We once again find ourselves on the high seas, this time sailing with the British aboard the Mayflower. This unit will include reading about the" re-mix" of the first voyage, as well as the Journal of William Bradford, parts of the Mayflower Compact, and a book of your choice that will add some historical fiction to the journey. For part of the week, your reading assignment will come from the short National Geographic book, Mayflower 1620: A New Look at a Pilgrim Voyage. Later in the week, I will be asking you to do some reading out of The History of US. I think that you will enjoy learning how the British interacted with their new surroundings, and comparing them to the Spanish in the New World.
I must mention two changes in my expectations of you as we near the middle of this school year. After Christmas vacation is over, you will begin the downward slope that will lead you into 6th or 7th grade. It is time that I "turned up the heat" just a tad. Lately, I have been giving make-up spelling tests when you don't do too well on the first test. I will no longer do that. You must study your words so that you can make a 100 (ok, maybe a 90) on the first try. That means you have to learn the words, pronounce them aloud, write them, practice them every day. I think several of you are depending on those make-up tests to improve your grade and not "getting with it" as soon as the words are posted. I promised you a make-up test over last week's words this Monday, but that will be the last one!
The second thing I need to mention that will be a little tougher is your filling out and turning in your reading logs on time, with parent signatures. Beginning this Friday, if you don't turn them in on time, I will not accept them for that week. I know all of you are reading--so write down what you are reading, and how long--you can use your reading log as a bookmark, and do it before you close the book each night. Several of you are three weeks behind on turning those in! If I don't have them by this Friday, November 12, those three weeks, and this 4th week, will not be counted. You can still make an A in Literature if you never turn in your reading log--but you would have to make a 100 on EVERYTHING else. That might mean several of you are headed for B's. B's are not bad grades at all--but each of you is totally capable of making A's.
Below is your homework for the week, along with this week's words for Friday's test.
Happy sailing!
HOMEWORK for the Week of November 8-12.
For MONDAY, November 8--Make-up spelling test (the last one). You were to have read the first 20 pages of Mayflower 1620 so that we can discuss it in class. HOMEWORK: Read pages 21-31 in Mayflower, 1620 for tomorrow's class.
TUESDAY, November 9--Discussion over pages 21-31 in Mayflower. You will also be able to choose your "other" book for this unit, and decide on how you would like to present your book report on that book--your choice, from several I will have available. HOMEWORK: Read pages 32-45 in Mayflower for Wednesday's class.
WEDNESDAY, November 10--Discussion over pages 32-45 of Mayflower. Reading time with the book you chose yesterday. HOMEWORK: Read Chapters 31 and 32 in The History of US and fill out note-taking chart you will be given.
THURSDAY, November 11--Read excerpts from William Bradford's Diary and from The Mayflower Compact during class, with discussion. HOMEWORK: Read Chapters 33 and 34 in The History of US and fill out note-taking chart you will be given.
FRIDAY, November 12--SPELLING TEST over words below:
1. archaeology
2. autumn
3. Wampanoag
4. accommodations
5. transferred
6. appropriately
7. navigation
8. submission
9. malnutrition
10. facet--with definition: a side or aspect of something
