I hope that you and your families and friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We only have four more weeks of school before the first semester is over and we have our Christmas vacation! There is so much to get done during this time, so I'm going to try a new class plan.
Each day when you get to history and lit class, you will know what has to be finished for you to stay caught up. We will have a short time at the beginning of class when I will read a chapter of Treasure Island to you, or we watch a short film, or discuss our reading. But the remainder of our time together is up to YOU to plan. You will be working on: your explorer layered book (Christopher Columbus) in history; reading the book, The First Voyage and taking reading notes; reading the novel, Treasure Island and filling out a plot/character chart for each chapter; practicing your new spelling words and their meanings, using cursive writing; completing Grammar with Columbus; and your book report for Treasure Island.
I will try and keep my part to no more than 45 minutes each day, which means that you will have over an hour to read your books and work on your assignments. I hope that you will work hard so that you don't have homework every night. Since we will be reading two books this week at the same time, you will really have to stay focused in class. You will be able to count your individual reading during class for your 30 minutes for your reading log.
I will be available to help you with any questions you may have. You must stay busy the whole time, and if you do finish the day's (or week's) work, I have some extension activities I need help with--especially creating our Exploration bulletin board downstairs. You can work ahead on assignments for the rest of the week.
Your schedule for the week is below, and you will also have a hard copy of this on Monday. DUE dates and TEST dates are included below.
MONDAY:
LARGE GROUP TIME (or LGT):
Intro author and characters, story charts for Treasure Island;
Listen to Chapter 1 of Treasure Island read aloud; fill in Following the Story chart;
Watch short film on Christopher Columbus; use info for layered book;
Grammar explanation using Monday's example in Grammar with Christopher
Columbus.
MY INDIVIDUAL TIME: (or MIT)
*Read Chapter 15 in The History of US: A Boy Named Christopher Has a Dream
*Work on Christopher Columbus page in Explorers layered book;
DUE MONDAY, 3rd
*Read Chapter 2 in Treasure Island and fill out Following the Story chart.
DUE TUESDAY
*Write your spelling words in cursive 2 times each (trace and write = 2)
DUE MONDAY, 3rd;
SPELLING/VOCAB TEST MONDAY, 3rd
TUESDAY:
LGT: Discuss Chapter 2 of Treasure Island with class
Listen to Chapter 3 of Treasure Island read aloud; fill in FtS chart;
DUE TODAY
MIT: *Read Chapter 4 of Treasure Island; fill in FtS chart; DUE THURSDAY
*Read Preface (pp. 3-15) and Epilogue (pp. 88-91) from new book:
The First Voyage to America and answer reading comprehension
questions from packet; DUE WEDNESDAY
*Complete Grammar MYTH/FACT summary sentence for Tuesday from packet;
DUE FRIDAY
*Finish writing spelling words 2 times each in cursive
*Finish Columbus page for layered book
WEDNESDAY:
LGT: Discuss Chapters 3 & 4 of Treasure Island with class
Listen to Chapter 5 read aloud; fill in FtS chart; DUE THURSDAY
Discuss the Prologue and Epilogue of First Voyage; turn in completed
questions.
MIT: *Read Chapter 6 of Treasure Island; fill in FtS chart; DUE THURSDAY
*Read First Voyage pages 16-27; answer questions on NOTES I;
DUE THURSDAY
*Complete Grammar MYTH/FACT summary sentence for Wednesday;
DUE FRIDAY
*Work on looking up definitions for vocabulary spelling words and writing them
on cursive handout. DUE MONDAY, 3rd
THURSDAY:
LGT: Discuss Chapters 5 & 6 of Treasure Island with class; turn in FtS for
Chapters 4-6
Chapters 4-6
Listen to Chapter 7 read aloud; fill in FtS chart; DUE FRIDAY
Discuss pages 16-27 from First Voyage; turn in completed questions.
Learn to sing the Salve Regina.
MIT: *Read Chapter 8 of Treasure Island; fill in FtS chart; DUE FRIDAY
*Complete Grammar MYTH/FACT summary sentence for Thursday;
DUE FRIDAY
DUE FRIDAY
*Finish definitions for vocabulary spelling words
FRIDAY:
LGT: Discuss Chapters 7 & 8 of Treasure Island with class
Listen to Chapter 9 read aloud; fill in FtS chart; DUE TODAY
Discuss pages 28-43 from First Voyage; turn in completed questions
Get information about Treasure Island book report
Go over writing assignment
MIT: *Read Chapter 10 of Treasure Island; fill in FtS chart; DUE MONDAY
*Read First Voyage pages 44-57; answer questions on NOTES III;DUE MONDAY
*Complete Grammar MYTH/FACT summary sentence for today;
PACKET DUE TODAY
*Write your letter to Christopher Columbus; DUE MONDAY
SPELLING/VOCABULARY for TEST on Monday, December 3
* indicates that the definition for the word must also be learned--you will have
to recognize it on a matching test. All definitions should relate to sea travel.
1. testament*
2. Gospel
3. character
4. Christopher Columbus
5. league*
6. caravel*
7. admiral
8. uncharted*
9. reckoned*
10. amplitude*
11. commencement*
12. stationery*
13. stationary*
MONDAY, DECEMBER 3rd
Spelling Test over words from this week
Cursive handwriting practice for words; Vocabulary definitions for words
Chapter 10 from Treasure Island with Follow the Story chart
Pages 44-57 from First Voyage and questions from NOTES III.
Letter to Christopher Columbus
