Week 6: October 9 - October 12

Don't forget to sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences (10/12) and the SVDP Carnival on Saturday (10/14)!

Classroom news:

• I need your emails! If you did not get the Smore newsletter, please email me with an updated way to contact you!

• Students are now arranged in seats with an Accountability Partner. Essentially, this is another student who will be their go-to partner this month. If a student is absent, their partner will collect the work. They will also do quick partner tasks together. This is not the ONLY classmate or partner that they will work with, just a reliable buddy.

• A new positive reinforcement system with Accountability Partners is in the works. Hard work, positive body language, kind words, and leadership are all part of a cooperative classroom. I see so many kids going above and beyond and they deserve recognition!

Language Arts

Key Question:

How does an author's point of view influence how events are described?

On Columbus Day/Leif Erikson Day/Indigenous People's Day (Monday), we will read the picture book Encounter by Jane Yolen to a unique point of view imagined by a storyteller (but influenced by history).

The rest of the week we will spend analyzing point of view in both fiction and non-fiction texts, specifically regarding our Native American Museum project!

Oh, and NO SPELLING TEST THIS WEEK!

Math

Key Question:

Why is it important to use order of operations?

We will learn order of operations (PEMDAS), solving problems using brackets and parentheses, and answer a timeless question: "how will we ever use this in real life?"

Expect homework Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday! We are finally getting into the math groove!

Science

Key Question:

Should I write my name on my paper?

(just kidding - YES!)

How do the cycles and the patterns of the Earth, Sun, and Moon relate to each other and natural phenomena?

We are watching a Bill Nye video about our Moon on Monday - I don't use many documentaries/videos for instructional purposes BUT this specific episode does a really great job and compares the phases of the Moon to baseball (Go Tribe!). We have new StoryBots Outer Space songs to help - I love their passion for music :)

We will also discuss gravitational pull, orbits, and the tides this week!

Social Studies

Key Questions:

What made the Aztecs, Incas, Mayans, and Mississippians unique from each other and from other cultures?

How can I draw on information from multiple sources to demonstrate my ability to locate an answer to a problem quickly?

The beginning of the week we will review more about the Pre-Columbian civilizations and prep for a quiz on Wednesday.

Students will also be assigned a Native American tribe for their museum project! If you have any questions about the expectations, please contact me or Mr. Simonson! We are working hard to give the kids flexibility in their work while they learn research skills.

Have a great week!

See you all Thursday after school :)

Love,

Ms. Sigsworth

This