October 3rd - 7th, 2016

• Students will start working on Class President's Reports Monday, October 3rd. I I will  model and work through one president piece this week, these will be recurring writing pieces for every week. 
• On Monday, our new class president will present information about their life, family members, passions, hobbies, and two stories they want to share. Students will take two column notes on the new president. 
• By Friday, each student in our class will have:
1. turned their notes into a rough draft. 
2. revised their rough draft (add, change, take out to improve writing) 
3. edited their drafts. (correct spelling and punctuation) 
4. written a final polished copy to be turned in on Friday. 
• All of these steps are to be done at home each week, except the note taking.

• The date for the Shark Dissections still is to be decided. Information to follow about dates, times and volunteers.

• A reminder again that Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Wednesday, October 12 and Thursday the 13th. If you haven't signed up for a spot, please do so as soon as possible!! If you are unable to come to one of the times listed, please email me at snisely@jeffco.k12.co.us and we'll find another time on another day.

• This past week in science: Scientists know that taping into their schema creates a platform for new learning.  Students each posted their background knowledge about sharks on a wall wisher board for other students to read.  The research component of the scientific method has begun.  An article about sharks was read and students used evidence from the text to prove true or false statements.  Students then pushed their thinking as they learned research based facts about sharks and they used the skill of writing to learn to reinforce new thinking.

• Genius Hour update from Mrs. Curran:

This week we have studied what to look for when deciding if a site is safe and appropriate.  We then have researched and found several sources to use for their topics and bookmarked them.  During our conferences we’ve noticed that the kids need to specify their subject question or phrase in order to get to a good source they really need to answer their question.

Dates to Remember:

• October 12 - 13th Parent-Teacher Conferences
• October 14 - No School
• October 31 - Morning assembly, afternoon Fall Parade and Parties
• November 4 - Early Release
• November 10-18 - Book Fair
• November 11 - Report cards and awards assembly

Top Banana Contest

Here’s an “ap-peel-ing” contest, and a fun and creative way to celebrate October’s top holiday. First, design a costume for either a real or plastic banana. Use a variety of materials, such as paper, cloth, paint, glue, markers, glitter, yarn, or whatever. Create a setting and a nameplate for your banana. Bring your completed project to school on October 31st. We will have a “parade” of costumed bananas and a panel of judges will choose the four “top bananas”. Awards will be given for the Top Banana, Scariest Banana, Most Creative Banana, and Funniest Banana. 

For a language arts connection, each student will write a story featuring their banana as the main character. This project will be completed at home as homework. The afternoon of the 31st, we will share our stories while we enjoy banana splits (with new bananas, of course!). The paper should be typed in 12 point, Times New Roman Font and a minimum of one page, double spaced. Attached you will find a rubric that will be used to grade you project.