Review of Week Two: August 26-August 29

With our first 5 day week complete, many of us are looking forward to the long weekend and a short 4 day week next week! Middle School classes are starting to gear up and Language Arts is no exception. While we've started to ease into some procedures and topics we'll be discussing in class this year, next year we will start our regular "routine" in class.

This week we discussed how to choose a book that is just right for us. We also wrote letters to ourselves describing how our first week of middle school went and our goals for the year. We will get them back on the last day of 5th grade LA!

We also posted on the Summer Reading section of the blog what other books we read this summer besides Wonder. This will be a great reference for our fellow classmates to refer to if they are looking for a new book to read as we posted whether or not we would recommend the book to others.

On Day 4 of LA this year we began our discussion on our summer reading book Wonder. We chose one of the four main characters and divided into groups. With our groups we discussed what our character was thinking, feeling, and seeing during 6 different events in the novel. We will do an activity next week with our brainstorms.

All of the 5th grade classes also attended a Library Orientation during one class period to learn about the Middle School Library. They had a short "tour" to learn where things were located and what resources were available.  The MS library is open 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

Enjoy the long weekend! Remember to bring a book to read independently on Tuesday!

One Week Down!

With one week of school (well, three days at least) almost finished, I wanted to give you a review of what we've accomplished this week!

- What are we going to learn this year?
- Who am I? What am I interested in? What do I like to do? How does reading make me feel?
- Expectations/ Procedures in the classroom
- Set up readers notebook with section for journal, lessons, and writing about reading
- describe what is easy and what is hard about Language Arts and Reading

Next week we will dive into our discussion over the book Wonder we read over the summer (by RJ Palacio). I hope you found it as powerful as I did. I would encourage all of you to share the book with your family members! No one is too old to read the book and experience Auggie's first days of school. You will most likely have to post comments on the blog related to your opinions of the characters and events in Wonder!

First Day of School! August 21st

Welcome to the first day of school!

      As I drove in this morning (much earlier than many of you), the campus was covered in a blanket of thin fog that was quickly dissipating as the sun was rising. I thought to myself that this was perfect symbolism for the beginning of the year. As the sun is clearing the fog from our campus, so will the start of the school year clear the fog from our brains. I hope each of you are entering into 5th grade with a clear and open mind. I want us to strive to clear our minds in order to learn, discuss, challenge, and understand so that we can be open to learning from new experiences, perspectives and opportunities. I am excited to start this journey with you!

Like we talked about in class, your homework is to read through the course description and fill out the last page. It is due the third time we meet in class. The "Who am I?" worksheet is due the next time we meet. Please check the page for your specific section for the correct due dates.

Choosing the right independent reading book

Check out the link to the Five Finger Rule (on right) to help choose the right independent reading book that won't be too easy or too hard!

Welcome!

Welcome to the 5th Grade Language Arts Blog! Here you will find information and links for the 5th Grade Language Arts class.