Writing: At this point, your first draft should be complete. A first draft is, of course, a work in progress. We will spend some time reading and critiquing each others' work this week. Expect a small task to practice your critiquing skills. You'll look for similar things in your peer's writing as you will in the exercise. Aim to improve your story based on the advice of others. Remember, you'll look to create useful and respectful revision ideas. These include:
- A word choice suggestion
- A place where the message is not as clear as it could be
- A suggestion of a detail that could be added
- A suggestion of a detail to remove
- A place where dialogue is unnecessary and a suggestion on how to rewrite that part
- A suggestion on how the author might rewrite an entire sentence
Your completed and revised final copies are due at the end of the day Thursday. On Friday, you'll get a chance to share your stories in small group settings. Let's create a spooky atmosphere and send chills down each others' spines!
Math: This week we will continue to practice multi-digit multiplication and to explore ways of showing multiplication. We will look at using array models for in-context word problems and geometry questions. At the same time we'll nail down those basic facts - many of you are pretty good with these, and the work we've done so far is paying off. Remember that I gave you extra practice sheets last week. Continue to work on these at home, okay?
L.A. - We are into our 4th section of Refugee. We're beyond the story's halfway point. It is important to stay current with the reading and the responses. Please don't read ahead - there is no need as you'll listen to the story again in class; and sometimes knowing what is ahead can lead to spoilers for others.
Science - Let's get started on the endocrine system of the body this week. You'll learn about the body's chemical messaging system - glands, hormones, and receptors. You will have heard of some of these chemicals before. Now you'll learn how they direct our body to respond to what it needs.
Halloween week can be a crazy moment in our school year. It will be hard for some of you to maintain your composure and your peak learning readiness as the week goes on. Please do your best to stay locked in, to remain respectful of your peers and the adults in the building, and to make healthy choices throughout these next few day. Enjoy your week, everyone!
