Take a Peek at Our Week!

Lots of testing this week! Students completed their F.Y.I. summative assessment. After the assessments were scored, students participated in a reflection activity in order to go over incorrect answers and talk with a partner about what could have been a better answer. We also set goals as we moved forward in lang & lit. Assessments were sent home on Friday for your signature and review. Please return your child's signed assessments by Friday, February 7th. We also completed our MAP ELA! I've been sending home updated Lexile scores as students complete them (they take 24 hours to post on the website). The benchmark for January is 870.

In I&S, we discussed the Columbian Exchange and worked on researching the trade practices of our expert explorers. We worked on our ATL for this planner-communication. Prior to starting, we came up with a list of guiding questions for our discussions as we worked with partners.  At the end of next week, students will be utilizing their research to compose an informational essay which will be counted as their informational writing assessment! I can't wait to see their essays as we have been working very hard in writer's workshop on this genre!!

We had two fantastic lessons on Friday. Impact Earth came to visit to discuss proper ways to recycle and compost. They also discussed how improper disposal of our waste can have negative effects on our environment. We also had our second lesson with Villa of Hope to work on managing our emotions and stress.

This year we will be taking 2 field trips. The first one is on April 15. We will be going to Helmer Nature Center for part of the day and then to The Imaginarium in Irondequoit. The 2nd trip will be on May 29th. We're going to the County Office building in Rochester followed by lunch at Parma Park and a tour of the Parma Museum and the town hall. Please let me know if you're interested in joining us as a chaperone for either or both of these field trips. I'll use a "lottery" system to choose as many of you to attend as I can.

Reminders for Next Week:

*2/7 Villa of Hope Lesson

Have a Great Weekend,

Mrs. Carr

Take a Peek at Our Week!

In writing, we participated in "Round Table Reads" in order to evaluate each other's work and give constructive  feedback based on our informational writing rubric. We discussed how to give direct and specific feedback with supporting evidence from the essay. The students did a fantastic job! After the activity, students reviewed their feedback and made edits accordingly. Finally, they reflected on the entire experience and set goals for their informational writing assessment! Check out their biography and Titanic pieces on our Informational Writing Google Classroom to see their growth!

In lang & lit, we completed our work with analyzing multiple accounts of the same event. Our independent work this week involved practicing the skill using text sets around the room! A great way to get us up and moving while getting our work done!

In I&S, we finished our conversations on the interactions between our expert explorers and the natives they encountered when they arrived in new lands. Students researched the topic and then participated in a "chalk talk". Chalk talks are when students discuss a topic only through writing. Students had in depth and powerful conversations about what they would do differently in order to avoid the negative interactions we read about with regards to trade, slavery, disease, living and working together, and how they could help both groups understand each other's views on clothing and traditions. WOW! Love these I.B. thinkers at work!

Villa of Hope came on Friday for our first mental health lesson to help us manage our stress and emotions. This week we focused on how to manage our emotions. I was SO impressed with how respectful and open our students were. It definitely shows the safe and connected environment we have!

Students participated in MAP math testing this week. Next week we will MAP ELA and you will receive their updated Lexile scores for the winter once testing is complete. We will also be taking our lang & lit summative assessment for our F.Y.I. planner. After students reflect on their summative assessments, I will be sending them home for your signature and review.

Reminders for Next Week:

*MAP ELA-make sure your Chromebook is charged!

*1/31 Impact Earth Lesson 

*1/31 Villa of Hope Mental Health Lesson 

Have a Wonderful Weekend,
~Mrs. Carr

Take a Peek at Our Week!

n writing, we finished our drafts for our second informational essay which focuses on a famous person's early life, adult life/career, and legacy (students chose their person of interest). Students used our rubrics and writing resources to monitor their progress and ensure that they had what they needed to be successful. Next week students will participate in round table reads to give each other further feedback on their essays and make revisions/edits! We are making growth for sure!!

In lang & lit, we worked on analyzing multiple accounts of the same event in order to identify each author's perspective. Students read about many topics such as landing on the moon, President Jimmy Carter, the Barcelona Olympics, and the Transcontinental Railroad construction. Next week, we will continue with this skill as we read longer accounts of the same event!

In I&S, students researched obstacles their expert explorers faced prior to leaving for their journey, during their journey, and after they reached new lands. We also began our "culture clash" discussion to identify interactions between explorers and natives during the age of exploration. Students read about each group's perspective during this time period.

I hope you are continuing to enjoy reading A Boy Called Bat with your family! Below is a link to the audio versions of each chapter. Your child can utilize these if they need to get caught up, or if they would like some support reading the book.

Audio Version of A Boy Called Bat

We will have our final DARE class Friday! We had a great time learning with Officer Rick. Students will receive a certificate for completing the course and bring home their DARE booklets. Our students were respectful and active participants during each lesson!

Reminders for Next Week:

*1/20 No School-Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Have a Great Weekend,

~Mrs. Carr

Take a Peek at Our Week!

What a great week back after a long break! The students jumped right back into the swing of things...I was so impressed! Here's to a great new year!

In lang & lit, we worked on making inferences while we read. Making an inference involves combing background knowledge with text evidence in order to figure something out when it isn't directly stated in the text. We started by using our "See, Think, Wonder" strategy in order to practice the skill using photos Next, students practiced with both non-fiction and fiction texts in small group. Next week we will be analyzing multiple accounts of the same event in order to identify each author's perspective!

In writing, we are beginning our next informational essay! This time, we are writing biographies. Students selected a person they were interested in after they verified that they could find at least two resources for their research.We completed our research Friday and will begin drafting next week!

In I&S, students researched what motivated their expert explorers to leave their country of origin. They identified personal goals of the explorer, the goals of the missions, and who supported the explorer in their expeditions. We also used our jigsaw strategy to demonstrate our ATL focus-communication by sharing and listening to each other's research and identifying similarities and differences among the explorers. Next week we will take a look at obstacles the explorers faced and how/if they overcame them!

Two Schools, One Book has begun!!! The students are really excited about this year's book, A Boy Called Bat. Students are eager to complete the daily activity cards and we have started our class bingo board filled with discussion questions! My daughter Charlie and I are reading the book at night and we are loving it! I have included a copy of the reading schedule below for your reference. Happy Reading! :-)

Have a Wonderful Weekend,
~Mrs. Carr

Reminders for Next Week:

*1/20 No School-Martin Luther King Jr. Day