New Quarter Begins

Can you believe it?  It has already been nine weeks since school began!  It is going so FAST!!!  Christmas will be here before we know it.  Sorry I haven't posted much lately...I am just busy! I'm going to try to do better.

We are ready to begin a new unit in class starting this week.  We are going to begin by reading The Salem Witch Trials, an unsolved mystery from history by Jane Yolen.  Please don't be concerned...I'm not teaching witchcraft!  Haha...we are just looking at the circumstances that led to the hysteria surrounding Salem at the time.  We are going to look at factors that led to the prejudice that was imposed on certain types of people.  Throughout this unit, we will look at the causes of prejudice and what groups have faced prejudice and inequality throughout history.

Students will complete two projects this nine weeks.  The first one is a smaller project called "Separating History from Fiction".  In this project, I asked students to read a historical fiction novel and write a summary on the story. Students should work on this project during bellwork time and at home.  I will not provide extra class time to complete it.   The requirements and scoring guide will be under the Unit 2 tab.  The next project will be after our Thanksgiving break.  It will be a large research project and presentation in class.  I will provide class time to complete this assignment.  As with the double entry journal, I will be available to answer questions and guide students along the way.

It is going to be SUPER busy in Literacy class this nine weeks.  We have a lot to cover, but I really look forward to the discussions and insight that the students will be sharing in class.

Happy reading-
Mrs. Tipton

Digging Holes

Well, we have finished yet another novel in literacy class.  Holes is still one of my absolute favorite novels to share with students.  The characters that Louis Sachar created are some of the most interesting "people" I have met.  I think my favorite thing about the story is how Sachar takes three seemingly unrelated stories and ties them together BRILLIANTLY!

We have learned so much this nine weeks.  Students know how to identify theme, character traits, point of view and perspective, and several types of figurative language.  We are pulling all of that knowledge together in our class project.  This is called our "double entry journal".  This journal will allow students to compare Holes and their assigned novel.  They will identify the skills that we have practiced in class.  We will work on this journal in class.  I will be available to answer questions and steer students in the right direction.  I have included a copy of the questions and the scoring guide under the "UNIT 1" tab so you can see what expectations I have for the kiddos.

Here is a list of books that you and your child might be interested in reading if they liked Holes:
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Because of Winn Dixie
Tuck Everlasting
Bridge to Terabithia
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Small Steps
A Long Way from Chicago
Walk Two Moons

Thank you for all your support!

Happy reading-
Mrs. Tipton