HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope your 2011 is very happy, healthy, and prosperous!

The class really came back ready to work! It's nice to see my students so happy after a nice break from school!

Here's what we've been doing and what we WILL be doing:

Language Arts: We started Ancillary Texts this week. These texts are any that aid you in finding information... dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, articles, websites, etc. We've spent the week reading an article about the Flu and doing our Before, During, and After Reading Strategies with it. Next week we'll be reading more information and answering BCR (Brief Constructed Response) questions. BCR's are found a lot on the MSA's we'll be taking in March so we'll be practicing a lot!

Math: My math class will continue working with large numbers. We've been doing lots of work with number lines and travel stories this week. Next week we'll continue with this and also begin subtracting larger numbers. Our assessment for this unit will probably be Thursday.

Writing: We're talking about interesting words. Word Choice is our focus these next few weeks. The students went through the dictionary on a word hunt for words they could use in their writing to make it more interesting. Hopefully, they'll use these more and more.

Social Studies: We've started our Economics Unit. Ask your child about Econ. He's an imaginary character in our 5-part series of videos explaining scarcity, choices, opportunity cost, decision trees, and a whole lot more!

I was so pleased with the Cultural Projects the students did! They're all hanging up in the library hallway for all to see! Such a great diverse group!

As always, thanks to everyone for checking their child's backpack for homework, papers to be signed, etc.

Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Humerick