Week 15 Announcments

Parents,

The last two weeks have been very chaotic! We’ve had three benchmark tests and scattered instructional days. This week I am very excited to be back on normal schedule! We will have 5 straight days of instruction before we let out for one week of Thanksgiving break!

Reading

This week will be covering or reviewing several things. Before we began testing, we were covering main idea in fiction stories. Our students know that main idea is what the text is mostly or mainly about. This week we will extend that idea and apply it to non-fiction texts. Remember that main idea asks us to add up the most important details into a concluding statement. Sometimes students get this confused with picking out one important detail, but main idea includes several important details.

Writing

I’m sad to say that this will be the last week of formal lessons on writing narratives (at least until STAAR gets a little closer). We will review the writing process and use it to write a narrative throughout out the week. When we get back from Thanksgiving break, we will move onto Expository writing. In conventions, we will discuss antonyms, synonyms, quotations, and subject-verb agreement.

Sight Words

Parents, this will be our first week of sight word homework. Up until now, we’ve been completing many of these tasks in class, but as the year goes on and we continue to raise the rigor in our classroom, we will move this work out the classroom and hold our students accountable for learning beyond the school day.

Sight Word Work is due at the end of each week (on Fridays!)

Monday:     Write each word 5 times each

 

Consider

Consider

Consider

Consider

Tuesday:     Write each word using stairstep spelling ( students should know what this is)!

c
co
cop
copy

Wednesday: Write each sight word in a sentence.

The property is normally closed off to the public.

Thursday:     Define each sight word and provide a synonym and antonym if possible.

 

replace: to swap out or exchange

This weeks Sight Words:
 

compare	consider	copy
design	interesting	distance
property	replace	entire

Reading Logs:

Now that we are back on a regular routine, reading logs will be check each day. Parents, please remember that reading logs need to be signed and checked every day, and they will be turned in on Friday!

Benchmark scores and other info!

If you would like to see your child’s scores/test, please schedule a conference. As also, you can call and text me at 214-517-3793 and follow what’s happening at goingplaceslife-school.blogspot.com

Benchmark Season is Upon Us!

Last week we took our first Writing Benchmark! I have noticed significant improvements from the beginning of the year until now, which is definitely something to celebrate! I am extremely proud of how hard this group of students continues to work each and every day. The Benchmark has also opened my eyes to several things that we need to continue working on. This week, we will continue to show what we have learned by taking the Math Benchmark (Tuesday) and the Reading Benchmark (Wednesday). The remainder of the week, we will be working on something known as Testing as a Genre, which is basically taking a closer look at how test taking strategies can help compliment our knowledge and skills while we take tests. We will use the benchmarks as a review and discuss strategies like process of elimination, logic, and common mistakes made during testing. For the writing portion, we will continue to analyze what makes good writing and reflect on which strength and weaknesses we have in our own writing!

Homework

Parents, beginning next week, we will have three types of homework: reading logs, sight word work, and writing journals. I’ve decided to do away with daily reading logs because I think it creates negative reading habits and views towards reading (students should still be reading at least 15 minutes every day).

A sneak peak

Reading log:

The new reading log will basically be downsized from daily to weekly. As part of this transition, students will be expected to write ONE summary per week on the book they are reading outside of the classroom. These will start next week and will be due on Thursdays.

Writing Journals:

The writing journal is an idea I am tossing around. I think that, similar to reading, practicing writing outside of the classroom is extremely important in order to become better readers and writers. More details are to come on this, and it will most likely not start until AFTER Thanksgiving break.

Sight Word Work:

This will begin next week, and it basically includes assignments that are expected every day and due at the end of the week on Friday. More details of this will come next week.

Sight Words

debate	decide	develop
produce	determine	observe
necessary	survive	surround

Next week our sight words will be transition words!

Parents, as always, please feel free to reach out and contact me at any time. Also remember that I am doing my best to try and communicate with more than 45 parents, so please be patient. Call or text 214-517-3793 or email me at nicholas.miller@lifeschools.net.

My goal is to have a parent-teacher conference with every parent before Winter Break!