Week of Feb. 7th

We finally begin Black History Month! No vocab/spelling test/words this week, but much new vocabulary will be introduced.
Black History Month Syllabus Week 1 5th and 6th grade

Monday, Feb. 7
Assigned to group you will work with and sit with, review syllabus
Begin 1st part of a 4-part timeline. You will generate one timeline, with 4 parts per group (graded activity)(25 points)
Assigned a proverb, read and discuss, in round–robin fashion what you think your saying means. Begin to think about a visual representation of your proverb.

Tuesday, Feb 8
Prompt: write a short explanation of your proverb/saying.
Media Center
Return to group, lesson about proverbs, and group discussion of some of the sayings.
Create and design a construction-paper collage of proverb. No markers, no pencil, no crayon!!!!! (graded activity)(100 points)

Wednesday, Feb. 9
Prompt: Revisit your explanation of your proverb. Write it again, with corrections, neatly and with good vocabulary. This will be assessed (graded activity) (100 points)
Complete your collage and explanation

Thursday, Feb. 10
Prompt: Handout
Lesson: Timeline part II (graded activity) (25 points)
Short Story: Clara and the Freedom Quilt short story (5th) or The Patchwork Path: A Quilt Map to Freedom (6th)

Friday, Feb. 11
Prompt: In your group, begin writing a story about a runaway slave. First, decide on a character; name, age, family, story, appearance, likes and dislikes. Second, each team member selects a quilt square to use as their part of the story. Third, create a word bank of words that you think will come on handy for a story about a runaway slave. Lastly, begin writing your story. Each person will describe one aspect of your team’s person (divide it up) in the first paragraph, developing a richly detailed character sketch. Then the adventure begins! Create a conflict that is intolerable to your character, something h/she cannot live with and so must run away from the life of slavery! Use your quilt pieces to describe his/her journey north, be sure to add problems and excitement along the way to freedom. (graded activity, 200 pts.) Each member is responsible for a part of this activity and there will be a peer graded portion that will be worth 50 out of the 200 points.
Other news:
5A: We still need donations for the PTO ARTS theme basket. Remember, Neuse Charter relies on parental support!

5th grade Dance this Friday!!!!!
Dance Committee will reconvene this Wednesday and Thursday to finish planning! Dance: Friday in Mrs. Berner's room from 3:30-5:00. Parents are welcome to meet and mingle in the Media Center during the dance. I will send home more information on Monday.

Week of Jan. 31

This week, we'll finish small group Literature Circles in 5th grade and Milkweed in 6th grade. Next week we begin Black History Month. I will be sending home a list of needed supplies this week, be on the lookout for it! I will use African-American writers, musicians, famous figures and artists to teach curriculum goals for the next month. We will build time-lines, sew quilts, read and write poetry, listen and write music, learn about mood and tone in writing, talk about main idea and identity, debate, paint and create all manner of brilliant pieces this month. I can't wait!

The 5th grade dance committee is up and running. We look to be having quite an exciting party and I hope all 5th graders can come out to boogie.

5A: I still need donations for our arts theme basket!

Spelling/Vocabulary for this week:

6th grade
Words from Milkweed
complicated
identity
lounged
impressed
careened
confirmed
temptation
shriveled
reluctant
taunting
commotion
massive
reliable
repent
multitude
radiant
Hanukkah


Spelling/ Vocab 5A
Words Jan. 31
leathery
particular
maneuver
accustom
exception
confession
concerned
brimming
nuzzling
withhold
wailing
muck
fasting
chamber
jostled
solar


Spelling/Vocabulary
5B
Week of Jan. 31
apt
hastily
quickened
accustomed
leathery
exceptional
wailing
limitations
abominable
jostled
martyr
dowry
privy
muck
sulking
fasting

The third quarter starts this week and we have many wonderful and exciting things going on in Language Arts! We have completed the pre-EOG tests and I have tabulated the results. As expected, some students are well ahead of the curve and some are behind, but we all have room for improvement, so we will continue to work hard to achieve our goals. Keep in mind, if your student began 5th or 6th grade in a deficit with regards to the EOG (example: they passed on a waiver or because they couldn't be retained), they will need to work twice as hard this year. The tests get progressively more difficult year after year. I am obligated, by the rules of Neuse Charter Schools charter, to inform parents of students of the possibility of retention midyear. I will send those letters with report cards. Part of the reason I send them is based on EOG results, part is based on classroom achievement. I would like to meet with parents of students that receive a letter to formulate and plan for your students success.

Fifth grade students competed in an all 5th grade Spelling Bee recently. We crowned a champion from both 5A and 5B and they are, drum-roll, please, Danielle Raba and Lane Baggett. Congrats to them both! In a tense battle of spelling excellence, Lane and Danielle traded correct spelling for a solid 15 minutes, back and forth they spelled, until our grand-champion emerged: Danielle Raba! Congrats to all my wonderful spellers.

Fifth grade will be having an all 5th grade semi-formal dance on Friday, Feb. 11th from 3:30-5:00 (boys wear ties and dress shirts, girls wear dresses or ties and dress shirts:) Parents are encouraged to send in decorations, and treats. planning committee will meet after school from 2:45-3:15 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Mrs. Berner's room.

5A has selected The Arts as their theme for the PTO auction basket. Please send in anything related to any of the arts, dance, drama, movies, painting, sculpture, or music ASAP.
5th grade students led conferences will be held directly after the awards ceremony (10:00- on 11:00)Friday, Jan. 28. Students will explain to their parents what they have been doing in math, science, language arts and electives. This is a time for parents to learn from their students!

Literature Circles will commence for 5th grade this week. We will be reading and listening along to several different books: Tales of Despereaux, Tuck Everlasting, No More Dead Dogs, and Catherine Called Birdy. Students will need to bring their headphones.

