Eagle Team

Language Arts:  Family History essays were due on Monday, March 12th!  Many students did not turn them in.  They need to follow the rubric and turn in their essay ASAP.  Spelling packet 13 was given out on Monday, and will be due on Friday.  Please make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast during testing.

Social Studies: We will be focusing more on the US government this week, looking at the rights listed in the Bill of Rights and continuing to look at how laws are created.  We will continue to have a warm-up everyday and try to keep things during class time as normal as possible.  Please encourage your child to do his or her best on the TCAP tests.

Math:  In Blocks 1 and 2, we will continue with some last minute review for TCAP using released items from CDE.  Students will meet with their protege teacher most of the week.  It is a possibility that we will do Power of U on Friday.  Students will not have SOAR cards this week.

In Block 3, we will do a mixture of TCAP practice problems using released items and continue to work through Chapter 5.  Students will be exploring inequalities using algebra expression mats.  Students will not have homework this week due to testing.

Next week, students will begin taking the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) tests.  To read general information about the test please click here.  Also, to read further information about  TCAP and Colorado law, click here.  The students will be taking two test each day, with the exception of the last one. The schedule for next week is as follows:

Tuesday, March 13th: Reading and Writing 1 and Math 1

Wednesday, March 14th: Reading and Writing 2 and Math 2

Thursday, March 15th:  Reading and Writing 3 and Math 3

Tuesday, March 20th: Reading and Writing 4 and 5

Wednesday, March 21st: Reading and Writing 6

Please note:  There are to be no cell phones in the classrooms during testing.  Students will either need to leave them in their lockers, or turn them into the teacher before the test begin. It is important that your child gets a good nights sleep and eats a good breakfast before they leave for school. We appreciate your support.

Language Arts-We are continuing to study Greek and Latin root words, as well as finishing our essay about our family history.  Also, we will be doing some prep work for the upcoming TCAP tests next week.  Students received spelling packet 11 on Monday and the packet and test are due on Friday.

Social Studies: Our focus this week will be on common economic systems and looking at how the US government works.  This will lead us to the project we are doing for our government unit, which is comparing our system of government to others around the world.  There is a current event due on Friday, the topic this week is an economic story.  That includes rising cost of fuel, and other issues going on right now.

Math - This week, in blocks 1 and 2, we will continue with Power of U.  Students did not have a math homework assignment this past week.  Their only assignment to turn in this Wednesday is their completed pink SOAR card.

In block 3, we will be working on the beginning of Chapter 5, with a focus on writing and simplifying algebraic expressions.  Students will have some homework this week – be sure to check the homework calendar for assignments.

Language Arts: We will be focusing on Greek and Latin root words this week, as well as working on the essay about their family member.  Students worked on the root word flash cards they received on Friday and will be playing Jeopardy on Tuesday.  Also, students received spelling packet lesson 10 on Monday, which is due on Friday.

Social Studies: We are in the introduction of our government unit.  Our focus this week will be learning the basic types of government and the vocabulary associated with it.  Students will also be researching where the different types of government exist in the world and what life is like there.

Math -  This week in blocks 1 and 2, we will be doing Power of U every day except Wednesday. This week students will be working on CSAP practice with their protege teachers.  Please remember to bring your completed yellow packet and finish both front and back sides of your pink SOAR card before turning it in on Wednesday.  You can always view your dashboard and skills at home by clicking here.

In block 3, students will be finishing up Chapter 4 at the beginning of the week.  We will be participating in the Rocket City competition on Wednesday.  For the remainder of the week, we will begin Chapter 5 with a focus on inverse operations and creating algebraic expressions.

Language Arts-The students received spelling packet Lesson 8 again on Tuesday.  The test score they receive this week will replace their previous scores.  We are taking the Acuity test on Wednesday and will be starting Greek and Latin root words.

Social Studies-We will be doing some more research on the family history projects, looking specifically at what life was like during the particular events. The student’s time-lines came out well.  On Thursday and Friday we will go back to looking at the themes of location and place when we have the Omniglobe in the classroom. There is a current event due Friday, on a general topic.

Math – Thanks to all of you who were able to attend our spring conferences last week.  If you were not able to attend, you can always reach us through email at any time.  This week in blocks 1 and 2, we will be doing Power of U every day except Wednesday.  We will be working on CSAP practice on Wednesday-please remember to bring your completed homework packet from over break with you to class tomorrow.  You can always view your dashboard and skills at home by clicking here.

Block 3 will be finishing up our chapter by focusing on finding missing sides of similar shapes.  Students in this class will also be completing some CSAP practice as well.  On Friday, we will be doing the next round of Sigma (a national math competition). Students will have homework this week so be sure to check the homework calendar.

