Reading and Language Arts

Friday, January 7, 2011

January 7, 2011 HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

UPCOMING EVENTS
January 14……………..No School (Staff Development)
January 17……………..No School (Dr. Martin Luther King Holiday)
January 25……………..Quarter 2 Report Cards Distributed
February 4……………..No School (Staff Development)
February 21……………Holiday (Presidents’ Day)



READING
This month, students will :
-identify and explain themes in literary works.
-explain how the author’s use of dialogue and specific words contribute to
  the story.
-explain how punctuation and word choice create tone.
-comprehend figurative language (similes, metaphors, personification,
 onomatopoeia.)
-explain connotations and denotations of above-grade-level words in
 context.
-analyze and identify the organizational structure of informational text
 (sequential, chronological order, cause/effect, problem/solution,
 similarities/differences, description, main idea/supporting details.)
-evaluate informational text and explain what makes it a reliable source of
 information and whether or not the author’s opinion is presented fairly.
-suggest additions or changes to the content, format, or text features that
 would make the text easier to understand.


LANGUAGE
This month, students will:
- write a persuasive letter.
- write a persuasive essay.
- write a description, focusing on word choice and sentence fluency.
- write singular and plural possessive nouns and contractions correctly.
- combine sentences effectively and capitalize proper nouns.
- identify and distinguish adjectives and adverbs.


SOCIAL STUDIES
This month, students will explore the answers to these questions:

-How did the British government impose power over the colonial way of life? (trade & taxation)
-How did the colonial response towards Britain impact the Maryland colony? (Patriots, Loyalists,  
 and Neutralists)
-What impact did the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution have on changing society     
 economically, politically, and socially? (Pre-Revolutionary War period, French & Indian War,
 and the Revolutionary War)


SCIENCE
This month, students will:
-recognize and explain that fossils provide evidence about the plants and
 animals that lived long ago as well as the nature of the environment at that
 time.
-explain that in order for offspring to resemble their parents, there must
 be a reliable way to transfer information from one generation to the next
 (genetics.)


MATH
This month, students will:
- use linear measurement (metric and customary units of measurement) to the nearest ¼ inch and
  millimeter.
- use long division to divide two-digit numbers.
- understand equivalent fractions.