I apologize for having this up so late.  It slipped my mind.

Spelling Words: There are only 15 words this week since they are quite difficult.  They come from our new people group, our books of the Bible study, our Bible verse, and math words.

1. Colossians

2. Thessalonians

3. Gusilay

4. Senegal

5. pangolin

6. renown

7. everlasting

8. destroyed

9. radius

10. diameter

11. divisor

12. dividend

13. quotient

14. Guinea

15. maize

Bonus: fillip (it means to snap, for example: He filliped his fingers near my ear.  I learned it playing a game of Balderdash last week.)

Bible:

Isaiah 55:13b

“This will be for the LORD’s renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.”

Our people group for the month of March is the Gusilay (pronounced GE-se-lie) people in the country of Senegal.  We'll be learning about their way of living as well as some of the wildlife that live around them.

Language Arts:

We are no longer doing "reading groups" and are now involved in "book clubs."  I was pondering what I would do in adult society and I don't have reading groups but I can be a part of a book club.  The students will take turns leading their group and will move through confusing vocabulary within a chapter, some questions, and connections people have made to their own life.  This is the first week we are doing this new format and so it will be rocky at first, but I'm excited to listen to the conversations had in the future as they get used to leading things without me.  We are reading chapters 5 and 6 in their books this week.

Science:

There will be no science this week so that we can complete some more aspects of our Culture Fair project.

Culture Fair:

The rough draft is due on Thursday.  We are typing in class, so no need to work on this at home.  You and your child can be working on collecting items for their display that is coming up in less then three weeks.

Let me know if you have any questions! :)  amklint@hotmail.com

Spelling

There will be NO spelling test this week so that we can spend more time on finishing up our notes for the Culture Fair.

Bible

Our verse for this week is Isaiah 55:13a

"Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of the briers the myrtle will grow."

We are finishing up our study of the Comorian people from the Comoros Islands this week.  Our focus has been on their religion: Islam.  This week we will discuss the differences and similarities between their beliefs and ours and then decide why they are in need of a Savior.

Science

We will continue on with our Wind unit, exploring where wind comes from.

Language Arts

We are beginning Book Clubs this week, which will replace reading groups.  They will be student led, yet this week we will do a great deal of whole class instruction on my expectations during this club time.

During our writer's workshop time we are learning that good pieces of writing make music.  Just as music has a changing melody line and interesting rhythm, our writing should do likewise.  This week we are specifically talking about the length of our sentences and using them to compose a song.

Culture Fair

Next Monday is when all note cards are due.  For this reason we will be spending large chunks each day this week working on these cards.  Each student is expected to have the resources that they need in class so they are able to get their work completed.

Any questions or concerns?  amklint@hotmail.com

Spelling:  Our spelling words are mostly from the various countries that we are studying for the Culture Fair.  Proper nouns that do not have a capital letter are going to be counted as wrong.

1. Ephesians

2. Philippians

3. mountains

4. burst

5. Islam

6. atmosphere

7. ozone

8. United States

9. Australia

10. Portugal

11. China

12. Bahamas

13. Somalia

14. Venezuela

15. Belize

16. Iraq

17. Peru

18. Germany

19. Fiji

20. Dominican Republic

Bonus: stratosphere

Bible: We are continuing on with Isaiah 55.  There is a song for this verse but be aware that it is not EXACTLY the same.

Isaiah 55:12

“You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.”

Culture Fair

This week we will be working on notes for our country's climate.  The flag for each country is due Friday.  There is paper at school for them to use, but they will not have time at school to complete this, so they will need to remember to bring paper and any coloring supplies needed home at some point during the week.

Social Studies

We will review the chapter that we just finished in our Social Studies book and have an assessment later on this week.  

Science:

We began learning about wind today.  We discovered that the earth is surrounded by the troposphere, which holds oxygen, dust particles and water particles.  Above that is the stratosphere which contains the ozone layer.  Through discussion we realized that the ozone layer is basically like the earth's force field.