We have scheduled 20 Eagles for conferences on Wednesday, February 15th.  If you have not received information about scheduling a conference, you are welcome to come to drop-ins on Thursday, February 16th.  We will be available from 8:30-2:00 pm and 2:30-7:00 pm (please note, this is a change from the schedule we posted yesterday) in room 28.

Language Arts: Students will not have a spelling packet, or test, this week because it is a short one.  We are focusing on the family history project this week.  Students will be finishing their research and completing their time-lines.

Social Studies: We will not have a current event this week, due to only having three days of school.  The students should have completed their family tree and interviews before today.  We will take that information, as well as the specific details about world events and compile it on a time-line.  The final copy of the time-line is due on Wednesday.  The next step of this project will be writing a paper telling their family story.

Math - Blocks 1 and 2 will have Power of U on Monday and Tuesday, and CSAP practice with their protege teacher on Wednesday.  Students need to turn in their completed SOAR Card (front and back) on Wednesday.  Students will be receiving a CSAP practice packet to complete at home over the long weekend.  It will be due on Wed., 2/22.

Block 3 will be working through the last part of Chapter 4.  We will be focusing on dilations and similar shapes.  Students will have one assignment (assigned today) that is due on Wednesday.

Language Arts:  Our focus this week will be finishing the persuasive essay we have been working on in class.  The final will be due later on this week.  Students received spelling packet #9 on Monday, and that will be due on Friday.  Please check with your students to make sure they are getting these completed.  Many are not turning them in incomplete, or not turning them in at all.  Later this week, we will begin researching for the family history project we will be working on with Miss Klein’s classes.

Math - This week in Blocks 1 and 2, the Power of U Program continues.   Remember to have a conversation with your child about how he/she is doing in Power of U, and what skills are challenging.  We encourage students to log-in each evening before their lessons to look at what they will be learning the next day to build background knowledge.  If your child feels he/she needs extra practice on any skills, Ms. Platkus and Mrs. Naughton are available every day at lunch to offer extra practice on those skills.  Students need to have a parent signature each week on their pink SOAR cards before they are turned in on Wednesdays.  To access the Power of U website, click here.  Students will be meeting with their protege teacher in place of Power of U on Friday, due to a 7th grade field trip.

In Block 3, students will be finishing up using linear models to represent relationships between parts and the whole to solve problems. The later part of the week will be spent representing data using a variety of forms (histograms, stem-and-leaf, box-and-whisker plots).  Students will continue to have homework, so please check the homework calendar for assignments.

Social Studies: We are finishing up our study of what places are like and moving on to the beginning of the history unit.  As an introduction, students will be researching their own family history and make connections to events that have happened in America.  The students are really excited about this project.  Today they received a blank family tree and were given the instruction to fill in their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents names.  They need to finish those today and bring them back tomorrow.  We will be working on this with Mrs. Breibarth and Miss Hoehn and the students will be writing a paper about what they find.

Now that we have the ipads in social studies, we are able to utilize some of the utilities.  One of those programs is Dropbox, which is where students can save work done on any computer.  It works on both macs and pcs.  The program is free to download and use.

To use the program: go to http://www.dropbox.com/ and download the program.  After you install it, login and you are all set:

E-mail:jksstudies@gmail.com

password:ipadsr0ck

I am looking forward to using this program.  I think it will be a great resource.

Language Arts: All Spelling Packets need to be completed each Friday. There have been several students who do not turn in the packet, or do not even complete it.  This will negatively impact their grade.  We will be working on the persuasive essay in class this week.  We are also finishing the vocabulary study from Walk Two Moons.  Students need to read 20 minutes each night.  Spelling Packet lesson 8 is due on Friday.  Warm-ups that are completed in class are due Thursday.

Social Studies: We are finishing up our geography study this week by focusing on how location affects how people live.  We will be finishing that on Friday, and we will be starting our study of history on Monday.  We do have a current event that is due on Friday.  The topic for this week is the Presidential Election.  If students do not have their current event sheet at home, you can find it on the “Social Studies Homework” section of the Eagle website.

Math - This week in Blocks 1 and 2, the Power of U Program continues.   Remember to have a conversation with your child about how he/she is doing in Power of U, and what skills are challenging.  We encourage students to log-in each evening before their lessons to look at what they will be learning the next day to build background knowledge.  If your child feels he/she needs extra practice on any skills, Ms. Platkus and Mrs. Naughton are available every day at lunch to offer extra practice on those skills.  Students need to have a parent signature each week on their pink SOAR cards before they are turned in on Wednesdays.  To access the Power of U website, click here.

In Block 3, we are beginning Chapter 4 and this week’s focus will be using a linear model to examine part-whole relationships to help solve problems involving percentage.  Throughout the week, we will revisit a data display called “Box and Whisker Plots” that was covered briefly before winter break.  Students will continue to have homework assignments.  Please check the homework calendar.