Dear Parents,

It feels to me that the new year has just changed, and we are already at the end of January! I can't believe how quickly time flies by. Congratulations to our Centennial Reading Bowl team! We came in first place at our district competition. We, along with the team from Fair Street, will move on to the regional competition this coming Saturday, February 1st! A special hooray for the team members: Eli P., Ben, Allison, Jocelyn, Amy, James Michael, Simone, Marissa, Connor, and Wiley! I'm a proud co-coach, so I've also got to send a shout-out to our head coach, Kathy Anglin, and our other co-coach, Mrs. Kennedy!




School Events
Tues, 1/28 My homeroom library visit
Wed, 1/29 Brusters $2 Italian Ice money is due
Thurs, 1/30 WWII Test
Fri, 1/31 Chick-Fil-A Biscuits, $2.50; Italian Ice delivery

*Saturday, 2/1 Regional Reading Bowl Competition at North Hall Middle School! Go CAA!

SOCIAL STUDIES
(My homeroom)

We are wrapping up our WWII unit. We test this Thursday! Look for the study guide to come home on Wednesday. Students should be able to identify everything from the standards - check out the social studies page at the top and scroll down to SS5H6. 

Monday: Complete review of all the events from WWII. (Axis vs. Allied powers, Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, D-Day, V-E Day, V-J Day, atomic bomb, Holocaust, United Nations)
Tuesday: SS5H6.b Discuss the Holocaust and the Japanese internment.
Wednesday: Watch History Channel: Story of Us video; work on study guide
Thursday: WWII TEST
Friday: WWII Quotes activity

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: WE ARE FINISHED WITH POW FOR THE YEAR! We will continue to write essays in language arts classes. From now on, morning work will be different for each language arts teacher.
No Shurley English
Morning Work
Students need to write 4 informational essays over the next 7 weeks. They will have a list of topics to choose from. 

Language Arts Class
We are creating magazines for the lower grade students. Students will be put into groups to create the magazines. Each student will work on a specialized role as a part of their magazine team. Students will be working on these magazines for the next two weeks. 

READING 1
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1
RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a poem.
RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

Special DaysMonday (RL.5.7)
Look at shape poems on the Promethean. Why would a poet choose to use a shape for his words? Work together as a class to create an apple poem. What purpose would we want for our class poem? How an apple grows? Using our 5 senses to describe an apple? The parts of an apple? After creating a class poem, work on individual poems.
Thursday (RI.5.7)
Scavenger hunts in the media center! Try to locate information quickly in small groups. There will be 5 total scavenger hunt days; this is just day #1!

Phase 1: Book Hooks
Mr. Bryan, our student teacher, will be reading Holes by Louis Sacchar as a read aloud for the next couple of weeks. 

Phase 2: Conference Questions
What kind of nonfiction book could you read to help you understand more about the book you are currently reading? Explain how this would help you understand the topic. 

Phase 3: Student Choices

• Continued independent reading
• Creative writing (write your own book)
• Write computer code
• Create Valentine's Day cards for children in the hospital at NEGA
• Jackie Robinson's Barriers essay contest

READING 2
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 2
RL.5.7 Analyze how visual and multimedia elements contribute to the meaning, tone, or beauty of a poem.

Special Days
Thursday (RI.5.7)
Scavenger hunts in the media center! Try to locate information quickly in small groups. There will be 5 total scavenger hunt days; this is just day #1!

Small Groups

• Instructional Conversation: Look at shape poems on the Promethean. Why would a poet choose to use a shape for his words? Work together as a small group to create an apple poem. What purpose would we want for our class poem? How an apple grows? Using our 5 senses to describe an apple? The parts of an apple? Brainstorm ideas to create a poem as a group.
• Computer: Practice economics understandings by playing Financial Soccer or Money Metropolis (Edmodo).
• Mr. Bryan: Read the book Holes by Louis Sachar.
• Mr. B: Read the debate in Scholastic News, "Should everyone get a trophy?" Students will discuss the different points of view, then they will write their opinion paragraph. 

Dear Parents,

I hope everyone enjoyed the long MLK weekend. What a brave and wonderful example we have in Dr. King. We look forward to studying more about him soon during our Civil Rights unit!

Let's take a look at what's happening during this 4-day week. 



School Events
Tues, 1/21 My homeroom library visit
Wed, 1/22 School Governance Council Meeting, 2:30
Fri, 1/24 District Reading Bowl Competition (cheer for Eli P, Ben, and Allison in my homeroom!)

