Quarter 2, Week 7 Lessons

Greetings Families,

Here are the lessons for next week.

Lessons

Writing/Grammar: Students will complete the essay we are writing as a class. They will work on typing their essays on Monday and will practice revision on Tuesday. If the students are able to keep the schedule, they will turn their attention back to grammar on Wednesday. Commas splicing, sentence fragments, and run-on-sentences will be the focus of their study.

Comma splicing: joining two independent clauses with only a comma

• Incorrect: John ate cake, Sara had a burger. (two dependent clauses)
• Correct: John ate cake, but Sara had a burger. (but - coordinate conjunctions need a comma)
• Correct: John ate cake while Sara had a burger. (while - subordinate conjunctions do not need a comma)

Sentence fragments: using a dependent clause as a sentence

• Incorrect: While the dogs barked. (dependent clause)
• Correct: The cats ran while the dogs barked. 
• Correct: White the dogs barked, the cats ran.

Run-on-sentence: joining two independent clauses with a conjunction, but no comma

• Incorrect: Sandy went to the store and she bought soda. 
• Correct: Sandy went to the store, and she bought soda.
• Correct: Sandy went to the store and bought soda. (compound verb)

History: Having finished their study of the Middle Ages, students will now turn their attention to Arizona. This unit will involve a study of Arizona's geography, natural resources, important landmarks and locations, and history. The focus this week will be on Arizona's placement in the United States and the regions of Arizona: desert, mountain, and plateau. Students will also study Arizona's rivers and lakes, points of interest, ancient peoples, and Spanish influence.  

Literature: Students will continue to read about how Robin Hood and his band of outlaws struggle to live noble lives as thieves during the tumult of poor leadership during the Middle Ages. 

Math: In math, students will continue their study of fractions of a set. Before Tuesday, students hard largely thought of fractions as representing parts of a whole. For example, they would have understood eating 1/2 a pizza as a pizza cut in two with one of those pieces being eaten. Fractions of a set is a new way of thinking about fractions because the fractions aren't of wholes, but of sets. For example, an example I gave in class, 1/2 of my children are boys. It doesn't mean that I have one child (a whole) who is a half boy and a half girl. Instead, because I have four children, it means that two of my children are boys. If we order six pizzas and half of them are eaten, there are three pizzas left.

I first taught them this by using pictures. I then taught them how to multiply fractions. Here is an example.

1/5 of 20

1/5 x 20

1/5 x 20/1 = 20/5 = 4

or

1/5 x 20/1 = 1/1 x 4/1 = 4 (cross divide or cross simplify first)

Poetry: The next poem students are expected to memorize is "The Flag Goes By" by Henry Holcomb Bennett. This poem, along with some of the poems that will be memorized next quarter, set the stage for the American movement of patriotism which led to the American Revolution. 

With respect to the memorization and recitation of poems, many students failed to demonstrate mastery of the most recent poem: "The Sin of Omission." It was a longer poem, and I am understanding that not all memorize as easily as others. However, I believe the main reason for the class's poor performance as a whole lies mostly in a lack of preparation. Each poem is given three weeks for memorization, except for "Paul Revere's Ride" which is given six weeks. I ask that you evaluate your child's memorization of the assigned poem from time to time. The poem recitations happen during the third, sixth, and ninth week of each quarter. 

Greek and Latin Roots: Students will be evaluated on the first 44 Greek and Latin roots this week. I've moved the review check from Wednesday to Thursday to create more time for study and because the class spelling bee will be on Wednesday. I don't want the students to spend that night trying to study for two things that demand quite a bit of memorization. Here is a Quizlet that may prove helpful in their preparation.  

Science: In science, students will look at how meteorology study the weather and make predictions. They will also learn that weather and climate are two different things. They have a science test planned for Friday. They will start completing the science study guide starting Monday. The study guide they will be expected to complete is located in their science notebooks on pages 140-142. Here is a Quizlet to help students prepare for the meteorology test. There is also a quiz on Tuesday. Here are the study questions for that quiz.
Descrption:

• 1. ____________________ measures atmospheric pressure. 
• 2. ____________________ move in a consistent direction over time. 
• 3. ___________________________ is caused by global winds curving from the Earth’s rotation. 
• 4. All weather happens in the _____________________. 
• 5. A _____________________ is created when two air masses of different temperatures and humidity meet. 
• 6. ________________ are big storms that form over the ocean. 
• 7. _______________________ are the scientists who read, study and analyze the weather report.

Spalding: After taking two weeks off due to the history presentations during week five and the short week this week, students will once again resume the regular Spalding regiment. Students should write from dictation or copy from their books (parent discretion) the day's words twice with rules and marking on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. They should write all of the words once with spaces, no rules or markings, on Thursday in preparation for Friday's Spalding test.


If there is anything else I can do to support you as you support your child at home, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. Thank you again for all you do.


Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren