Reading Response Update for Trimester TWO

The next mid trimester due date for TWO more reading responses is Monday, January 13th, which is seven weeks from tomorrow. Students should be working on two of the three assignments listed: a fiction response, a non-fiction response OR a journal prompts response (based on a second fiction book.)  As a reminder, each journal prompt will only be completed once during the year, so if your child has already done conflict, they will not do that same one again. They need to choose a different one.

****** NO ONE should be working on a BIOGRAPHY RESPONSE anytime soon.  There will be a biography project that will be introduced to the students in mid-late January. ******

THANK YOU :)

Movie Theme Project

There is a Movie Theme Project that is due on Friday, December 6th.  Your child should have a packet that explains the project to include an example.  If it has been misplaced, please see the link to the right that outlines the project.

Journal Prompts Assignment

Students should be working on journal prompts

response based on a fiction book.  Students

have been instructed to choose three of the

following seven prompts to create their

assignment:

1.conflict identification
(Example on page 15 of reading
expectations packet)
2.identification of figurative language (14)
3.mood identification (15)
4.comparison of characters (17)
5.realistic/unrealistic (17)
6.character trait evidence sandwich (18)
7. irony identification (19)

As a reminder, there is no template for this

assignment.  It is created by the student. It

may be handwritten or done on Google Docs. 

An example can be found on page 20 of the

reading expectations packet that is in the blue

folder that your child took home  at the

beginning of the year.

Amended Reading Response Due Dates

I need to amend the reading response calendar a bit for

2019-2020.  I created the due dates through my best

guess prior to the district’s assessment calendar being

published and distributed. I apologize for this change,

but I need to assure that the assignments are counted

toward the correct trimester.  This only affects the end

trimester dates for November and May*. All other due dates

remain the same.

End of Trimester One Date: Friday, November 22nd **This is a change from November 27th.

Mid Tri 2 Due Date: Monday, January 13th.

End Tri 2 Due Date: Friday, March 6th

Mid Tri 3 Due Date: Friday, April 17th

End Tri 3 Due Date: Friday, May 24th

Reading Responses

Just as a reminder, TWO reading responses are due from each student by this Friday, October 11th.
If your child would like feedback prior to submitting their final copy, it must be shared with me by Wednesday morning at 9am. 

Thank you :)

Extra Practice for Vocabulary Quizzes

Click below and then click on the unit that we are working on and you will find practice quizzes, games and other resources to help you study for your vocabulary quizzes.

Vocabulary Packet Games/Resources

(Thank you, Kayleigh for realizing this was available for us to use.)

Extra Practice for Point of View

We just had a quiz on point of view.  Most students performed very well on the quiz.  If your child needs more practice, the following link can be of great help.  It has several practice sheets/answer keys that can be explored.

Point of View Practice Sheets/Answer Keys

Trinity Repertory's A Christmas Carol

   

“A Christmas Carol” Performance at Trinity Repertory Company

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Our fifth grade classes will be attending a production of “A Christmas Carol”
by Charles Dickens at the Trinity Repertory Company Theater on Thursday,
December 5, 2019.

**Permission slips and payment are due Tuesday, October 22nd.

The total cost of the field trip is $28.00 per child.

We are able to take a limited number of parent chaperones for this

field trip. Chaperones will be chosen by lottery.

Be sure you have a current BCI check on file with our school office.

*Cost for each chaperone is: $28.00. (Please pay with separate

check in case a return is needed.)          

     

Please note: Trinity Rep. does not issue refunds for cancellations. 

Please complete and return the bottom portion of this notice with payment
by Tuesday, October 22, 2019.
Checks made out to Washington Oak School.

Please complete and return permission slips with payment by 

Tuesday, October 22, 2019. Checks made out to Washington Oak School.

Christmas Carol Permission Slip....Be on the lookout for this permission slip that 

will be coming home soon!

Reading Responses

I just wanted to remind everyone that students should be finishing up a book this week and beginning a reading response to stay on the timeline of getting two reading responses completed by Friday, October 11th.