SOCIAL STUDIES
(My homeroom)

We are starting our WWII unit! The kids love this unit; it's full of so much interesting historical information. We are also starting the read aloud book, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. It tells the story of a Danish family protecting a Jewish girl who is best friends with one of their daughters. The Nazis discover them on several occasions and describes resistance attempts by young Danish citizens. Although it is a fictional story, it depicts many true events from this time in history. 

Tuesday: SS5H6.a Describe Germany's aggression in Europe and Japan's aggression in Asia. Students will discuss what they know about WWII; we will discuss truths and misconceptions. Students will watch a BrainPop video, WWII Causes. 
Wednesday: SS5H6.b Describe Pearl Harbor; SS5H6.e Describe the changing role of women and African-Americans. Watch history.com videos and fill out changing roles activity sheet.
Thursday: SS5H6.e Describe the affects of rationing.
Friday: SS5H6.b Describe major events in the wary in both Europe and the Pacific; include Iwo Jima, D-Day, VE and VJ Days. 

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: WE ARE FINISHED WITH POW FOR THE YEAR! We will continue to write essays in language arts classes. From now on, morning work will be different for each language arts teacher.
No Shurley English
Morning Work
Students need to write 4 informational essays over the next 7 weeks. They will have a list of topics to choose from. 

Language Arts Class
We are creating magazines for the lower grade students. Students will be put into groups to create the magazines. Each student will work on a specialized role as a part of their magazine team. Students will be working on these magazines for the next two weeks. 

READING 1
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1
RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Phase 1: Book Hooks
Mr. Bryan, our student teacher, will be reading Holes by Louis Sacchar as a read aloud for the next couple of weeks. 

Phase 2: Conference Questions
Who is narrating the book you are reading? How does the narrator feel about the events being described? How can you tell? (RL.6)

Phase 3: Student Choices

• Continued independent reading
• Passion project
• Creative writing (write your own book)
• Computer programming
• Online books and videos
• Edgenuity (reading)

READING 2
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 2
RI.5.6. Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

Small Groups

• Instructional Conversation: Read multiple accounts of how earthquakes are caused according to ancient oral traditions. Analyze their similarities and their differences. Create a Venn diagram and write about the texts.
• Computer: Take a Study Island test on RL.6, Point of View. Take at least 15 questions.
• Mr. Bryan: Read the book Holes by Louis Sachar.
• Mr. B: Read the debate in Scholastic News, "Let Students Miss School for Vacation?" Students will discuss the points of view, then they will write their opinion paragraph. 

Dear Parents,

I didn't even bother to send y'all the link to last week's website post because the week was so messed up by that crazy cold weather! Can't believe we were down to 6 degrees last week, and this week we'll have some temps in the upper 50s. Gotta love Georgia weather :)

Most of last week's lesson plans will be used this week since we have a full five days. (What's that like?) So if you actually bothered to check last week's update, this week will look very similar :) I rewrote lesson plans last Tuesday for last week since it was a short week. Here's what this week will look like.

School Events
Tues, 1/14 My homeroom library visit
Thurs, 1/16 Economics test (Mrs. Wilson's homeroom)
Fri, 1/17 Chick-Fil-A Biscuits, $2.50; Chapter 11 Shurley English test (my ELA class only)

Mon, 1/20 NO SCHOOL! MLK, Jr. Holiday
Tues, 1/21 Back to School

SOCIAL STUDIES
(Mrs. Wilson's homeroom)

Mrs. Wilson's class will be studying economics this week! For more information. click the "Social Studies" page at the top, and look at all the standards at the bottom of the page.

Monday: SS5E1-4: money, supply and demand, budgets, and credit cards
Tuesday: SS5E1-3: competition, fair trade, budgeting versus spending, 4 sectors of the US economy
Wednesday: SS5E2 - 4 sectors of the US economy; what do taxes pay for?
Thursday: Economics test
Friday: Constitution and Economics Win, Lose, or Draw!