6th grade began their unit on Milkweed Friday with a spirited discussion and brief history of World War II. The story follows a young orphaned boy during WW II who lives in the streets of Warsaw, Poland.

Dates to remember:
Jan. 24: 3rd theme book title due. autobiography/biography
Jan. 28: Report cards,letters of intent, possible retention letters go home
Jan. 28: Awards ceremony: 9:00-10:00
Jan. 28: Student led conferences:10:00-11:00
Feb. 11: 5th grade dance 3:30-5:00

Spelling/Vocabulary words this week all derive form the books students will be reading.
Remember: you get 1 point for spelling and 1 point a sentence with the word used correctly. All words will be used in a sentence.

5A
ordeal
disappointment
tragedy
despair
reflection
dungeon
indulge
elemental
plagued
grumbles
barren
conspire
betrothal
inflame
mercy
apprentice
stranded


5B

furlough
despair
ordeal
dungeon
indulgent
elemental
plagued
abbey
barren
conspire
bellow
inflammation
stranded
percolated
pounced
fluke
detention


6A

jackboots
pharmacist
writhing
rubble
surviving
foil
flurries
artillery
bombardment
curfew
burly
scrounged
mingled
ghetto
shalom
carcass

Week of Jan. 10

Hello everyone! Due to the fact that this is the last week of the grading period, classes will complete an Out of the Dust final test, we will also take our pre-EOG test, and with the uncertainty surrounding the weather, I have decided to forgo a vocab test this week. Sorry to disappoint you all:)
Important dates to remember:
Monday Jan. 10: Out of the Dust final test.
Tuesday, Jan. 11: Bookmobile
Wednesday, Jan. 12: Pre-EOG test
Jan. 14: End of 2nd quarter
Jan. 17: Martin Luther King holiday
Jan. 18: Snow makeup day: Regular Schedule
Jan. 21: Report Cards go home/ Awards Ceremony: grades 5-9 at 9 a.m.

All classes completed the book "Out of the Dust" last week. It was a terrific book and everyone really seemed to enjoy it, be sure to ask your student about his/her opinion.
5th grade will begin Lit Circle groups next week. Students will work in small groups, listening to a book on tape and then discussing and writing about it
6th grade will begin the book "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli. It follows a young orphan during World War II in Warsaw, Poland as he tries to survive alone in the city. It's another great book and I'm certain 6th graders will enjoy it thoroughly.

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a terrific holiday break and you are all rested and ready for the next year!
We have some exciting units coming up and, of course, the pre-EOG practice test. Doing reading homework from here on out is extremely important. Practice makes perfect and I have seen much improvement in comprehension and fluency in students that have been diligent with their homework. Please make sure your child is reading for 30 minutes (AT LEAST!!!) a day. After the break, we will finish up Out of the Dust, which was interrupted by the snow break. 6th grade will begin reading Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli in small groups and 5th grade will read and listen to a variety of novels on tape and work in small group literature circles. After the novel study both groups will learn about bias, propaganda, stereotypes and write a persuasive essay to a person or institution of choice. In February, we will have an in-depth study of Black History to include slave quilts and stories, the Harlem Renaissance, blues music and African-American poetry.


Theme Project and Essay #2: Due Jan. 3
Students should come armed with both their 2nd essay and project on Monday. We will have presentations for about 30 minutes daily until everyone has given theirs, students should be prepared to go on Monday, even though they may not present until later in the week. Points will be docked from students who are not prepared. Also, I will have students assessing their peers and part of their input will be used in grading. One of the curricular goals for 5th and 6th grade is to develop critical thinking skills and to understand when something is well-done and to develop the stance of a critic. Students will be given a rubric to score their peers which explains what they (and I) should look for in a good project.


The 2nd essay will be a little different because you really can't give much of an opinion about a non-fiction book! I think the easiest approach would be write about the three-five most interesting facts that he learned and why they think they are interesting and then finish with a few sentences of book review, was it appropriate for his/her age level? did it hold his/her interest? would he/she recommend it to others? etc... 1-2 typed pages, 12 point Times New Roman font, black ink. If you can't print it at home, bring it in on a flash drive and I'll print it at school.

Students still must make up the spelling test from the week before break, so we will just use the same words this week. Vocab test on Friday for all students.

See you all soon!

Dec. 20

The Spelling/Vocab for week of Dec. 20. Our test will be on Thursday of this week!!!!!
We will finish "Out of the Dust" this week.
Spelling/Vocabulary (all classes) Berner
Week of Dec. 12 Words from “Out of the Dust” p.149 to end of book
SPELLING TEST ON THURSDAY !!!!!!!! (1/2 day of Friday: Holiday Party!!!!)
fierceness
warped
scorched
migrants
sparse
sulking
horizon
frantic
descended
swarmed
desperation
yield
hoarding
sustain
scowled
mottled
flinch
nourish
confident
intentions

Week of December 5

It snowed over the weekend! Winter is just around the corner and, as usual, I am shocked at how quickly the school year rolls by. We are midway through the second quarter already. I guess it's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun and working hard!
All classes will continue with "Through the Dust" by Karen Hesse this week. Spelling/Vocab words will all be from the reading. Students seem to be enjoying the book. We will have a short quiz about every 50 pages.
Social Studies will continue reading and working from the book this week, moving through the American Revolution and the Constitution.

Vocabulary/Spelling (all classes)
Week of Dec. 6 Words from “Out of the Dust” to page 150
excavating
clinging
deformed
exhibit
benefit
suffocating
forsaken
cloaked
thrived
agony
bleary
withered
parched
chaos
pouted
prospects
desperate
straddled
smothered
reassuring