I continue to encourage students to complete their reading responses on Googledocs and share them with me for feedback prior to turning in for final grading.  I have reminded them that my job is to offer feedback rather than to make their work perfect.  I am not serving as an editor but rather letting students know where they need to focus their attention to improve their work.

In order to type directly onto one of the blank templates, students MUST FIRST MAKE THEIR OWN COPY.

HOW?????

Open the blank template page that you would like to use located to the right under the ELA tab. You will see a blue box that says "view only," which means you cannot type on the document.  To change this,  click on file, make a copy, and then you may rename the document/type on it. Please erase the lines before typing otherwise the lines will just be pushed along the page making a big mess.

When you rename, please type your first and last name and the book title that you are working on.

Great Start!

This has been a great start to the school year, and students seem eager to learn which is a teacher's dream!  Students fill out their agendas daily in ELA.  For the most part, everyday homework is reading. Read, read, read... a minimum of thirty minutes per night. 

Most students are currently reading a fiction book. We have been discussing character traits and using examples from the text to support their word choice.  This concept makes up half of the fiction book reading response requirement.  We have also discussed that a summary of a book must include an introduction of the main character(s), and an overview of the major events of the story related to the problem and solution. The summary is the second half of the fiction reading response.

Additionally, we have discussed the timeline of the first due date, which is October 11th.  As of today, students have four and a half weeks to read two books AND complete two reading responses.  Students know that they need to be working diligently to finished reading their first book choice so that they may be able to begin their first reading response within the next two weeks.

Thank you

Thank you all for the classroom donations!  We have plenty of hand sanitizer/disinfecting wipes to last us through the entire school year!  I may reach out again for tissues at some point.  We have plenty for now, but you would be amazed at how quickly a box of tissues empties in a classroom. Thanks again for your support.  It is greatly appreciated 😊

Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic Book Orders will be coming home with students tomorrow.  The due date for this first order will be Friday, September 13th.

Checks only/No cash, please!!!

Our classroom code is: M8XGH

Scholastic flyers are also available online through the following link:

Scholastic Digital Book Club Orders

If you are ordering online, you may do so at anytime.  I will get an alert and I can push the order through at any time.

Thank you for supporting your reader and our classroom!

Reading Responses

Students will be getting more information regarding reading responses.  We are currently waiting for copies.  However, in the meantime,  there is a link to the right under that ELA tab that outlines all of the reading expectations for the year.  Students should be reading thirty minutes every night and two reading responses are due by Friday, October 11th, which is the midpoint of the first trimester.

Four reading responses are due per trimester.  Two by the midpoint and two towards the end.

	Mid-Trimester Due Date	End of Trimester Due Date
Trimester One	Friday, October 11th	Wednesday, November 27th
Trimester Two	Monday, January 13th	Friday, March 6th
Trimester Three	Friday, April 17th	Friday, May 29th

Stepping Up Ceremony & Clap Out

Please Join Us In Celebrating
The Grade Five Students

Stepping Up Ceremony

Tuesday, June 11th 6:30pm-7: 30 pm

Washington Oak Elementary Gymnasium

Last Day of School Clap Out

Friday, June 14th 11:20 am

Washington Oak Elementary School

We Hope You Can Join Us For Both Days
Of Celebration!

Updates

The Lost and Found area in the cafeteria is overflowing with items.  If your child has lost a jacket, gloves, or just about anything, it is more than likely in that pile.  Please encourage your child to seek out their lost items.

The final two book responses for the year are due BY June 7th.

We are in desperate need of tissues as we are on our last box.  Please consider donating.

Thank you all for the teacher appreciation spoiling last week.  It is so nice to feel appreciated 😊

Thank you :)

Week of April 8th

The Good News....Your kids will be excited to know that they will not have a Word of the Week due this week, nor will they have a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

Other News... I have strongly suggested to students that they try and complete one reading response before April vacation to keep with the timeline of due dates.  Two total responses are due by May 1st, but that will come up very quickly after April vacation.  Please encourage them to do so as a practice in time management.