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: WE ARE FINISHED WITH POW FOR THE YEAR! We will continue to write essays in language arts classes. From now on, morning work will be different for each language arts teacher.
Shurley English: Chapter 11
Skills:

1. Predicate Nouns - Pattern 4! (Example: Mrs. Thompson is a teacher. Who is a teacher? Mrs. Thompson - Subject Noun. What is being said about Mrs. Thompson? Mrs. Thompson is. Verb. Mrs. Thompson is what? Teacher. Verify the noun. Does "teacher" mean the same thing as "Mrs. Thompson"? YES - Teacher, Predicate Noun. Is, Linking Verb. A, article adjective. Subject Noun - Linking Verb - Predicate Noun, Pattern 4)
   
2. Possessive Nouns (showing ownership)
3. Subjective, Objective, and Possessive Pronouns (a subjective pronoun replaces a noun in the subject; an objective pronoun replaces a noun that's an object; possessive pronouns show ownership)

Monday: Chapter 11, Lesson 1. Introduce predicate nouns.
Tuesday: Chapter 11, Lesson 2. Review predicate nouns. Introduce possessive nouns. Classroom Practice #51
Wednesday: Chapter 11, Lesson 3. Review predicate nouns and possessive nouns. Introduce subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns. Classroom Practice #52
Thursday: Chapter 11, Lesson 4. Review predicate nouns, possessive nouns, and subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns. Classroom Practice #53. Homework: Chapter Checkup #54
Friday: Chapter 11 Test

*Several students will be making Passion Project presentations this week!

READING 1
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1
RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Phase 1: Book Hooks
Tuesday: Select poems from Beauty of the Beast and Mother Earth, Father Sky
Wednesday: Select poems from Pass It On
Thursday: Select poems from My Dog Ate My Homework!
Friday: Select poems from 20th Century Poetry Treasury

Phase 2: Conference Questions
Who is narrating the book you are reading? How does the narrator feel about the events being described? How can you tell? (RL.6)

Phase 3: Student Choices

• Continued independent reading
• Passion project
• Creative writing (write your own book)
• Computer programming
• Online books and videos
• Edgenuity (reading)

Monday: Whole Group
Read Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout by Shel Silverstein. Who is narrating? What is the narrator's point-of-view (POV)? If we change the narrator, how would the POV change? Discuss possible changes with different narrators: Mom, neighbor, garbage collector? 

Friday: Whole Group
50 States Haikus - use atlases to analyze 50 haikus about the states to identify which state the haiku describes. Work in teams to solve the clues the fastest!

READING 2
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 2
RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Whole Group

• Monday: Read Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout by Shel Silverstein. Who is narrating? What is the narrator's point-of-view (POV)? If we change the narrator, how would the POV change? Discuss possible changes with different narrators: Mom, neighbor, garbage collector? 
  
• Tuesday: Zipper Up Zack - identify figurative language examples; discuss point-of-view. Switch the poem to 1st person!
  
• Wednesday: A True & Delicious Tale - identify the figurative language examples; how are you like the poem?
  
• Thursday: Read about haiku poetry.
  
• Friday: Write haikus!
  

Small Groups (Tuesday through Friday)

• Instructional Conversation: Read short story, First Day. Read it three times and answer close reading questions. Discuss point-of-view and supporting evidence.
• Computer: Visit Edmodo to choose an article about New Year's Day from either Wonderopolis or Tween Tribune. Read and comment about what you've learned, then share your New Year's Resolutions!
• Mr. Bryan: Read the book Holes by Louis Sachar.
• Mr. B: Color and fold figurative language fortune tellers! Review the vocabulary, color each triangle, then cut it out, fold and play!

Dear families,

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all! I hope you have had a wonderful break! Mine has been absolutely delightful. I've posted a picture from my trip to the Bahamas - on December 31st, our little family got to swim with dolphins! Not a bad way to wrap up 2013.

I don't know about you, but I can't believe that we are HALFWAY through the school year! We are happy to welcome Mrs. Vanessa Wilson who is taking Mrs. May's place. She will be starting with us this week! Be sure to pop by to welcome her to Centennial when you have a chance.

Now, let's take a look at how we're going to get things rolling in our first school week of the new year!

School Events
Mon, 1/6 Back to school!
Tues, 1/7 My homeroom library visit
Fri, 1/10 Chick-Fil-A Biscuits, $2.50; Hot Chocolate afternoon!

SOCIAL STUDIES
(Mrs. Wilson's homeroom)

Mrs. Wilson's class will be starting the study of citizenship and economics this week! For more information. click the "Social Studies" page at the top, and look at all the standards at the bottom of the page.

