Week of March 3-7, 2014

Well Falcons you did it again! You all made it through another extremely busy but successful week.  I want to CONGRATULATE all of you for the great job you all did on the benchmarks!  We still have a long way to go.  The STAAR exams are not until the end of April so don't sit back and relax. We also have two more novels to read and projects to work on!  Oh we have so much more to learn!  Remember that in order to EXCEL we must WORK HARD, BE DEDICATED,  and FOCUS!  So spread your wings and SOAR!

Honors Literature:

Mon--Poetry Form "Ode to Mi Gato" by Gary Soto

Tues--Dissect Poem

Wed--Final Exam on "The Giver" Chapters 1-23

Thurs--Historical Fiction, "The Secret Schools," Idioms

Fri--Assess

 

Honors Grammar/Writing:

Personal Narrative

Mon--The Body pg. 573

Tues--The Body continued

Wed--Proofread and Edit-The Body

Thurs--Kamico STAAR Connection-Correct Sentences

Fri--Assess

 

Enrichment/Projects:

Students will write an "I AM" Poem

 

 

 

Don't forget it's time to Spring forward!  Daylight Saving Time starts March 9, 2014. Set your clocks  and watches an hour forward!

 

Month-Long Holidays and Events for March 2014

Deaf History Month (3/13-4/15)

Irish-American Heritiage Month

Music in Our Schools Month

National Craft Month

National Nutrition Month

Save Your Vision Month

Youth's Art Month



Week of February 24-28, 2014

Congratulations Falcons! One of the most challenging weeks this six weeks has come to an end. Your science projects were out of this world!  Now we have to come back down and apply ourselves with more commitment.  You need to get serious about the benchmarks you will be taking next week. You all need to make sure that you go to bed early and have a healthy breakfast the days before the benchmarks.
On another note students we will start a new Six Weeks next week and we will be reading another novel. The novel is "The Slave Dancer" by Paula Fox.  I am asking you all to start bringing in the money to purchase the novel.  The money needs to be turned in no later than March 7, 2014.

Tues--Math District Benchmark #2
Wed--Reading District Benchmark #2
Thurs--Go over Benchmark
Fri--Math Carnival

February 23, Santa Ana Began Siege of the Alamo 1836
February 25, First African American Elected to U. S. Senate 1870

In 1845, Hiram Revels became a pastor in Baltimore, MD, and principal of a school for blacks. He helped organize black volunteers for service in the Union Army (1861). Then he joined federal forces and was stationed in Mississippi to serve as chaplain to a black regiment (1863). After the war, Revels preached in Mississippi. He was appointed alderman by the military governor (1868) and was later elected to the state senate (1869). As a state senator, he sought to restore voting rights and the right to hold office of former confederates. In 1870, he was the first African American elected to the U.S. senate to fill the term of Jefferson Davis. As a U.S. senator, he advocated for desegregation in education and on the railroads. After being a senator, he became president of – and retired as president of – Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Mississippi. 

Week of February 17-21, 2014

We are almost done with the 4th Six Weeks and  we are looking forward to the 5th Six Weeks.  Like Spring the end of this school year is beginning to peak its head out.  I know that our students are anxiously awaiting the end of the school year but we still have a lot of work to accomplish.  So students do not take off those thinking caps quite yet because we still have three more novels to read and lots of reading skills and reading elements to learn.

Honors Literature:
Mon--Define and discuss vocabulary ch. 20-23. Review Text Structure
Tues--Poetry Elements and Devices
Wed--Poetry Elements and Devices
Thurs--Continue discussion on reading assignment for chapters read.
Fri--Administer Test for Chapters 20-23

Students will analyze characters using Thinking Maps

Honors Grammar/Writing
Mon--What can I do to add details to my sentences? Expand with Prepositional Phrases pg. 567
Tues--Expand with Appositives pg. 568
Wed--How can I make my sentences more interesting? Model Sentences pg. 569
Thurs--Kamico STAAR Connection-Correct Sentences
Fri--Assess



Science Fair
When: February 20th
Time: 5:00-6:30
Where: Multipurpose Center-Rio Grande City



 

Let's Honor Our Presidents Past and Present on Monday, February 21

 

 

 

 

 

A novel that everyone should read.  One of our true classics published February 18, 1882.

 

Other February on going events: American Heart Month, Black History Month, Library Lover's Month, National Cherry Month

Week of February 10-14, 2014

 

Reading, reading the number one tool to all our learning.  Think about it without reading you would never be able to read all those loving Valentine cards you will be receiving this month!

February 12 First Public School Found in United States 1635 http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/firstpublic.asp

February 14 Read to Your Child Day http://homeschooling.about.com/library/blfeb14b.htm

Other February on going events: American Heart Month, Black History Month, Library Lover's Month, National Cherry Month

Reminder: District Benchmarks are around the corner (Feb, 25th and 26th), please start taking home your spirals with your reading notes so you can be well prepared for the exam. 

6th Week of 4th Six Weeks:
Literature:
Mon--Define and discuss vocabulary for chapters 16-19.  Review Text Structure (the particular order or pattern a writer uses to present ideas in text). 
Tues--Review Foreshadowing (the author's use of clues to prepare readers for events that will happen later in a story). This literary element leads students to draw conclusions while they read.
Wed--Review Author's Purpose (an author's intent in writing a literary work which can be: to persuade, to inform, to explain, to entertain, or to discuss.
Thurs--Class discussion on reading assignment and discuss the abstracts for each chapter read.
Fri--Administer Test for Chapter 15-19.

Grammar/Writing
Mon--Develop Complex Sentences
Tues--Use Questions and Commands
Wed--What can I do to add details to my sentences?
Thurs--Kamico STAAR Connection-Correct Sentences
Fri--Assess



Week of February 3-7, 2014

We are now entering the 5th week of the 4th Six Weeks.  Our 6th grade students are reading the novel "The Giver" by Lois Lowry.  So far they have found out that Jonas will be the new Receiver of the community.  The Receiver of the community receives all the memories from the Giver-good and bad.  Jonas will be experiencing many adventures as the Giver passes his memories to him.  Some of these memories will make Jonas feel angry, happy, sad and confused. The students are full of questions and they will all be answered as they read. 

Literature
Mon--Vocabulary Chapters 11-15, Symbolism
Tues--Discuss Theme and Tone
Wed--Discuss chapters 11-15
Thurs--Continue discussion and answer students' questions
Fri--Administer test for chapters 11-15

Enrichment Project
One of the most important themes in The Giver is the significance of memory to human life. Students will be working on a Memory Activity.

Grammar/Writing
Mon--What can I do to add variety to my writing? pg. 563
Tues--Create Compound Sentences pg. 564
Wed--Identifying Sentence Fragments
Thurs--Kamico STAAR Connection-Correct Sentences
Fri--Assess

Enrichment Poject
I will draw a square house on the board and students will copy the drawing on a piece of paper.
I will write a preposition on the board and the students will illustrate it.  Afterward, students will compare their drawings and then each student will write sentences to describe each preoposition they illustrated.