As a reminder ELA RICAS testing is this week.  Students will take session one on Wednesday, April  10th and session two will take place on Thursday, April 11th. 

On a final note, we still could use some tissues as season allergy is beginning to strike!

Thank you and enjoy today's sunshine.

WE NEED TISSUES!!!!

We are heading into allergy season and we have NO tissues left in class.  If you have an extra box at home, we could really use them.  Thank you in advance for your generosity!  Our noses appreciate it :)

Reading Responses

Welcome to the final trimester of your school career here at Washington Oak.  Again, you will have FOUR reading assignments due for this trimester.

Two will be due by May 1st

 The final two will be due by Friday, June7th 
**This is a slight change from what was previously stated; however, it needed to change because the final day of school is Friday, June 14th and I need time to correct them and complete report cards.**

Homework for week of February 25th

• "Meander" WOW is due Thursday, February 28th.
• Vocabulary quiz on Friday, March 1st
• Biography Projects are due Friday, March 8th

Each student will receive  an updated homework sheet in their agenda, on Monday, to be reviewed and signed by a parent.  It gives individualized information about what is due in regards to reading assignments for the trimester. ALL reading assignments for Trimester Two MUST be turned in on OR before March 14th.

Progress Report Slips

Progress Reports went home last Thursday, February 7th.  Please sign and return the bottom portion of the slip only by Wednesday, February 13th.  Thank you :)

Trimester Two Reading Responses

Students will have four total reading responses for trimester two.

By January 23rd, two responses will be due.  Students may choose from:

-Fiction (template available)
-Journal Prompts (no template available as student choice is involved)
-Non-Fiction (template available)

The Biography Project(the 3rd response for T2) will be due  March 8th and the final response will be due by Friday, March 14th. Please plan accordingly.

The Biography Project is Here!!!!

The Biography Book/Interview Project is due Friday, March 8th!

Additional things about the project that came up in our conversation today about this project:

-All books must be pre-approved before students begin their project.

-Only ONE student per class can choose be a certain person.  For example, my homeroom already has a Tom Brady, so no other person in my homeroom can choose Tom Brady. Thus, students should have a back up plan just in case. The sooner the book choice comes in, the greater chance the student has to guarantee their top choice.

-In your written reports, please refer to the person chosen by last name or first and last name.  Please do not refer to the person by their first name only. (There were a few errors on the sample that should have been hand corrected by students.  There is a corrected/updated version online.)

-Please do not be bamboozled by your children.  Although costumes and props are required, they can be creatively made.  Meaning....I DID NOT say they need a hundred dollar jersey or a diamond tiara to support their project :)

Please turn in the final project in this order:

1. Cover Page
2. Written Report
3. Interview Questions (one for the packet/one NOT in the packet...keep out for your interviewer.)
4. Biography Interview Rubric
5. Biography Book Report Rubric

Be on the Lookout for an Upcoming Biography Project

This Friday, January 25th, students will be introduced to the Biography Project that will be due in early March. Please expect a packet of information to be coming home for your review next weekend.

No WOW this week

Due to the fact that TWO reading assignments are due by this Wednesday, there will be no word of the week for  homework this week.  The WOW will resume next Monday, January 28th.

New Books Coming Our Way

This weekend, I have ordered several new books for our classroom library.

Fiction:

• (2 copies) The Sixth Grade Nickname Game by Gordan Korman
• (2 copies) Schooled by Gordan Korman
• (2 copies) Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson
• (1 copy) Treasure Hunters by James Patterson

Non-Fiction:

• Where is the Bermuda Triangle?
• What is the Constitution?
• What was the San Francisco Earthquake?

As a gentle reminder, when you have completed a book, please return it to the class library so that others may enjoy reading it as well.

Tissues

As we are all aware, we are in the midst of cold and flu season.  We are on our last two boxes of tissues in class.  If anyone would like to donate a box or two, that would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your support.

Reading Response Reminder

Two reading responses are due this Wednesday, January 23rd.