Mrs. Wheatley's Class

Monday, February 8, 2016

February 8-12th

This week in reading we are discussing how to explain events and procedures based on non-fiction texts. We will explain the rock cycle, how fossils are formed, and more. We will be starting our last Opinion Writing Homework Essay. This week it will answer the following question: Should computers grade student's essays? This time, students still need to do a web, rough draft, type it, and put it in My Access, but I will NOT be providing them a rough draft form. I want to see if students can remember how to format and organize their paper on their own, without me telling them what to write where. This will be more similar to what it will be like when they take their final writing test next month. This essay will need to be turned in by this Friday. Students also need to complete their Reading Log for this week as well and turn it in on Monday.

This week in writing we are continuing to work on our Author Report. We will be working on our rough draft this week in class, so if students have not finished all of their research, they should be doing this at home now. We will try to finish our rough draft in class this week.

This week in math we are finishing our Mixed Numbers Unit. We will review adding and subtracting mixed numbers and then will learn how to use a line plot. We will learn how to add mixed numbers using a line plot and what a line plot represents. We will be taking our test on this unit on Friday, so you should be expecting student's to bring home their pre-test as a study guide on Thursday.

This week in social studies we will be learning about the first people to come to Utah. We will talk about the explorers and mountain men who came here first. We will also be reviewing timelines of events that happened in Utah up through the explorers coming.

Many students still have missing assignments. Please make sure these get turned in ASAP. All missing assignments are due by February 19th. Also, we will be having our Valentines Party on Friday. Please have your student bring a Valentines' Box to exchange Valentines. We have 24 students in our class right now. If you student cannot bring a box, I can help them make something to keep their Valentines in.

Finally, don't forget to sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences this week! If you still have not signed up, please contact the office or me and we can set up a time for you. Conferences are on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. If neither of the days or any of the times available do not work for you, then please let me know and we can set up another time to meet. Also, with Conferences being next week, don't forget that it will be early-out release on Tuesday and Wednesday so students will come home at 1:15 and 2:30 like they do on Mondays.

This Week's Homework

Monday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Grading Essay
Math

P244 Extra Practice (back of last Thursday's homework)

Tuesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Grading Essay
Math

P145 Lesson 7.7

Wednesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Grading Essay

Math

P147 Lesson 7.8

Thursday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Grading Essay

Math

P149 Lesson 7.9

Friday: Reading

Read 20 Mins -Reading Log

Monday, February 1, 2016

Chores Essay Article

Using the article on this page, you need to write a 5 paragraph essay persuading me to believe your opinion on the article’s question. You need to start by answering the question the article asks. Come up with 3 reasons for why you think this way. Make sure that you use an example from the article to back up each of your reasons. Make a graphic organizer, like a web, on the bottom of this page as your pre-write to help you before you write your paper. You must turn in your pre-write, your rough draft which must be edited and revised, and you must type your essay into the computer on Google Drive. You also must submit your essay on My Access. We will have the Chromebooks in class on Fridays for you to type. This essay is due on Friday. We are trying to prepare you to be able to write an essay in 1 or 2 days for our test coming up. This homework will take the place of your spelling homework each week.

Should kids be rewarded for doing chores?

Many kids help out around the house with chores such as emptying the dishwasher, putting laundry away, and taking out the trash. In exchange, some kids get allowances or other rewards such as extra computer time.

But some people do not think that kids should get rewards for doing chores. Susie Walton, a parenting educator and family coach, believes that by rewarding kids, parents are sending a message that work isn’t worth doing unless you get something in return. “Running any kind of household is a team effort,” Walton told TFK. “A home is a living space for everyone in the family. It’s important for kids to see that we all have responsibilities in the house, and that families decide together how they want their home to look, and how they are going to keep it looking like everyone wants it to look.”

