Constitution Terms

Electoral College:
How do we elect our U.S. President?

December 13-17

 Please make sure you are working on your Book in a Box project. Projects are due January 13th.

Social Studies:
Monday: WB pgs. 48-51
Tuesday: video "We the People..." and expert groups Ch. 8
Wednesday: expert groups Ch. 8
Thursday: present expert groups

Language Arts:
Monday: Review for Unit 2 benchmark, write story using Unit 2 academic vocabulary, hw: WS 1.3 and 1.6 ws for review
Tuesday: Study guide for Unit 2 benchmark
Wednesday: Unit 2 benchmark
Thursday: Unit 2 benchmark

December 6 -10

 Don't forget! This week is the Book Fair!

Social Studies:
Monday: Review game for Ch. 7 benchmark, hw: study your Ch. 7 study guide
Tuesday: Ch. 7 benchmark, "ear to ear" reading of Ch. 8, hw: S, S, lightbulb for Ch. 8
Wednesday: Ch. 8 WM to SB, hw: story using Ch. 8 vocabulary due Friday
Thursday: Ch. 8 preview activity, hw: story using Ch. 8 vocabulary due Friday
Friday: WB 47-48, Shay's rebellion and Articles of Confederation, video

Language Arts:
Monday: The Truman Show, visit the Book Fair, hw: work on Book in a Box project
Tuesday: Finish The Truman Show, Introduce Compare/Contrast essay, hw: work on Book in a Box project
Wednesday: Prewriting activity for Compare/Contrast essay, hw: work on Book in a Box project
Thursday: Essay, hw: work on Book in a Box project
Friday: Essay, hw: work on Book in a Box project

November 29- December 3

Welcome back! I hope you all enjoyed your week off!

Social Studies:
Monday: WB pgs. 38-39 rephrasing the Declaration of Independence
Tuesday: Quickwrite: strengths/weaknesses of the Continental and British armies, Why do we celebrate the 4th of July? Ch. 7 reading
Wednesday: Revolutionary War: Capture the flag
Thursday: WB pgs. 40-45, hw: Ch. 7 study guide (benchmark Tuesday)
Friday: 4th of July/Declaration of Independence banners

Language Arts:
Monday: Thesis WS 1.3 ws, The Giver Ch. 13-15, hw: complete thesis ws and work on Book in a Box project
Tuesday: The Giver Ch. 16-18, hw: Have a parent sign the permission slip for Friday's movie The Truman Show
Wednesday: The Giver Ch. 19-21, Rewrite WS 1.6 ws, hw: complete rewrite ws and work on Book in a Box
Thursday: The Giver Ch. 22-23
Friday: Begin watching The Truman Show

Upcoming Benchmarks:
S.S. Ch. 7 benchmark: Dec. 7
L.A. Unit 2 benchmark: Dec. 14-17

November 15- 19

Social Studies:
Monday: Quickwrite- Patrick Henry, WB pgs. 36-37, hw: S,S, lightbulb for Ch. 7
Tuesday: WB pgs. 36-37
Wednesday: BrainPop: American Revolution and Ch. 7 vocabulary, hw: story using Ch. 7 vocabulary due tomorrow
Thursday: Readers and Definers using vocabulary stories and compare George Washington and King George III, hw: study your American Revolution Ch. 5-6 study guide
Friday: American Revolution benchmark

Language Arts:
Monday: Quickwrite- compare/contrast Giver communities, Pixar shorts: Theme, hw: Contrast Clues ws lesson 4
Tuesday: read The Giver Ch. 6, RC 2.2 Proposition and Support ws, and "choosing your assignment" activity to prepare for the Ceremony of the Twelve
Wednesday: read The Giver Ch. 7-8, "choosing your assignment" activity, and RC 2.2 Proposition and Support ws
Thursday: Ceremony of Assignments, read The Giver ch. 9-11
Friday: "What Jonas sees..." powerpoint, WA 1.1 Context Clues and RC 2.2 Proposition and Support quiz, The Giver Ch. 12-13

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your week off!

November 8 -12

Social Studies:
Monday: "Healthy Kids" survey
Tuesday: "ear to ear" reading of Ch. 6 introduction and conclusion, American Revolution timeline game to prepare for tomorrow's quiz, hw: study your American Revolution comic book for the Ch. 5 timeline quiz tomorrow!
Wednesday: Ch. 5 timeline quiz

Language Arts:
Monday: read The Giver Ch. 3-4, discuss Exposition and write an example paragraph as a class, hw: study for your graphic organizer for the Elements of Plot quiz tomorrow and Book in the Box book selection due tomorrow!
Tuesday: Elements of Plot quiz, Notebook check, Book check
Wednesday: read The Giver Ch. 5-6, Context Clues ws

Events leading to the American Revolution

An adorable video made by a class of 5th graders about some of the events leading to the American Revolution.

November 1 -5

Thank you to all the parents who came to parent-teacher conferences this Friday. I enjoyed meeting with each of you to talk about your child's progress.

