Monday, September 24, 2012

9/24-9/28

Homework for this week:

Monday: Reading Log, Spelling Lesson 5, Classic Authors Research Project
Tuesday: RL, SP5, CARP
Wednesday: RL, SP5, CARP
Thursday: RL, SP5 due tomorrow & test, CARP
Friday: RL due Monday

Long term project: Classic Authors Research Project presentations begin Monday, October 22.

Unit 1 Test: Friday, October 5 (Scroll down to Monday, September 10 for instructions on how to prepare your child for the Unit 1 Test.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

9/17-9/21


My apologies for the wacky formatting. I am looking forward to my new iphone so the photographs of the homework board will do all the talking!

So nice to talk with you all at Back-to-School Night! It is definitely one of the high points of the year for me to get to meet you and discuss your child's spirit. This week we delve into our Classic Authors Research Project. I heard kids down by the office this morning talking about Ernest Hemingway: I love my job!

Another high point of the year for me is the Annual San Francisco Public Library Big Book Sale. I go every year and never fail to find amazing treasures. I will give extra credit to any student who goes to the sale with their family and reports back to me on what they find. A flyer went out to the kids today (Wednesday). Have fun!!!

Monday: RL (Reading Log)
               SP4 (Spelling Lesson 4)
               CARP (Classic Authors Research Project) research to be done in class & at home. The
               library is an excellent resource for your child: take them!

Tuesday: RL
               SP4
               CARP

Wednesday: RL
                SP4
                CARP
                Extra Credit opportunity: Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Write a pirate
                story and turn it in to Mrs. Minor tomorrow.

Thursday: RL
                 SP4 due tomorrow & test
                 CARP

Friday: RL due Monday

Monday, September 10, 2012

Welcome Back to School!!! 2012-2013


Hello Clifford Parents!

The year is off to a fine start and the students are focused on their learning. We are well into our first unit of study for the year.

          Unit One consists of:
  • Spelling Lessons 1-5
  • Greek & Latin Affixes & Bases: uni/mono, bi, tri, quad/quart, pent/quint, hex/sext, hept/sept, oct, nov, dec, hecto/cent, kilo/mill, poly/multi, medi, and hemi/semi.
  • Grammar focuses on Parts of Speech, Types of Sentences, Capitalization, Clauses, & Subjects & Predicates. Ask to see your child's "Unit Booklet".
  • "Zebra Workbook" pages to complete for this unit include: 1-8; 13-19; 21-24; 31-34; 37-40; 41-44; 45-54; 83-88; 145-148; and 175-188.
  • Literature focuses on "All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury, "Papa's Parrot" by Cynthia Rylant, from "An American Childhood" by Annie Dillard, and "My First Free Summer" by Julia Alvarez, among other textbook stories. Some skills developed: recognizing idioms, following technical directions, and studying characterization.
  • Writing focuses on 5-step Essay Format, writing a summary, using descriptive language, and recognizing narrative elements. Your child will learn to write a bibliography, use proper bibliographic form, and fine-tune a thesis statement.
  • Long-Term Project: Author Studies (begins Tuesday, September 11 and lasts until presentations begin on Monday, October 22). This is a group project and requires outside research. Please help your child plan a schedule of time devoted to research. Ask to see the Author Studies guidelines which were given out on Tuesday, Sept. 11.

Normally I take a photo of our Homework Board and post the photo. However, a few weeks ago a water bottle leaked in my purse and my iphone was damaged. : ( I am waiting for the upgrade to iphone 5, which is expected to be released later this month.

If you subscribe to this blog, you will be alerted whenever it is updated.

I look forward to working with you this year!

Gwen Minor

MONDAY 9/10
Reading Log
Spelling Lesson 3

TUESDAY
9/11
Reading Log
Spelling Lesson 3
"My Dream Room" essay due tomorrow, completed
Begin work on Classic Author Research Project (CARP) (due Mon. 10/22)

WEDNESDAY 9/12
Reading Log
Spelling Lesson 3
Work on Classic Author Research Project (CARP) (due Mon. 10/22)

THURSDAY 9/13
Reading Log
Work on Classic Author Research Project (CARP) (due Mon. 10/22)
Spelling Lesson 3 due tomorrow
Spelling test tomorrow

FRIDAY 10/8

Reading Log due Monday, completed
Lesson 3 Spelling Test today
Work on Classic Author Research Project (CARP) (due Mon. 10/22)