Other people believe that getting a cash allowance or other reward motivates kids to do chores, and it also teaches them real world lessons about how we need to work to earn money. There are also now apps that give kids points and digital gifts that can be redeemed either online or in the real world. With the ChoreMonster app, kids earn digital points by completing chores that they can turn in for real life rewards such as extra Xbox time or a trip to the mall. “Our goal is to empower kids so they can earn rewards,” says Chris Bergman, founder of ChoreMonster. “Kids need positive reinforcement to help motivate them.”

What do you think? Should kids be rewarded for doing chores? Or should kids help out around their homes without getting something in return?

February 1-5th

This week in reading we will be comparing and contrasting themes in stories. We will be reading some fairy tales and comparing the themes in them. We will also be reading some cultural stories and doing the same thing with them. Our next essay will be on the following question: should kids be rewarded for doing chores? This will be due on Friday just like the essay from last week. Students will need to do their pre-write which they should be doing in class on Monday, write their pink rough draft (which will be twice the size this time to encourage students to add more detail to their essays), edit and revise the rough draft, share their typed Google Doc with me, and put into My Access - edited and revised. We will again have the Chromebooks on Friday to type in class. A reading log should again be done this week and turned in on Monday.

This week in writing we will be starting our Author Report. This project will take quite a few weeks. Students will be picking an author to research and learn more information on. This week we are focusing on picking our author and doing our research. Students will be given a pre-write to organize all of their research on in class. The research should all be done by this Friday so we can start our rough drafts. Also, I will try to give students some extra time this week to finish their Garbage Essay from last week, but if they do not have this almost done, they really should be finishing this at home now. They were only typing, revising and editing, sharing it with me, and then putting it in My Access.

This week in math we will be starting our Mixed Numbers Unit. We will review how to changed mixed numbers to improper fractions, improper fractions to mixed numbers, and learning how to add and subtract mixed numbers. Target Time this wee will be reviewing equivalent fractions.

This week in social studies we will be beginning to learn about the important events in Utah's history. We will look at an overview of these events, and then we will focus on learning about the main Native American groups who first lived in Utah.

Lastly, Parent Teacher Conferences are next week. Please go online to schedule an appointment with me. If none of the times work for you, please let me know and we can work something else out!

This Week's Homework

Monday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Chores Essay
Math

P233 Lesson 12.7

Tuesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Chores Essay
Math

P241 Lesson 12.11

Wednesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Chores Essay

Math

P239 Lesson 12.10

Thursday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Chores Essay

Math

P243 Extra Practice *Don't do the 12.5 section

Friday: Reading

Read 20 Mins -Reading Log

Monday, January 25, 2016

Sports Essay Article

Should women compete against men in sports?

This past October, American skiing champion Lindsey Vonn requested permission from the International Ski Federation to compete against men in a downhill competition called the World Cup.

Vonn, who dominates women’s downhill skiing, felt it was time for a new challenge. In 2010, she won the Olympic gold medal in downhill skiing. She has also earned 26 World Cup downhill victories. Nine of the World Cup wins took place in Lake Louise, Canada, which fans call “Lake Lindsey.”

Vonn is not the only female athlete with the desire to compete against men. Annika Sorenstam played golf against men at the P.G.A. tournament in 2003. Danica Patrick raced to a third-place finish at the Indianapolis 500 in 2009. In 1973, tennis champ Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in a nationally televised match.

Women athletes have come a long way since Title IX, a law that ensures equal funding for male and female sports in schools. Still, sports competitions in which men and women go head-to-head are few and far between. Why is this so? Some argue that even though the skills and strength of female athletes has increased tremendously over the years, men still have a size and strength advantage.

Other critics say that female athletes should focus on women’s sports. They should stop comparing themselves to male athletes. Instead, they should work to promote women’s sports as exciting, competitive events in themselves.

The International Ski Federation rejected Vonn’s request. Its decision was not based on Vonn’s abilities. The Federation simply refused to change the rules. “It’s called the Men’s World Cup and the Ladies’ World Cup,” says Sarah Lewis of the International Ski Federation. “The men race the men’s World Cup and the ladies race the ladies’ World Cup.”

