The Kersey Chronicles
Rockstars Choosing to Matter in Room 25
Humble and Kind
If you haven't heard it in its entirety, I highly recommend it. In the meantime, check out the lyrics from the chorus:
Don't steal, don't cheat, and don't lie
I know you got mountains to climb but
Always stay humble and kind
When the dreams you're dreamin' come to you
When the work you put in is realized
Let yourself feel the pride but
Always stay humble and kind
Along those same lines, I read an article from USA Today that I felt noteworthy. Have a read: http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2016/05/08/donald-trump-winning-commencement-addresses-humility-millennials-graduation-column/83938162/
I think you're all doing a fantastic job parenting some genuinely humble and kind people. All your hard work is really paying off!
Novel Study (submitted by Grant)
Civil War Writing (submitted by Grey)
Designing a Garden (submitted by Riley)
This Week's Set List (May 16-20)
Week at a Glance/Skills for the Week:
LITERACY – We will continue our final novel study. We are reading The Phantom Tollbooth. This fantasy novel is full of interesting language, puns, and figurative language making it a favorite! The students are exploring what Milo learns about "valuing education" and "learning to use common sense". In addition to this classwork, the Book Review Assignment is due on May 26th.
WRITING – We are working on our final writing unit, which is informational writing. Students are using what they are currently learning about the Civil War to write these pieces, and publish them in a special Civil War Time for Kids issue. The informational piece includes 4 separate parts: An overview of the Civil War, a focused topic, a historical fiction told from the perspective of a person from the Civil War, and a mini-essay explaining the impact of the subtopic on the Civil War. Students have been working so hard and are eager to have their writing published in an authentic magazine format! This paper is due on May 20th.
MATH – We have finished Unit 12, and will use this week to apply our learning of volume and surface area to designing a Noble Crossing garden with raised beds. I'm eager to see what they can design! The students actually wrote this assignment themselves - talk about ownership of learning! WOW.
SPELLING – During 4th quarter, we will not be taking spelling tests. All students in this class have demonstrated a 4th-5th grade mastery of spelling, and therefore, we will utilize time for other learning!
SCIENCE – No science this week.
SOCIAL STUDIES – We are wrapping up our Civil War Unit in Social Studies. Students are exploring the following questions throughout their reading and learning: How do people react to change? How do we use the past to help us in our future? A group presentation is due on May 18th.
TIPS - We have been using this time to prepare for our group Civil War presentations. After presentations, we will prepare for a Socratic Seminar.
** Note: Genius Hour Projects are due on May 24th **
Upcoming Events
May 16th: Ready, Set, Grow presentation (formerly Social Health)
May 17th: Field Trip to the ISO, 9am-12pm
May 18th: NWEA testing for Language Arts, 8:45am
May 27th: Field Day
May 30th: Memorial Day, no school
June 1st: Last day of school