Social Studies Project

Parents,

The following letter is a letter that I emailed to you about the social studies project. I also sent a hard copy home with your child.

Remember that:
--Presentations are due Thursday, November 18th
--Research papers are due Friday, November 19th
--We made outlines for the research papers in class so the students shouldn't have too much left to do on those.
--Research papers must be typed. If you can't print it, just email it to me or bring it on a CD or flash drive.

Thanks for your help and please let me know if you have questions or concerns!

Stephanie Talley

Here's the letter that was sent home:

Parents,

Student Presentations will begin on Thursday, November 18^th- Friday, November 19^th.  Students will only have their presentations to work on and a light spelling activity for their homework next week.  Their presentation should be about 2-5 minutes long (I will cut off the presentation at 5 minutes, so make sure it’s not longer than that).  Please let me know ahead of time if resources (Laptop, TV, VHS player, etc.) are needed.

-Just a reminder of some possible ideas:

1.       Dress up like the god or goddess and talk to the class like you are them.

2.     Make a poster of facts and pictures that you can show and talk about to the class.

3.     Make a play about the god or goddess.

4.     Create a Power Point (we have projectors at school that can be used to show the Power Point but you have to let me know ahead of time).

I will not be scheduling specific times for presentations. If you would like to come see your child’s presentation, you need to let me know so that I wait to do your child’s presentation. Then you’ll just show up during presentation times. When you step through the door, I’ll have your child go next.

Presentation times:

          Thursday, Nov. 18^th 1:20-2:00, 2:15-3:05

          Friday Nov. 19^th 12:30-1:15, 2:30-until we finish.

Please remind your child to be prepared and ready to go on Thursday. Points will be deducted for presentations that are not done.

Research papers are due Friday, Nov. 19^th. These will be collected separately and are NOT a part of the student presenations.

Don’t hesitate to email me if you have any questions or concerns. I check my email several times a day. And thanks again for all of your support and help!

Mrs. Talley

Stephanie.talley@nebo.edu

It's been a while!

Hello everyone! I apologize for not posting anything these last few weeks. We've just been so busy!!

First of all, thanks to all of the parents for coming to parent conferences! It is so good to meet with you and touch base on students grades and accomplishments. I was very impressed by the parental support that all of our students have. It is a huge blessing as a teacher to know that the students are getting help and support at home!

As far as what we're doing in class goes, Ms. Lewis has been teaching our class a lot about microorganisms and most of the students are finished with their group projects. In math we've had another test (on decimals) and this week we have a test on factors and divisibility. Our guided reading groups are all about halfway through their books, and in social studies we've been learning about ancient Greece.

Just a few reminders: Students should have their research done for their social studies reports. By the end of this week we will have a rough draft of our reports done. At home, you will want to be working with your child on getting their presentation ready for next week.

Also, students should bring in their Ken Garff folders to get entries for the assembly. I'm sending home a calendar that students can keep in their homework folders to help them keep track of their Ken Garff stuff.

Finally, I'll be sending home book orders in a week or so. I highly encourage you to order online. When you do, I receive money to buy books for our classroom. I'll try to send out a reminder email when those book orders go home and when they are due.

Thanks again for all of your help and support. It really does make a difference! Have a great week!!

Week 6

It's been six weeks already! I can hardly believe it. We've had lots of fun together so far, and I'm so excited for the rest of the year!

This week, we finished learning about algebra, equations, expressions, and variables. We took a test on Friday and will begin learning how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide decimals. Say goodbye to using "remainders" in division!

In science we learned about heat transfer through conduction, convection, and radiation. We learned that hot air and liquids rise, and that heat transfer always goes from the hotter object to the cooler object. This week we will finish up heat, review light and sound, and then take a test to finish up our science unit. Next week Ms. Lewis will begin teaching our class about microorganisms.

In Social Studies we began learning about ancient Egypt, its dependence on the Nile, and its class system.

Finally, in literacy, we've been working on our personal narratives. We've also been learning how to monitor for meaning while reading.

Upcoming Events:
--Red Ribbon Week
--Parent Conferences (parents, you may call the school to schedule an appointment)

Week 5

This week we finished up learning about light and started learning about heat. The kids did really well on our jeopardy review about light.

In math, we talked a lot about equality and how to keep both sides of an equation equal. We used tombs and treasures to balance equations, which was really fun. We also talked a lot about properties of operations and about the distributive property.

In social studies we finished Mesopotamia! The kids loved learning about Hammurabi's code of laws and we even read a little bit about the birth of Judaism. This wee we will be starting Egypt!

We are still working on our personal narratives in writing, and we've been trying to use metacognition as we read. This week we will wrap up metacognition and start on monitoring for meaning.

It's been a great week! Don't forget to read at home! No birthdays this week.

Week 4 (Already?)

I am amazed that we've already survived four weeks of school! It's been a blast so far!

This week we did our benchmarking in reading, and the A-Team was great for their sub (as I knew they would be).

We've been continuing with light in science--reflection and refraction were our big topics of the week. In math we finished talking about exponents and then we had a test. On Friday we started on the Order of Operations, and we came up with our own phrases to help us remember PEMDAS. We've been learning about the Sumerians in Mesopotamia and we even made some cuneiform tablets on Friday. It must have been hard to be a scribe in those days! Finally, in literacy we've been focusing on metacognition. We learned that being aware of and understanding our own thoughts can help us be better readers.

Other news this week:
--Happy Birthday to Makiah this last Friday!
--I sent in the book orders so hopefully those will arrive in the next couple of weeks.

President Obama's Speech on Education

Today, President Obama gave a speech to the students of the nation on the importance of education. He emphasizes how important education is. While the government can do its best to provide quality education, students need to take individual responsibility to succeed in school.

Week 3

Another great week has past us by! We finished learning about sound in science and began to learn about the properties of light! We will continue with that this week and then begin to learn about the properties of heat.

In social studies we moved on from hunter-gatherers to one of the oldest of ancient civilizations: Mesopotamia. We have already learned that the geography of the Fertile Crescent affected how Mesopotamia developed.

In math, we reviewed rounding and estimating, and this week we will learn about exponents. Also, this week we will have our first math test. So get ready for that!

In writing we have been continuing with our personal narratives. We practiced conferencing as the first step in the revision process will continue with revision and editing this week.

This Tuesday we will be watching President Obama's Back-to-School speech as a class.

And finally, we have one birthday this week: Happy Birthday Makiah!!!