Middle School Parent Night!!

 

“What Really Happens

at Middle School?”

 

In-coming 6^th Grade

Parent Night

 

 

 

 

Please join the Hill administrative team for a parent night to discuss your child’s success next year.

 

When: Tuesday April 30^th 7:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.

 

Where: Hill Middle School, Commons

 

What to bring: Questions about middle school

 

Any questions about the meeting, please contact Michelle Stoehrmann, 630-428-6200

 

America, Moving Forward, Animations, and Small Life: Update 4/22-5/31...WHAT?

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

The theme "moving forward" will be relevant across reading, writing, social studies, and science.

Reading: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Comprehension strategies to use before, during and after reading.

* The theme of "moving forward" through various texts and their own writing.

* How a theme like "moving forward" is described and displayed across history.

* Strategies for understanding meaning of unknown words.

* Themes and ideas across non-fiction texts.

Current Events: What will the kids learn or discover/discuss?

* Potential increasing tension between North Korea, the U.S, and South Korea.
* The Boston Marathon bombing Invesitgation.

* Chicago Bulls in the playoffs
* Any other pertinent local, national, and international news stories.



Science: What will the kids learn or discover?

* The different constellations in the sky and what stars they contain.
* The role and function of the microscope.

Social Studies: What will the kids learn or discover?

* America "moving forward" in history and growing up as a nation.
* The Westward expansion of America and its impact on Native Americans.
* The Civil War



Writing: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Recurring themes in the texts they read and their relation to real life.

* Research and blogging skills (note taking, reading informational text, paragraphing, and structuring)

* Defending positions with rationale and drawing conclusions, making recommenndations, and creating legislation based on information.

* Kids will be researching a person who accomplished a "first" in the world and creating a presentation based off the research.

* Kids will be drafting their own "moving forward" stories and instead of writing them, they will be animating them using Microsoft PowerPoint in a digital like flipbook form.

Technology: What will the kids learn or discover?

* All the children are going to learn animating and PowerPoint manipulation skills from one another and myself. This will be done as they make their "moving forward" PowerPoint animations.


Citizenship: Next week we will focus on:

* We have to schedule our marble party. It's supposed to be on the hill. The kids want to picnic up there and play some relaxing sit down games. 

* Our 5V class has exceptional hallway walking and behavior. We will continue to make that a focus as our school's citizenship initiative.  

Digestion, Stars, Rose Blanche: Update 4/1-4/12

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/



We will read another moving story as part of our thematic study.

Reading: What will the kids learn or discover?

* The theme of "moving forward" via rich picture book and short story immersions. One of the stories we will read is called Rose Blanche. It's a story about a girl who has empathy for children of the Holocaust.

 

 

* Literary craft and writing through a close reading experience. A close reading experience is a very focused examination of a paragraph, page, or section of a story. We'll study author's craft and theme this way.

* The continued joy of reading for pleasure.

* Vocabulary as well as strategies for identifying meanings of words.

* Evidential learning in which positions, opinions, and ideas are supported through evidence from a text. This learning also includes taking the position and extending it. For example, making recommendations, writing legislation, and drawing conclusions based off the evidence.

Current Events: What will the kids learn or discover/discuss?

* The kids will attempt to be satircal by poking fun (light-hearted) at current event issues. They have been immersed in political cartoons and are starting to see the teasing and joke telling within them.

* We'll be studying local news, as well as national news, and news from around the world via our "People in the News", "Current Events", and Caption of the Day boards.




Science: What will the kids learn or discover?

* We are wrapping up our digestion unit. The kids are going to study the functions of the large intestine, liver, pancrease, rectum, and anus.
* As we finish studying digestion we are going to learn about what stars are, how they are formed, what nebulae are, and what is contained in a nebula and a star.  
* We will have quizzes through the week in each of the subject areas.

Social Studies: What will the kids learn or discover?

* The kids will study how our country's first attempt at self-government was difficult.
* We'll study the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of America.
* Within this we will study the branches of government, law-making, and the checks and balances system.



Writing: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Students will hone their argument writing skills.

* The kids are going to become more proficient at supporting their arguments with researched evidence and support from professionals.

 

* We will continue to write poetry through our units in science, social studies, and reading.

* In math class we will be reflecting on our learning as well as the content we study.  

Technology: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Soon, we are beginning an animation project that is connected to theme of "moving forward" that we are studying in class.

* The kids will learn all sorts of manipulation and problem solving tasks via MS PowerPoint.



