Room 114 Homeroom News
January 11-15, 2016
Ms. Kirkwood & Mrs. Piccirilli Homeroom Calendar & Events
Jan. 28th, the end of the second marking period, is fast approaching. This is the time when our students must buckle down in 5th grade and begin to consider their academic and social goals for middle school next year. Look for upcoming ROMS 5th grade events both in our newsletters and in flyers that come home. Our middle school transition events begin this month and seem to continue for the rest of the school year. Here are the first two in January:
- Wednesday, Jan. 13th- ROMS Instrumental Petting Zoo Assembly is at 1:30 p.m. in Upton's Gym. Students will have an opportunity to learn about the instruments that will be available for them to play if they choose band or orchestra as one of their middle school classes.
- Thursday Jan. 21st- ROMS 5th Grade Night, Basketball and Popcorn. (See flyer next week)
Reading - Historical Fiction, "The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963"
This week we will begin reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963. "Watsons" is written by Christopher Paul Curtis who lives in Detroit, but grew up in Flint Michigan. He was enrolled in Flint University of Michigan and worked on the General Motors assembly line at one time. This book has won numerous awards and is a Newbery Honor Book.
This piece of historical fiction is centered around the Civil Rights Movement and coincides nicely with some of the readings we will be doing towards the end of the week in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Our plan is to discuss "Watsons" in a book club format as we read it aloud together, with a partner, or individually. Students will be responsible for doing activities for chapters after they read. These activities will vary depending on the reading for the lesson.
Besides our "in class" reading, students have "just right" books they have chosen to read independently in class. Students must also record their reading on their January Reading Calendar at home and be ready to turn it in at the end of the month. All students received a calendar last week. Students must read 30 minutes a night 5 days per week.
Writing- Completing Informational Books
Informational books will be due Friday, January 21st. They have all begun doing their final copy on the computer using Google Slides. All students have a rubric (guideline sheet of requirements) for this informational book. This rubric will be used to grade their assignment. Some students may be asked to provide a written copy of their book (instead of on the computer) if they are behind on their drafting. Students have been working so hard on their writing and we are looking forward to sharing their final project!