What's Happening in the Universe These Days 

Feel Free to Contact Me at jfeldman@ncolonie.org

Week of 6/13/2016

Science:

We continue "Forces and Motion" this week.  The students experiment with mystery variables inside the great "black box."

Social Studies:  

This week - The students continue their travels abroad.  They are turning their research into detailed murals.  When they are done, we will have a pictorial tool to understand how product design, natural resource acquisition

Reading: 

Reading Homework:  Your child should be reading at least 25 minutes a night.  The only exceptions are Friday and Saturday night.  Hence, s/he should never say, "I do not have any homework."  Reading is assigned every night.  If your child has finished the books for the book of the month project, s/he should read another book or a magazine with real articles.  Feel free to email with any questions regarding what is appropriate.

Book of the Month (BOTM):  Each month I will assign a particular storytelling genre.  The students will choose a book from that genre at their own reading level.  They will pick and read a second, free choice story.   Note:  (If your child can finish a book in a couple of days at 25 minutes a night, it is too easy.  If your child cannot explain what is happening in detail at the end of a chapter, the book is too difficult.    The second book - free choice - should be challenging, but not frustrating.   

The May genre is mystery.  The project is due this Wednesday, June 8, 2016.

Book Club

In addition to book group, we form book clubs later in the year.  These are heterogeneously grouped by which books the students want to read.  Each week, the students will read a section of their books, complete a response  - ask them about this - and then share their thoughts with their group.   This is modeled on the lines of adult book groups.  The goal is to get students excited about literature and learning how to communicate ideas about literature to and with their peers. Book clubs will begin after the first trimester.

Writing:   Persuasive essays. 

Homework:

Following the District's policy, I assign 50 minutes of homework per night.  25 minutes of this is independent reading.  Once your child finishes her/his book of the month, s/he should find another book to read.  I typically do not assign homework besides reading for the weekend.  This is a good time for the students to work on monthly or long term assignments.  This is also a good time to catch up on what was missed during the week.  The remainder of the homework will consist of math, word study, and work that was not completed during the school day.

Please make sure that you sign your child's planner every night.  This is the way that I know that you know what your child is supposed to be doing at home.  

All written homework should be completed in cursive if possible.  http://www.handwritingforkids.com/handwrite/cursive/alphabets/index.htm