Vonn says she will not give up. “There’s still next year,” she said. “I’m going to keep working hard to make my dream a reality.”

What do you think? Should women be allowed to compete against men in sports?

January 25-29th

This week in reading we will be reviewing science concepts through texts. We will mostly review rocks and minerals as well as learning some poems to help us remember the water cycle, rock cycle, and the weather. Our 2nd homework essay will start this week. It will be answering the question, should women compete against men in sports? Students will receive the article and a pink rough draft on Monday. This article will be due this Friday. We will read the article in class on Monday and students will be given time to do their pre-write in class as well. Then on Friday we will have the Chromebooks to finish typing and put our essays in My Access. This will be the same process we followed last week. My advise for students to easily complete this essay in one week is to do the 1st side of their rough draft on Monday night, the second side on Tuesday night, edit and revise on Wednesday night, start typing at home on Thursday night, and finish typing and put in My Access on Friday in class.

This week in writing we are going to be doing our last in class opinion essay. We will read an article on the Study of Garbage. Then students will make their web, and type their rough draft. They will edit and revise after they have typed, and then put it in My Access. This is going to be their best practice for the Sage test. It will show them how to write an essay on the computer and edit and revise while it is already typed. Since students will not be handwriting this essay, this should easily be finished in class this week. This essay will be graded as well.

This week in math we will be finishing our measurement unit. We will learn how to convert units of Customary and Metric capacity. We will do word problems, money problems, as well as review. Our test for this unit will be on Friday so students should be bringing home their pre-test to study on Thursday. One problem that I am seeing while we do these conversions, is that students are forgetting how to multiply and divide. We learned those concepts at the beginning of the year. If you can please review these concepts with your student, it will help them in class. We will review these in class as often as we can as well.

This week in social studies we will finish presenting our Genealogy Projects. We will be displaying our maps in the hall so we can see where everyone comes from. Then we will be learning about preserving history and learning about the ancient Native americans who lived here in Utah.

Lastly, we will be finishing our Sage Interim tests this week. Again, these are pre-tests that help us know how students are doing so far this year and what we need to go over more before the end of the year Sage Tests. We took our Math test on Friday, and will take our Reading test this Tuesday as well as the Writing test this Wednesday.

This Week's Homework

Monday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Sports Essay
Math

P223 Lesson 12.2

Tuesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Sports Essay
Math

P231 Lesson 12.6

Wednesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Sports Essay

Math

P225 Lesson 12.3

Thursday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Sports Essay

Math

P227 Lesson 12.4

Friday: Reading

Read 20 Mins -Reading Log

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

January 19-22nd

This week in reading we are going to continue reviewing concepts we have learned so far this year. We will focus on reading Fiction passages and understanding them. We will also try to finish our DRA tests this week. So far, everyone is doing wonderfully on these and I'm so proud of them! This Friday, our first essay, Field Trips, is due. We will have Chromebooks in class again and I will show students how to put their typed essay from Google Docs into My Access. Remember, students need to turn in their pre-write/article, edited and revised rough draft, share their Google Doc with me, copy and past the typed essay into My Access, and edit and resubmit it in My Access. Each step is worth 50 points, 200 points all together. As long as they have their essay typed by Friday, we can easily get the My Access side of it done during class time.

This week in writing we are finishing our Junk Food essay. These will be due own Wednesday, January 20th. Students need to type, share with me, and put their essay into My Access. We will have the majority of class writing time to finish these up. Then we will be starting another essay about Genetic Traits. We will be doing this together and focusing on adding more detail to our paper. We will try to make our rough drafts twice as long as they have been.

This week in math we will begin learning about the customary and metric systems. We will learn how to measure and convert length and weight in the customary and metric systems.

This week in social studies we will learn about what happened when Europeans came into to Utah. We will talk about what it was like for the Native Americans who were here and will watch videos on each of the tribes who were here. We will also begin presenting our Genealogy Projects. My class's projects are due this Friday. Mrs. Ditto's class's projects are due next Monday and we will begin presenting their's then.

