Last week, all grades and classes presented the first theme book activity. It was a great learning experience. Students taught their peers about dogs, sports, horses, we learned a pirate game, how to draw a variety of new things, were treated to a modeling show, learned about Hannukah and sang "We Shall Overcome". The list goes on. What a talented group of students. Everyone who presented managed to overcome their stage fright and put on a wonderful show. We have a few more to see this week and I am really looking forward to them.
This week 5th graders will be enjoying a visit and workshop from the Burning Coal Theater out of Raleigh! (6th graders are next week!) Shakespeare in the Modular will take place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and it promises to be a terrific treat for all involved!I will supplement Burning Coal with some in-class activities.
6th grade will learn about argument, persuasion and propaganda. We will examine old War posters, modern advertising directed at teenagers, we will write persuasively and create our own posters and perhaps, have a debate. These activities will take us into the Christmas break.
One note about Theme book #2, title due Monday Dec. 7th, we will not be able to have a feast on the 8th of January. Regulations preclude bringing any food product into a classroom but store-made food, so we will have to forego that activity. Book II, non-fiction, will not have an activity associated with it. Just the book report.
This week is Spirit Week
Tuesday: Sports Day
Wednesday: Twin Day
Thursday: School Spirit Day
Should be an exciting couple of weeks!
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
This week we will begin the school-wide examination of the book "Talking Walls" by Margy Burns Knight. All classes and all grades will read the book this week. Be sure and ask your student about it. The book reviews walls in different countries and the different meanings of those walls for each culture. The walls are as various as the The Great Wall of China, The Vietnam Memorial Wall, The Wailing Wall and the Lauscaux caves drawings in France.
In my classes, we will work in pairs to research one of the walls. (I will assign pairs and walls.)Each group will be given a country and a wall. They will then find proverbs, flags, languages, and fables from their country. Then we'll present all the information to each other, along with the wall story from the book. We'll also make our own "wall" in the classroom.
We will also review comprehension skills, have a spelling/vocabulary test and continue in class reading and writing.
Should be a good week.
E-mail me at: lberner@neusecharterschool.org
In my classes, we will work in pairs to research one of the walls. (I will assign pairs and walls.)Each group will be given a country and a wall. They will then find proverbs, flags, languages, and fables from their country. Then we'll present all the information to each other, along with the wall story from the book. We'll also make our own "wall" in the classroom.
We will also review comprehension skills, have a spelling/vocabulary test and continue in class reading and writing.
Should be a good week.
E-mail me at: lberner@neusecharterschool.org
Monday, November 2, 2009
Hello everyone!
I hope you all enjoyed a terrific Halloween and Fall Festival. I know I enjoyed seeing all the ghosts, goblins and princesses. On October 22, 6th graders enjoyed an afternoon in the sun, playing games and socializing with other Middle school students. It was a delightful reward for a great first semester. On Oct. 30, 4th and 5th graders also celebrated the end of the semester. They enjoyed parties during class-time, complete with the Monster Mash, the Time Warp and a little Michael Jackson thrown in for good measure. And plenty of treats! A good time was had by all.
For the next week or so, 5B and 6A will be working on the 5 elements of a short story. They will write a scary short story, have a test on their notes and participate in literature circles, delving into some of the finest short stories written. The students will present their findings with their groups to class.
5A will be comparing and contrasting two short books, "Pink and Say" and "Faithful Elephants", that explore how war effects innocent bystanders. This is a continuation of our readings from the textbook based on the theme" why do people risk their own safety for others?" We will work in small groups to create a summary ABC book.
Should be a fun week!
I hope you all enjoyed a terrific Halloween and Fall Festival. I know I enjoyed seeing all the ghosts, goblins and princesses. On October 22, 6th graders enjoyed an afternoon in the sun, playing games and socializing with other Middle school students. It was a delightful reward for a great first semester. On Oct. 30, 4th and 5th graders also celebrated the end of the semester. They enjoyed parties during class-time, complete with the Monster Mash, the Time Warp and a little Michael Jackson thrown in for good measure. And plenty of treats! A good time was had by all.
For the next week or so, 5B and 6A will be working on the 5 elements of a short story. They will write a scary short story, have a test on their notes and participate in literature circles, delving into some of the finest short stories written. The students will present their findings with their groups to class.
5A will be comparing and contrasting two short books, "Pink and Say" and "Faithful Elephants", that explore how war effects innocent bystanders. This is a continuation of our readings from the textbook based on the theme" why do people risk their own safety for others?" We will work in small groups to create a summary ABC book.
Should be a fun week!
Friday, October 23, 2009
It is difficult to believe that the end of the first quarter is upon us! Time flies when you're working hard. On Thursday, 6th grade enjoyed an end of the quarter field day. Both 5th grade classes will be having a little respite from their toil this Friday, as we will spend a period enjoying treats, crafts and, weather permitting, a bit of time outside. Parents are encouraged to send treats to share with the class on Friday morning. Students have earned a break.
Reports cards will be issued on October 28. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. E-mail at :
lberner@neusecharterschool.org.
I am at school everyday by 7:30 a.m daily and we can meet after school too. Let me know what works best.
Next week 6a and 5b will finish up our Edgar Allan Poe unit. It has been a great deal of fun. We rae writing scary stories and poetry dedicated to the master of macabre. We have expanded our vocabulary, too.
5a has been working on a story from the Reading Street book titled' "Inside Out", about an immigrant that gets bullied at school. We have enjoyed spirited discussions about what motivates bullies and the difficulty of starting out in a new place. Students created an acrostic poem to summarize the story. We will finish up this week.
Remember Fall Festival on Friday, Oct. 30.
I hope you all enjoy the 4 day day weekend!
Reports cards will be issued on October 28. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. E-mail at :
lberner@neusecharterschool.org.
I am at school everyday by 7:30 a.m daily and we can meet after school too. Let me know what works best.
Next week 6a and 5b will finish up our Edgar Allan Poe unit. It has been a great deal of fun. We rae writing scary stories and poetry dedicated to the master of macabre. We have expanded our vocabulary, too.
5a has been working on a story from the Reading Street book titled' "Inside Out", about an immigrant that gets bullied at school. We have enjoyed spirited discussions about what motivates bullies and the difficulty of starting out in a new place. Students created an acrostic poem to summarize the story. We will finish up this week.
Remember Fall Festival on Friday, Oct. 30.
I hope you all enjoy the 4 day day weekend!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Week of Sept. 8-11
5th grade: We will continue reading in Reading Street. This week our focus question is : "How does the earth challenge us?" We will read and write tall tales. Review subject/predicate agreement and cause and effect. We will have a quiz, a spelling test and writing assessments on tap for you this week.
Spelling Words for 5A:
1. vital
2. native
3. aroma
4. legal
5. motive
6. basic
7. labor
8. society
9. climate
10. favorite
Spelling Words 5B:
1. favorite
2. society
3. motive
4. notation
5. idealistic
6. aroma
7. native
8. equation
9. devastation
10. thieving
6th grade: We will learn how to study reading through Shared Inquiry with the Junior Great Books. We will listen to a story on tape, then read aloud the same story. We will review homonyms, tone and mood in writing. We will write fairytales in pairs. We will delve into vocabulary in class, though no spelling test this week! We will learn editing marks.
All-in-all, an exciting week ahead! Come to school rested!
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