Monday: SS5CG1 - Explain how a citizen's rights are protected under the US Constitution. Learn about the Great Seal and its significance to our country.
Tuesday: SS5CG2 - Explain the process by which amendments to the US Constitution are made. Watch Bill of Rights video on BrainPop and complete Bill of Rights matching activity. Why do we have a Great Seal? How does it represent America? What is the importance of the Bill of Rights? What would the US be like without these basic rights? 
Wednesday: SSFE1-4 - Economic Understandings. Discuss money, supply and demand, and budgets.
Thursday: SS5E2 and 3 - Economic Understandings. Expert jigsaw activity using Studies Weekly newspapers. Students will research and teach other students what they have learned.
Friday: SS5E1, 2, and 3. Economics game day! Competition: The Gas Station Game; Fair Trade & Money: The Farmer Story; Budgeting: A Tale of Two Villages; the 4 Sectors of the US Economy

LANGUAGE ARTS
POW Topic: WE ARE FINISHED WITH POW FOR THE YEAR! We will continue to write essays in language arts classes. From now on, morning work will be different for each language arts teacher.
Shurley English: Chapter 11
Skills:

1. Predicate Nouns - Pattern 4! (Example: Mrs. Thompson is a teacher. Who is a teacher? Mrs. Thompson - Subject Noun. What is being said about Mrs. Thompson? Mrs. Thompson is. Verb. Mrs. Thompson is what? Teacher. Verify the noun. Does "teacher" mean the same thing as "Mrs. Thompson"? YES - Teacher, Predicate Noun. Is, Linking Verb. A, article adjective. Subject Noun - Linking Verb - Predicate Noun, Pattern 4)
   
2. Possessive Nouns (showing ownership)
3. Subjective, Objective, and Possessive Pronouns (a subjective pronoun replaces a noun in the subject; an objective pronoun replaces a noun that's an object; possessive pronouns show ownership)

Monday: Chapter 11, Lesson 1. Introduce predicate nouns.
Tuesday: Chapter 11, Lesson 2. Review predicate nouns. Introduce possessive nouns. Classroom Practice #51
Wednesday: Chapter 11, Lesson 3. Review predicate nouns and possessive nouns. Introduce subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns. Classroom Practice #52
Thursday: Chapter 11, Lesson 4. Review predicate nouns, possessive nouns, and subjective, objective, and possessive pronouns. Classroom Practice #53. Homework: Chapter Checkup #54
Friday: Chapter 11 Test

*Several students will be making Passion Project presentations this week!

READING 1
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 1
RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Phase 1: Book Hooks
Tuesday: Select poems from Beauty of the Beast and Mother Earth, Father Sky
Wednesday: Select poems from Pass It On
Thursday: Select poems from My Dog Ate My Homework!
Friday: Select poems from 20th Century Poetry Treasury

Phase 2: Conference Questions
Who is narrating the book you are reading? How does the narrator feel about the events being described? How can you tell? (RL.6)

Phase 3: Student Choices

• Continued independent reading
• Passion project
• Creative writing (write your own book)
• Computer programming
• Online books and videos
• Edgenuity (reading)

Monday: Whole Group
Read Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout by Shel Silverstein. Who is narrating? What is the narrator's point-of-view (POV)? If we change the narrator, how would the POV change? Discuss possible changes with different narrators: Mom, neighbor, garbage collector? 

Friday: Whole Group
50 States Haikus - use atlases to analyze 50 haikus about the states to identify which state the haiku describes. Work in teams to solve the clues the fastest!

READING 2
HOMEWORK: Read 30 minutes every day.

Common Core ELA Standards for Reading 2
RL.5.6. Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described.

Whole Group

• Monday: Read Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout by Shel Silverstein. Who is narrating? What is the narrator's point-of-view (POV)? If we change the narrator, how would the POV change? Discuss possible changes with different narrators: Mom, neighbor, garbage collector? 
  
• Tuesday: Zipper Up Zack - identify figurative language examples; discuss point-of-view. Switch the poem to 1st person!
  
• Wednesday: A True & Delicious Tale - identify the figurative language examples; how are you like the poem?
  
• Thursday: Read about haiku poetry.
  
• Friday: Write haikus!
  

Small Groups (Tuesday through Friday)

• Instructional Conversation: Read short story, First Day. Read it three times and answer close reading questions. Discuss point-of-view and supporting evidence.
• Computer: Visit Edmodo to choose an article about New Year's Day from either Wonderopolis or Tween Tribune. Read and comment about what you've learned, then share your New Year's Resolutions!
• Mr. Bryan: Read the book Holes by Louis Sachar.
• Mr. B: Color and fold figurative language fortune tellers! Review the vocabulary, color each triangle, then cut it out, fold and play!