December 18

Cassidy, Boone, Mackenzie, and Sadie in The Phantom Tollbooth

Drama Unit
The drama unit has come to a close.  Congratulations to our students who in total, put on six different plays.   Students reflected that this unit was "interactive," "creative," "hands-on."  Students wrote that "I learned a lot about teamwork," "If I put my mind to it, I can learn something difficult," "We learned to solve problems together," "I learned confidence,"  "We really had to work as a group," and "These are skills we will need in life."   All in all, an excellent unit.

Thank-you to the families who were able to attend The Phantom Tollbooth for their student.  The Shakespeare videos are as follows:

Bethmac (Macbeth)
Hamlet
The Tempest (1)
The Tempest (2)
Much Ado About Nothing (to come!)

Quest Feast
The Quest Feast is this Wednesday from 11 - 1.  We look forward to seeing many of you at this time.  If you have not RSVPed yet, it's not too late!  Please email Diane LaRock (dlarock@wwsu.org) with what you are able to bring, and how many people are coming.

IS
We are 3 weeks into our first Social Studies unit and students are learning about some of the first people in North America.  Half of our students are studying Native American history, while the other half is studying African American history (these groups will rotate after break).  As we learn about these groups of people, students are making connections between primary documents, current news stories, and human rights.

Math
We are in the final part of our fraction unit, which has covered all of the operations with fractions.  Students are currently building an understanding of what it means to divide with fractions.  They are looking for patterns as they problem solve and discovering efficient strategies.  We will conclude this unit the first week of January.

LA
There is no POW for this week.  There are two Quizlet units to study for Wednesday, week 10 and 11.  When we return from break, all students will be reading the following books:
Blood on the River: Jamestown, 1607 by Eliza Carbone
Day of Tears by Julius Lester
For extension, students will also have available:
Pocahontas by Joseph Bruchac

The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano  (Autobiography)

We have started Olaudah Equiano's autobiography in IS, and as a class, we are fascinated.  We may use this as a read aloud.

Parent Teacher Communication:  Do you know how your child is doing?
Curtis and I are using both Schoology and Powerschool to communicate how your child is doing in our classes.  There is a previous blog post which explains the purpose of these two tools in detail.  For the most part, you should check Powerschool to see your child's work.  If you don't see any grades, you need to click on the -- for each subject.  Then, you will be met with many grades, comments on work, and missing assignments (for some :)