Dear Parents,

We have two weeks until Winter Break and so much to complete!  Please remember that due to assemblies and various other interruptions throughout the week, sometimes we will not be able to achieve all of the tasks we set out to do every week.     A BIG reminder!!!  We are terribly low on Kleenex, paper towel, and hand sanitizer.  All contributions are greatly appreciated.  Thank you.

<strong>Reading</strong><strong>: </strong>This week during Reader’s Workshop, students will be responsible for completing their letters to me about the book they are reading in their Reader’s journal.  Students should be reading books to accomplish their AR goal for the quarter.  We will review the rubric for Extended-Responses this week and students will work on one in class.  This is in preparation for ISAT testing this Spring.

<strong>Writing: </strong>Students will be responsible for completing their Secret Place Expository essays this week.  We will discuss how to write transitional words to link paragraphs, and how to write a strong closing paragraph in class.  Students should refer to Rubric to help guide their writing.  We will continue working on our writing project:   “Make A Menu”.  <strong>Homework this week: </strong>Work on completing final Rough Drafts at home throughout the week, write six food descriptions for items you will include in your group menu, and complete any other group assignments for Menu groups throughout the week.

<strong>Math: </strong><strong>Students will study congruent triangles, angles of polygons, and construct regular tessellations in class.  Students will be introduced to the student-friendly extended response rubric for ISAT.  There will be a brief quiz on Friday, and students will be assigned an extended response as homework for the weekend. </strong><strong>Homework:</strong><strong> </strong>Study Links 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9

<strong>Science: </strong>Students will test their Water Clocks this week.  Students will be given back their papers for one final review on Monday.  All students must turn in completed Science Fair projects with Research paper by Wednesday December 9.  Students will present their Science Fair projects on Thursday in front a panel of judges.  Students should have notecards handy for presentation that outlines the experiment, the variables, and the results and conclusion.

<strong>Social Studies: </strong><strong>This week we will read about the Spanish Conquest of Mexico.  As a class we will read the book <span style="text-decoration: underline">Pedro’s Journal</span>.  Students will write their own fictional journal entries and add one illustration to their entries.  These will be bound together and made into a classroom book.</strong>

<strong>Spelling: </strong><strong>Students should study spelling words for the week.  Our test will be Thursday.</strong>