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Important Dates

HOMEWORK

LANGUAGE ARTS

The focus of instruction in Language Arts will be comprehension, word knowledge, fluency, and writing, based on the Chicago Reading Initiative.
The students will be studying fiction and nonfiction reading selections such as short stories, poetry, biographies, dramas and novels. The students will write narrative, expository,and persuasive compositions.
All students will do daily writing in their journals.
The students will have an opportunuity to write responses to weekly questions posed on our "Class Lingo blog."
The students will be required to do at least one research project per quarter. This research is in addition to the research that they will have to do in order to answer the " Question of the Week." This research will be integrated into the other subject areas.
Please be aware that students are expected to read a minimum of 25 books this school year.

SOCIAL STUDIES

The students will review pre and post Civil War events in U. S. history from the 7th grade curriculum including the Constitution. We will also be studying geography and United States History after the Reconstruction (1877) to the present. The topics we will cover include economic development, the Irish Famine, the Populist movement, the Progressive Era, Civics and Patriotism, the Holocaust, World War I and World War II, African-American History, and the Study of the History of Women.

SCIENCE

The students will continue learning the concepts, principles, and processes of scientific inquiry( the scientific method) by designing and conducting experiments..
This year the students will be studying more about life, physical, and earth/space science. Some of the topics we will cover are the structure, functions, interactions and adaptations of organisms (living things),the Periodic Table of elements, chemical and physical characteristics of atoms, the Earth's interior and the Solar System.
The students will be expected to know and apply the accepted practices of science and the concepts that describe the interaction between science, technology and society.
Information about the Science Fair will be posted later.

MATH

The class will work on identifying and understanding grade level math terms such as operation, factor, minuend, subtrahend, power, base, exponent, and coefficient.
The students will be solving word problems, and studying areas such as whole numbers, prime numbers, ratios, proportions, equations, percents, integers, rational numbers, algebra, geometric and number patterns, similar figures, scale models, collecting, organizing, reading, representing,, predicting, and interpreting data, using graphs, numerical and algebraic expressions. The students will also work with linear, area, and volume measurement as well as with probability.

OTHER

I am aware that sometimes a student will be sick or unable to come to school for some reason. Often times a child will be absent, and a parent will ask me to send work home.
I have no problem with sending work home, but be aware that there is no way I can duplicate the lectures, discussions, and group work that occur during a normal school day.
Unless there is a real emergency please send your child to school. Remember, that you can check this site for most for homework assignments.

Parents