This week is Tuesday schedule, dismissal at 1:28, to make time for conferences in the afternoon. There is no appointment necessary.

Social Studies
Monday: Collect and read Ch. 5, 6, and 7 SB using vocabulary, continue "Events that led..." picture dictionary
Tuesday: Events that led to the American Revolution timeline game and continue picture dictionary
Wednesday: Finish picture dictionary and write your own script for one of the events on your timeline
Thursday: American Revolution timeline and work on American Revolution script, hw: finish American Revolution script (use your book!)
Friday: John Adams clip, British military vs. colonial militia clip,  and American Revolution timeline game

Language Arts
Monday: Review Context Clues ws, show "Book in a Box" examples, and begin "Monkey's Paw" plot skillbuilder
Tuesday: Finish "Monkey's Paw" plot skillbuilder, hw: Context Clues ws lesson 2
Wednesday: Review Context Clues ws, "Imagine", and Utopia discussion
Thursday: Read "The Giver" Ch. 1, create your own Utopia groupwork, hw: Context Clues ws lesson 3
Friday: Review Context Clues ws lesson 3 and read "The Giver" Ch. 2

Remember your book for the "Book in a Box" project must be approved by Tuesday, Nov. 9th. Books must be fiction and minimum of 150 pages.

October 25 -29

This Friday is a no student day due to parent-teacher conferences. I still have a few openings for Friday, so please email me if you would like to set up a conference time. Next week will be modified day schedule so parents may drop in during the afternoon for conferences.

Social Studies
Monday: French and Indian War Quickwrite, finish WM to SB Ch. 5, 6, and 7, hw: story using 7 vocabulary words (use more for extra credit) due Thursday
Tuesday: Read vocabulary story using WM vocabulary and WB pgs. 30-32
Wednesday: Finish WB pgs. 30-32 and begin "Events that led to the American Revolution" picture dictionary, hw: complete WM story using 7 vocabulary words due tomorrow
Thursday: Read WM stories and work on "American Revolution" picture dictionary

Language Arts
Monday: Academic Vocabulary Unit 2, plot structure notes, and begin "The Third Wish" story, hw: write one paragraph about your own three wishes
Tuesday: Finish "The Third Wish" and plot skillbuilder
Wednesday: "The Third Wish" in-class summary, introduce "Book in a Box" project, and Plot powerpoint notes
Thursday: Context clues ws and library visit to select book for "Book in a Box" project

October 18 -22

This week we will take our Unit 1 benchmark in Language Arts and take a quiz on Ch. 3 and 4 in Social Studies. No homework this week in L.A. due to our Unit 1 benchmark.

Social Studies:
Monday: Finish WB pgs. 24-27, begin "Life in Colonies" brochure
Tuesday: "Life in Colonies" brochure
Wednesday: Quiz on 13 colonies map and Ch. 3 and 4 (study vocabulary, quickwrite questions, and ch. 4 summary), finish colonial brochure, and possibly begin Ch. 5 WM to SB, hw: finish colonial brochure
Thursday: "ear to ear" reading of Ch. 5 introduction and conclusion, preview activity, and WB pg. 29
Friday: Read student books about the American Revolution and Ch. 5 WM to SB

Language Arts:
Monday: Unit 1 review game
Tuesday: Unit 1 study groups
Wednesday: Unit 1 benchmark
Thursday: Unit 1 benchmark continued, writing to explain - introduction paragraphs
Friday: Unit 1 benchmark makeups, Academic vocabulary for Unit 2

October 11 -15

Social Studies:
Monday: Quickwrite, Origins of Slavery video, Ch. 3-4 WordMasters to StoryBlasters, hw: write your own story using Ch. 3-4 vocabulary
Tuesday: Begin Ch. 4 Expository notes, hw: summary of Ch. 4 so far
Wednesday: Scavenger hunt WB pg. 23, continue Ch. 4 notes, hw: continue Ch. 4 summary
Thursday: WB pg. 24-27
Friday: Quickwrite, WB pg. 24-27

Language Arts:
Monday: "Found Money" active reading skillbuilder, grammar commas in sentences pg. 193/194, hw: write a 1 paragraph summary of "Found Money"
Tuesday: Capitalization quiz, Phrases to Add Emphasis notes, hw: grammar commas pg. 196/197
Wednesday: "Lincoln: A Photobiography" summary skillbuilder, "Harriet Tubman" summary skillbuilder, hw: grammar commas 199/200
Thursday: Patterns of Organization notes, "Tell Tale Heart," hw: grammar semi-colons and colons pg. 202/203
Friday: "Tell Tale Heart" literary devices

October 4 -8

Social Studies
Monday: Jamestown online adventure game, model Ch. 2 summary using S S lightbulb, hw: Ch. 2 summary
Tuesday: colonists video, Ch. 3 powerpoint and process grid
Wednesday: finish Ch. 3 powerpoint and process grid, ear to ear reading of Ch. 3 intro, hw: What is the main idea of Ch. 3? (one sentence including S, S, lightbulb)
Thursday: wb pg. 15 "scavenger hunt" using the colonies map, expert groups, hw: conclusion sentence for Ch. 3
Friday: "Come to..." advertisement poster in expert groups