Language Arts:

Shades of Gray: Picture for Chapter 2 and post-its for Chapter 3 due Tuesday.  Picture for Chapter 3 and post-its for Chapter 4 due Thursday.  These due dates may change based on my need to be flexable with my mornings and I don't always get to reading groups on the date originally planned.  If it changes I will log on and change it on here.

Bound for Oregon: Post-its for Chapter 2 due Monday. Picture for Chapter 2 and post-its for Chapter 3 due Friday.  These due dates may change based on my need to be flexable with my mornings and I don't always get to reading groups on the date originally planned.  If it changes I will log on and change it on here.

Valentine's Day

This Friday we will be having a Valentine's Day party.  If you'd like to donate food, juice or cups for this party please let Suzanne Kent know.

Spelling Words:

1.  Corinthians

2. Galatians

3. equipment

4. guitar

5. beard

6. dragon

7. second

8. minute

9. millimeter

10. centimeter

11. inch

12. accomplish

13. desire

14. achieve

15. purpose

16. tenement

17. immigrant

18. Ellis Island

19. Comoros

20. Comorian

Bonus: mystery

Bible Verse:

Isaiah 55:11

“so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

Read-A-Thon

Read-A-Thon began today by finding that Nico is missing from our classroom.  Clues will be given every day of February to lead us to him.  During this time the students of Spa are encouraged to read, read, read.  Points sheets were sent home on Monday, as well as a pledge sheet. 

Science

We are starting a chapter on wind this week.  It should take us the month of February to explore this topic.

Social Studies

We are finishing chapter 11 this week and will have a test next week.

Pastor's Day- Pastor's Day is on Thursday.  Each of your pastors have been invited to join our students for a special chapel and lunch.

Sports Day- Sports day is on Friday of this week.

This week's spelling words come from various writing pieces that the students have created as well as our Bible verse and social studies lesson:

1. Acts

2. Romans

3. epistle

4. devastating

5. glistening

6. except

7. accept

8. neither

9. turned

10. passage

11. zapped

12. captain

13. important

14. heaven

15. flourish

16. yield

17. transcontinental

18. petroleum

19. strike

20. bargaining

Bonus: compendium

Ask your child if he/she can remember what compendium and epistle mean.  Their vocabulary is becoming so extensive!

Bible Verse:

Our verse for this week is all of Isaiah 55:10

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater."

We practiced motions to help us with this verse, since it is so long.  We are also going to learn how to use a Bible concordance as the week progresses as well as a new song to add to our repertoire of music.

Language Arts:

We are beginning a new book in our reading groups.  Some students are reading Bound for Oregon by Jean Van Leeuwen while others are reading Shades of Gray by Carolyn Reeder.  I let them look over the books for a day and then choose which book they'd like to read.  I probably won't be able to allow everyone thier choice in book, but I will try my hardest.   

Science:

We will play a review game for our test on Tuesday or Wednesday.  The exam will then be on Thursday.  Every child has a review sheet for this chapter that you can use to help them study from. 

Social Studies:

We are continuing on in Chapter 11, learing about the Transcontinental Railroad and the boom of industry, inventions and labor.  Each student, along with a summary of the lesson and vocabulary words, has been asked to do a poster on one of the following individuals: Rockefeller, Edison, Carnegie, or Bell.  There are several books in the classroom to help them with these posters, but they are also invited to use the internet or other outside sources to help them.

Culture Fair:

It is time to begin the long anticipated CULTURE FAIR!  YEA!!!!  Each student should have gone home on Monday with a packet of information concerning this exciting project.  Please go over it with them and maybe even mark on your calendar some of the important dates. By Friday they have been asked to have a signed slip of paper from the front page of the packet showing that both you and he/she have read it.

FYI:

This Friday is the end of the marking period.  If your child has some low grades they are invited to make corrections and hand them back in before Friday in order to improve their grades.  The original papers cannot be tests and they must have been assigned after November 13.