Highlights of January

Language Arts

We have been continuing with the novel, The City of Ember, a science fiction novel that might or might not take place on a future Earth. We have been focusing on making predictions, discussing right vs. wrong, finding evidence within the novel to support the theme “curiosity leads to wisdom and apathy leads to ignorance”, and figuring out the turning point (climax).

After lunch we have been enjoying  Re-Start by Gordon Korman. It is a story about a bully who suffers from amnesia and gets a second chance in life.

Room 22 has begun an expository non-fiction writing unit focusing on writing a state report. We have explored many state books to get a feel for the different topics covered, the set-up of the book, and to pique our interest in the different states. Students chose one to research and we have begun taking notes on four different topics about a state.

Math

Room 22 has been busy with Algebra. We have been learning about Order of Operations, variables, coordinate pairs and graphing on a coordinate plane’s first quadrant. There are online algebra games posted on the blog below – feel free to play!

Science

We focused on the hydrosphere and discussed the Earth’s oceans and where fresh water is found. We have begun focusing on the biosphere by learning about the different ecosystems and the plants/animals within by creating a Google slide presentation. We are also discussing the food chains/food webs within an ecosystem.

Social Studies

Room 22 is learning about the reasons European Explorers went exploring (Asian spices, gold and riches, spreading Christianity, and having a sense of adventure). We began reading about individual explorers and learned that Leif Eriksson was the first European to land in America (Canada) in 1000 AD.

The postcard race is ending on the last day of February! Keep those cards coming! To date we need the following: North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Indiana, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

Miscellaneous

Pigeon Point paperwork went home, please make sure you have seen it! Don’t forget that Toni Guy, our human growth/development instructor, will be conducting a parent education night on Tuesday, February 5 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm in the library.

The Physical Fitness Testing will begin in March. Please see a post below in this blog (click on the links) to see the tests the students will be taking.