JANUARY NEWSLETTER
What's Happening in the Classroom:Welcome back from Winter break! This month students will be continuing their learning in all subjects.
In Reading students will be finishing our unit on "Rules to Live By" as they write their own evidence-based essays about a rule they choose to live by concerning issues of healthy habits, recycling, or bullying facing their age group. Students will then begin a new module and a new novel, Dragonwings, by Laurence Yep. In this module, students will move from a focus of theme to a focus on point of view and the techniques authors use to develop their own perspectives in their writing, as well as the point of view of their protagonist. Students will also be completing Unit 3 on integers, absolute value, inequalities and the relationship of these on the coordinate plane. As we move into Unit 4, students will be focusing on expressions and equations. Students will be learning these concepts through real-world situations of unknowns (variables). Students are continuing our Science unit on Energy. We will be focusing on conduction, convection, and radiation as well as how energy transforms from mechanical to electrical, and from electrical to thermal energy. In Social Studies, our next unit will be on India. Students will be placed in expert groups, each of which focuses their learning on a specific topic in relation to ancient Indian society. With their knowledge, each group will be teaching the class about either the Indus river, ancient civilization, or the history and development of Hinduism and Buddhism. |
Important Upcoming Dates:5 Back to School from Winter Break
9 ELA M2 U2 End Unit Assessment 14-15 ELA M2 U3 Mid Unit Assessment 16 Math U3 End Unit Assessment Model UN Topic Paper Check #1 19 NO SCHOOL - MLK Jr. Day 21 PTA Meeting 5-6PM 23 ELA M2 U3 End Unit Assessment 30 Model UN Topic Paper Check #2 ELA M3 U1 Mid Unit Assessment Classroom Supplies Wish ListA new year, and classroom supplies are needed! Below is a list of items that we are running low on. Thank you in advance to any and all who help us restock!
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Time Management Advice:
As students return to school, it's time to get back into (or start!) helpful routines. Below are some helpful time management tips to begin the new year:
1. Break up long term assignments into smaller tasks
Long term projects and/or assignments can seem daunting, or like you have a ton of time to get them done. Either way, this can lead to stress associated with procrastination. Help your student use their agenda, or some other calendar, to break down these big projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. By completing one of each of these small tasks as part of their nightly homework, students will find such projects to be more manageable.
2. Create a dedicated study time
Help your student set up a time devoted only to studying or homework. For some students this is right when they get home, for others it's after dinner or a short break. Whenever their time is, be sure to remind them to shut off the TV and their phone and respond to calls or texts when the work is finished. Also remind them not to check email or surf the Web (except when needed for the work they're doing) during this time either.
1. Break up long term assignments into smaller tasks
Long term projects and/or assignments can seem daunting, or like you have a ton of time to get them done. Either way, this can lead to stress associated with procrastination. Help your student use their agenda, or some other calendar, to break down these big projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. By completing one of each of these small tasks as part of their nightly homework, students will find such projects to be more manageable.
2. Create a dedicated study time
Help your student set up a time devoted only to studying or homework. For some students this is right when they get home, for others it's after dinner or a short break. Whenever their time is, be sure to remind them to shut off the TV and their phone and respond to calls or texts when the work is finished. Also remind them not to check email or surf the Web (except when needed for the work they're doing) during this time either.