Citizenship: Next week we will focus on:

* We are delayed on having our marble party. We must schedule that soon.
* I'd like to do some stuff with random acts of kindness.

Themes, Digestion, Battles, Defense: Update Week of 3/11-3/22

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

Reading: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Comprehension strategies to use before, during and after reading.

* Various themes of writing across fiction and non-fiction texts.

 

 

 

* How a theme like courage is described and displayed across history.

 

 

* Noticing the craftwork of authors through close readings of literary work.

* Strategies for understanding meaning of unknown words.

* Analysis of character and traits of characters through read alouds.

Current Events: What will the kids learn or discover/discuss?

* Potential increasing tension between North Korea, the U.S, and South Korea.
* The debate over minimum wage.

* Budgets (what that is and how it relates to our classroom revenue) and budget cuts.
* Any other pertinent local, national, and international news stories. 



Science: What will the kids learn or discover?

* What digestion is.
* The role our teeth and esophagus play in the digestion process.
* The body parts that help digest food.

Social Studies: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Details about specific battles of the American Revolution.
* Themes involved history.
* How a nation is born.



Writing: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Recurring themes in the texts they read and their relation to real life.

* Research and blogging skills (note taking, reading informational text, paragraphing, and structuring)

* The theme of courage and how it relates to the Patriots and the Loyalists in the time of the American Revolution.

* Defending positions with rationale and drawing conclusions, making recommenndations, and creating legislation based on information.



Technology: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Research skills via internet browsing.


Citizenship: Next week we will focus on:

* The entire 5th grade is meeting with Mr. LeCrone to talk about some issues that have recently taking place on the playgroung including unsafe play, horseplay, and following directions.

Courage, the Revolution, and Young Authors: Update 2/11-2/28

George Washington crossing the Delaware River.

 

 

Math: Please refer to the 5V Math Class blog with the link provided below. For easy access, the link is also located on the left hand column in the links for learning section. Or... http://5vmath.blogspot.com/

Reading: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Comprehension strategies to use during and after reading.

* The theme of courage in texts they read and in their own personal lives.

* Strategies for determining meanings of words. (Context clues) They're performing context skits.

* Literary devices such as symbolism and mood that are related to the them of courage.

 

* Conflict in their stories: They'll ask themselves what kind of conflict.

* Characterization through our read aloud. We'll meet more individuals and characterize them.

Current Events: What will the kids learn or discover/discuss?

* The Northeast Storm
* President Obama's State of the Union Address (Tuesday Night)

* Any other pertinent local, national, and international news stories.




 Science: What will the kids learn or discover?

* The differences between static and current electricity.
* How electricity flows differently in different paths in a series circuit vs. a parallel circuit.



Social Studies: What will the kids learn or discover?

* How a democracy works.
* Causes of the American Revolution
* Conflict and tension between the colonists and King George III



Writing: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Recurring themes in the texts they read and their relation to real life.

* Research and blogging skills (note taking, reading informational text, paragraphing, and structuring)

* Writer craft skills like (foreshadowing, symbolism, mood, dialogue, etc.) that they will incorporate into their own Young Author stories.  

 

* The theme of courage and how to write short stories, personal narratives, and poetry based on the theme of courage. Students will use their own personal lives as background knowledge to help them write.

 

* Writing argumentative essays that argue and possibly persuade an audience. (We use the PETPC strategy) A lot will be done in social studies.



Technology: What will the kids learn or discover?

* Shortcuts on internet explorer and Microsoft Word.
* Research skills that promote finding what you want to find.


Citizenship: Next week we will focus on:

* Discussions on bullying. 
* Being tactful when confronting a problem.
* Plans for our next 5V Marble Party.  
* Reflecting on our grades and writing more detailed/specific plans for improvement.

5th Grade Concert

Please come see the 5th graders perform a variety of song and music at the annual 5th grade Winter Concert!

When: Tuesday, February 5th, 2013

Where: May Watts Gymnasium

Please refer to the letter from Mrs. Donaldson that was emailed, and remember to have your child report to the 5V classroom at 6:45pm Tuesday evening while you take your seat in the gymnasium.

Science Fair is Coming

Greetings 5V Families! The Science Fair is approaching. Next week I will offer some after school time for the kids who are participating to stay after and do any work that they need to do for the Fair in the classroom. More details on that date to come later.

As for the Science Fair Details:

Where: May Watts Elementary School

When: Thursday, February 7th, 6:30-830pm.