Language Arts
Monday: "O Captain, My Captain" Extended Metaphor, begin "Ransom of the Red Chief" and Irony literary skillbuilder, hw: grammar pgs. 178/179 and 181/182
Tuesday: continue "Ransom of the Red Chief" and Irony literary skillbuilder, hw: Grammar pgs. 184/185
Wednesday: Finish "Ransom of the Red Chief", Hyperbole, hw: "I'm so hungry, I could..."
Thursday: "Roughin' It", Exaggeration literary skillbuilder, Academic vocabulary for Unit 1 WordMasters, hw: grammar pgs. 187/188
Friday: "A Fable", Satire literary skillbuilder, grammar pgs. 190/191

link for online Jamestown game: http://www.historyglobe.com/jamestown/

September 27 -October 1

Social Studies: This week we will study Ch. 2 European Exploration and Settlement.
Monday: Ch. 2 Expository Text notes.
Tuesday: Complete Ch. 2 Expository Text notes and begin WordMasters. hw: 1 page letter to Jamestown with advice.
Wednesday: Finish WordMasters and StoryBlasters. hw: write your own story using the Ch. 2 vocabulary.
Thursday: Read your story to a friend and practice "Lost Colony of Roanoke" story theatre.
Friday: "Lost Colony of Roanoke" story theatre.

Language Arts: This week I will be doing a notebook check. Remember, you must have a 3 ring binder with 5 dividers specifically for Language Arts! We will be using this binder daily, so please bring it everyday to school. Each notebook check is worth 5 points and I will be checking notebooks periodically throughout the semester.
Monday: Couplet notes and wkst and Sound Devices wkst, hw: Free Verse poem.
Tuesday: Quatrain and Sonnet notes, Quatrain wkst, hw: Analogy wkst.
Wednesday: Lyric notes and wkst, hw: study your poetry notes to prepare for the quiz tomorrow.
Thursday: Poetry quiz and visit to the library.
Friday: Extended Metaphor wkst and writing prompt.

September 20 -24

Good morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. This week we will be finishing Native American cultures and preparing for our test next week. We will take a quiz on the United States map and the landmarks, so make sure you get a chance to play the game at the beginning of class. We will continue studying poetry this week and take a quiz on our poetry terms. Remember to always bring your poetry notes to class!

Social Studies
Monday: Finish wb pgs. 2-5 using our observation notes, WordMasters notes, and QuickWrite (8.1) (homework if you did not finish in class)
Tuesday: Review QuickWrite (you WILL see this on a test) and StoryBlasters.
Wednesday: Write your own StoryBlasters using vocabulary.
Thursday: Review Day, Review QuickWrites and Ch. 1 Bingo
Friday: Ch.1 and United States map quiz

Language Arts
Monday: Daily Language, Onomatopoeia, Pun, and Ballad notes,  and "Ballad of the Harp Weaver" wkst, hw: Pun wkst.
Tuesday: "Grand Mothers" focus on voice, Literary Skillbuilder wkst, hw: "Football Injuries" reading comprehension wkst.
Wednesday: Symbols, "Fear/Identity" and "Stopping by the Woods" Literary Skillbuilder wkst, hw: descriptive paragraph about your favorite place.
Thursday: Free Verse and Imagery Literary Skillbuilder wkst, hw: descriptive poem wkst
Friday: Narrative poetry and Sound Devices, "Charge of the Light Brigade"

September 13 -17

Social Studies: This week we will finish reading Ch. 1 on Native Americans. We will use our map of regions to compare and contrast different Native American cultures.
Tuesday: Introduce Expository notes, no hw.
Wednesday: Take notes on Ch. 1 using Expository Text organizer, finish map of N.A. cultures for hw.
Thursday: View placards and make observations, no hw.
Friday: Review game for N.A. cultures, no hw.

Language Arts: This week we will continue studying poetry. We will study alliteration, personification, analogy, and write our own Haiku.
Tuesday: Review Alliteration, Personification, and add Haiku to Poetry Terms notes, no hw.
Wednesday: Continue Haiku and Haiku card activity, finish Haiku for hw.
Thursday: Study Limericks and write your own, finish Limerick for hw.
Friday: Stanza, Rhyme, and Onomatopoeia, no hw.

Reminders:
Remember to bring your supplies for Language Arts.
3-ring binder
5 dividers

Back-to-School night is this Thursday!

Picture Day is this Friday!

Welcome!

Welcome to our class blog! Each week, I will post an entry to let you know what we will be working on in class. I will also provide information on current homework assignments and projects. Please feel free to contact me anytime. ainsua@ewcsd.org

I am looking forward to a great school year!

Ms. Insua