Lastly, this week we will be taking the Sage interim tests. These tests are just practice for students and they show us what students already know and what they need more instruction on before the end of the year Sage tests. My class will be taking the Math, Reading, and Writing tests. These will provide great data to help me know what your student needs. Please make sure that your student is in class and on time on this week!

This Week's Homework

Tuesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Field Trip Essay
Math

P235 Lesson 12.8

Social Studies

Genealogy Project

Wednesday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Field Trip Essay

Math

P237 Lesson 12.9

Social Studies

Genealogy Project

Thursday: Reading

Read 20 Mins - Reading Log

Field Trip Essay

Math

P221 Lesson 12.1
Social Studies
Genealogy Project

Friday: Reading

Read 20 Mins -Reading Log

Social Studies

Genealogy Project

Monday, January 11, 2016

Field Trip Article

Using the article on this page, you need to write a 5 paragraph essay persuading me to believe your opinion on the article’s question. You need to start by answering the question the article asks. Come up with 3 reasons for why you think this way. Make sure that you use an example from the article to back up each of your reasons. Make a graphic organizer, like a web, on the bottom of this page as your pre-write to help you before you write your paper. You must turn in your pre-write, your rough draft which must be edited and revised, and you must type your essay into the computer on Google Drive. You also must submit your essay on My Access. We will have the Chromebooks in class on Fridays for you to type. You have until a week from Friday to complete the first essay, which is 2 weeks. The rest of the essays you will only have 1 week to complete. We are trying to prepare you to be able to write an essay in 1 or 2 days for our test coming up. This homework will take the place of your spelling homework each week.

Should all field trips be educational?

Let’s say you could choose your class’s next field trip destination. Would you choose a shopping mall or an art museum? Would you prefer an amusement park or a play?

More teachers are choosing to reward students with field trips to places they think kids enjoy, like the mall or the movies. That means educational field trips to museums and theaters are declining. Jay P. Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, blames this trend on the pressures of standardized testing. He says teachers want to reward their students for hard work.

The decline in what Greene calls “culturally-enriching field trips” will hurt disadvantaged kids the most. If schools don’t introduce them to museums and other cultural institutions, they are unlikely to experience them, according to Greene. “Just as we want our kids to be aware of good literature and good science, we want them to be aware of good art and good theater,” Greene told TFK. “Museums take kids out of their narrow worlds and introduce them to new people, places and ideas.”

Greene points out additional benefits of these “educational field trips.” He did a study of more than 10,000 students who toured an art museum in Arkansas. The study showed that students acquired critical-thinking skills even on this short field trip. “They became more observant,” Greene explained. “They learned to look closely at art, notice details, and think about what the details mean.”

A trip to an art museum is the kind of field trip JoAnne Winnick finds valuable. She teaches fifth grade at Clara Barton Elementary, in Anaheim, California. Winnick says field trips should be educational, to promote the sciences or the arts. In her school district, before funding was cut for field trips, fourth graders studied wetlands at nearby Newport Beach. Fifth graders studied chaparral, a dense growth of shrubs, in Modjeska Canyon.

On these outings, students did hands-on experiments. They hiked and observed nature close-up. Such activities allow students to deepen their understanding of science concepts they would otherwise learn only from books. “We have limited time to teach all the standards,” Winnick told TFK. “To take precious time for reward trips would be most unwise.”

Annica Lowek is a fifth grade teacher at KIPP Infinity Charter School, in New York City. She argues that even a fun field trip can be turned into an educational experience. “Anytime you leave the building, you’re giving kids a chance to practice what you’re teaching them in school,” she says. “That could be math or science, or it could be simply learning how to behave on the subway.” Lowek’s students have experienced all kinds of field trips. They’ve been on camping trips and to an arcade. Four times a year, they go to a theater in New York City, where they see plays, operas, musicals and puppet shows. “The kids think the shows are super fun,” Lowek told TFK. “But teachers know these are valuable learning experiences.”