Winter Break Activities

Winter Break Activities

Once again Dicken PTO has provided free online activities for our students. Use this site if you want your child(children) to take a break from the electronics, TV or pure boredom. Below are the links.

thinkstretch
brainfreeze-reading-challenge, contest


There will be another reading Challenge. This time for 9 hours. Write a note stating the hours read and books or materials used. Please have an adult sign the note or send an email.

Words Their Way Days

Words Their Way (Word Study Program), There is a Change for Day 4, Pretest will begin

Words Their Way is organized by 5 levels with an Early, Middle and Late stage. These levels are Emergent, Letter-Name-Alphabetic, Within Word Pattern, Syllables and Affixes, and Derivational- Relations. 

Emergent is learning letter sounds associated with pictures.

Letter Name- Alphabetic is learning short vowels, word families, initial consonant sounds. and phonemic awareness.

Within Word Patterns is learning short and long vowel sounds, consonant and vowel patterns,  vowel patterns and irregular vowels. 

Syllables and Affixes is learning how review vowel and consonant patterns, syllables and affixes can effect the sound of vowels and consonants,  and how affixes change meanings.
Derivational-Relations is studying how affixes change meaning and pronunciation and Latin and Greek root meaning. 

Students in Pod Thinkers will refer to themselves as Yellow, Green and Blue Groups. These colors are colors of the Books I use for the lessons. 

Students took a pretest(s) to determine the spelling patterns or roots they knew and did not know. 

Below are the days on which each group completes activities. 

Green Group (Syllables and Affixes)

Day 1: Wednesdays, New lesson, Introduce Sort and students cut the sort into individual words.

Day 2: Thursdays, Independent Study Sheet, Analyze the sort

Day 3: Fridays, Students write a paragraph or poem using any 8 of the words but representing all 3 patterns.

Day 4: Mondays, Buddy Test, Students take a buddy test with a peer in his or her group.

Day 5: Tuesdays, Final Test, students can be tested on any 6 words plus 4 words that have the same pattern. 

Blue Group (Derivational Relations and Latin and Greek Roots )

Day 1: Thursdays, New lesson, Introduce Sort and students cut the sort into individual words.

Day 2: Fridays Independent Study Sheet, Analyze the sort

Day 3: Mondays, Students write a paragraph or poem using any 8 of the words but representing all 3 patterns.

Day 4: Tuesdays, Buddy Test, Students take a buddy test with a peer in his or her group.

Day 5: Wednesdays, Final Test, students can be tested on any 6 words plus 4 words that have the same pattern. 

Dark  Blue Group will follow the same days as Light Blue Group

Yellow Group (Words within words)

Day 1: Fridays, New lesson, Introduce Sort and students cut the sort into individual words.

Day 2: Mondays, Independent Study Sheet, Analyze the sort

Day 3: Tuesdays, Students write a paragraph or poem using any 8 of the words but representing all 3 patterns.

Day 4: Wednesdays, Buddy Test, Students take a buddy test with a peer in his or her group.

Day 5: Thursdays, Final Test, students can be tested on any 6 words plus 4 words that have the same pattern. 

Weeks prior to a vacation and after will be used for review and parts of speech lessons. Students are encouraged to play the following games.

Parts of speech game, middle/ advanced level

parts of speech, easy level 

November 2018

Week of November 12 Update

Important Dates

Wednesday, November 14, 2018: Science formative group project
Monday, November 19, 2018: EDM Unit 3, Part I test (partial test)
Friday, November 30, 2018: EDM Unit 3, Part II test (partial test)

Forget Me Not dates

Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018: Report letter go home.
Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018: Reading Challenge begins. (See below.)
Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2018: No school, Teacher Compensatory Day
Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018: No School, Thanksgiving Break
Friday, Nov. 23, 2018: No School, Thanksgiving Break

Subjects at a Glance

Math: Unit 3 is a heavily impacted unit with fractions. We are learning how to report the remainder as a fraction, lesson 3.3, (dividing the remainder into equal parts), ignoring it (the extra is not needed) and rounding up the quotient (adding one to the quotient, another group is needed). We learning how to divide a number line into equal parts, lesson 3.4. We are reintroducing improper fractions (fractions with more than one whole) and mixed numbers, lesson 3.4. Students are learning how to efficiently convert improper fractions and mixed numbers. We are so reviewing how to read word problems with fractional answers, lesson 3.1. Also, we are reviewing how fractions are division, lesson 3.2.

Reading: We are continuing our study of fiction elements by learning theme. Students are learning how to identify the theme and support ones thinking with text evidence. This week, students must apply the theme to his or her life. At the end of the week, students will review how to solve for unknown words.

Writing: We will be using our scientist skills to plan and write a nonfiction skit or print advertisement for cooking materials. Students will use our knowledge of matter as evidence.

Science: Students are continuing our investigation of Matter. We observing properties of matter as we mix, heat or cool. Also, we will observe the properties of 10 mystery substances. Students are encouraged to not taste or eat during science.

Word Study/ Words Their Way: By now, we are in week 4 of Words their way. There are 3 groups: yellow, green and blue groups. The yellow group is learning how vowel sound shape the spelling of words, sort 16. The green group is learning how cluster are split to create syllables, sort 16. The blue group is continuing their study of suffixes and how suffixes can change the parts of speech, sort 9.

Health: We are learning how to incorporate tools to stop bullying and turning bystanders into up-standers.

Social Studies: We concluded our government study last week as we reviewed the results of Dicken's polling site, Michigan's outcomes and the Nation's outcomes. We reviewed all 3 branches of government on all 3 levels. I was impressed by how much knowledge they retained and displayed.

Cold Weather 

The temperatures are deceasing daily. Beautiful, fluffy snow will appear soon. It is imperative students wear proper cold weather gear daily: cold weather outer garment, hat, boots, and mittens or gloves. If a student is improperly dressed, he or she may be asked to use lost and found items in order to stay warm.

Reading Challenge 

Over Thanksgiving break, students will have a reading challenge to read an average of 1 hour a day, totaling 5 hours. A parent or guardian must sign the written or typed note stating the amount of hours read as well as a list of the books.  The note is due the Monday after break.

Reminders 

As I continue to become a Dicken dolphin, students do not have homework on the weekends; however, students are expected to review his or her word study words. The words should be sorted into the groups and written to practice the spelling. Students are expected to read 30 minutes daily.

Survey for Dicken

Survey

Dear Students at Dicken,

Principal Madison wants every student to take the survey. Please take the following survey only once.
Dicken survey
Sincerely,
Avery Hubbard