation
Social Studies	Studies Weekly #13 Vocabulary Samuel Adams & Patrick Henry Assign Topics to Research	Work Day (assigned topics)	Work Day (assigned topics) Create Lesson and notes	Presentations What events led to the Boston Tea Party?	Boston Tea Party Cause and Effect
Reading	Vocabulary— Word Wall Facts vs. Opinions Read "Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?" (Journeys pp. 358-369) Focus Question: How can people’s differences of opinion lead to a revolution?	Vocabulary Review Reading Comprehension Questions (from yesterday’s story)	Vocabulary Review Read "Tea Time!" (Journeys pp. 374-382)	Vocabulary Review Compare "Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George?" and "Tea Time!"	Vocabulary Quiz Comprehension Quiz
Writing	Focus Trait: Organization Pros & Cons	Prewriting: Planning a Problem-Solution Composition (Topic: Write a composition that states a problem in your community and a possible solution.)	Writing Draft with Idea-Support Map	Analyze a Model Draft Revisions	Write Final Draft

This Week’s Memory Verse

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Joshua 1:8

This Week’s Spelling List

List 20 (p. 96)

choice
noisy
loyal
destroy
powder
towel
downtown
amount
our
outside
spoil
poison
Illinois
annoy
oyster
voyage
drown
growl
couch
surround

This Week’s Vocabulary List (Quiz Friday)

Advantages-- skills or situations that favor you
Benefit-- something helpful and useful
Boycott-- refuse to use or buy a product as a form of protest
Cargo— goods carried on a ship, plane, or truck
Contrary— goes against the majority; stubborn
East India Company— company that had monopoly on tea sales in Britain and the Colonies
Engraving— carved or etched picture
Loyalists— colonists faithful to the King of England
Midst— in the middle of something
Monopoly— the exclusive possession or control of the supply or trade of something
Objected-- expressed an opinion against something
Patriots— colonists for independence; against the King of England
Previously-- before something else
Prohibit-- to ban or forbid something
Propaganda— spreading a rumor that promotes a particular idea, often political
Protest— act or speak out against something
Rebellious-- acting against the authorities
Redcoats— British soldiers
Repeal-- to formally cancel something
Sons of Liberty— Patriot group founded by Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and others
Temporary-- only meant to serve for a short time
Treason— a crime of trying to overthrow your country’s government