PRIDE Binders

PRIDE BINDERS:

Students in grades 3^rd-8^th will ALL be participating in the PRIDE binder system starting school year 15-16. This system is a simple, efficient ONE binder system to keep all school materials in ONE place. These binders will help encourage organizational skills by; having one pocket for each class; one pocket for homework and one for “keep at home.” This is an important system that will help develop good study habits around prioritizing, homework, and overall tracking of school assignments. ONE clear communication system from home to school.

This binder is a school supply, we NEED uniformity across all classrooms for the system to work to its full potential. Therefore, we will be purchasing all the supplies and it will be a fee at back to school. This will be a tool that students will be able to use for high school and beyond.

End of the Year!

What an amazing year. It has gone by so quickly. I am amazed at how much growth each of these students has made, not only as students, but as people. Looking back over the past year it is with great joy and sadness that I watch this year's eighth graders graduate. Many of these wonderful kids were my first students at CA. We have been together for four years. I have watched them grow in so many ways and send them out into the world with the greatest confidence that they will all become successful individuals.  Best wishes to all our graduates and here's to a fun filled future!

   Mrs. Gordon

New Books!

This past week began our adventure into our new novels!

5th and 6th Grade MUR: Students began our Shakespeare unit. We spent time learning about Shakespeare's life and the Globe theater. We also talked about common terms used in dramas. This week we will begin reading Hamlet. Students will have the opportunity to perform portions of the play in class!

7th and 8th Grade MUR: Last week students began an in-depth study of Gothic Literature. Working off our background knowledge from earlier in the year, students will read Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. We will use this unit to spring board off of what we learned in our CCC unit.  Students will focus on theme, written response and elements of Gothic Lit.

Both groups continue to work on Greek and Latin roots as well as studying grammar.

Update

MUR 7th and 8th: This month students will be reading James Swason's Chasing Lincoln's Killer. We will dive into persuasive nonfiction while continuing to focus on claim, basis, and elements of nonfiction. In spelling we continue our study in Words Their Way. We will be working to find the literal meanings of words by breaking apart the prefix, root and suffix and then relating the literal meaning to its connotative meaning. In grammar, we will be working on predicate pronouns.

MUR 5th and 6th: This month we will be finishing our study of Earthsea. Students continue to focus on theme, text structure and author's craft. We will be digging into these skills by transferring them to our literature circle books.

Interim Week

Students in both classes have been working hard learning new standards! This week we will take our interim assessments to show what we know!

5th and 6th Grade: Have been working on Literary Nonfiction. We have talked about text structure, comparing and contrasting two works of literature as well as central idea.

7th and 8th Grade: Have been working with persuasive texts. Using persuasive techniques and opposing claims, the middle schoolers tried to persuade the class to eat bugs. It's amazing how nutritious bugs can be! We also dove into scientific texts. This allowed us to focus on text structure and domain specific vocabulary.

  Have a GREAT winter break!

Speech Writing!

Please use the following information to help you write your speech:

http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/speech/index.htm

The Week in Review

7th/8th Grade: This week we finished reading The Boy Who Dared. We spent time discussing author's craft in particular how an author can create emotion or suspense in their writing. In grammar we continued our study of verbs using direct and indirect objects. This should be a review for all students! In spelling the Latin Roots (MAN, SCRIB/SCRIPT, CRED AND FAC) were our focus. Students should focus on the meanings of words as well as the spelling of words

5th/6th Grade: This week we continued reading Flora and Ulysses. It is wonderful to see students laughing and begging to read more each class. This is a wonderful book and I strongly encourage you to ask your child about the book! We began working with idioms this week. Students are creating a book of idioms where they illustrate the literal and figurative meanings of idioms. On Monday, we will be taking a test on idioms.