Language Arts: This week’s spelling words
will come from chapter 11 of Growing Your
Vocabulary.
Chapter 11: Let’s Get Moving!
|
Latin / Greek Word
|
Root
|
English Derivatives
|
|
Greek dramein, dromas
(to run, runner)
|
drom
|
palindrome, syndrome, dromedary
|
|
LATIN currere, cursum
(to run)
|
cur, curs
|
current, concurrent, curriculum, cursive,
occur
|
The literary element we will focus on this week is
point of view. The students will learn about first, second, and third person
point of view, as well as third person limited and omniscient. We will spend
time reading various texts to practice identifying these perspectives. Then, the
students will work on rewriting a short story to change the point of view. We
will connect this literary element to our current novel, The Phantom Tollbooth
by identifying the perspective that Norton Juster uses. This week, we will read
chapters 8, 9, and 10 of this novel. Your children will continue identifying
characters and setting as well as answering comprehension questions. I hope you’re
reading along with us!
The idiom we will study this week is
“take the bull by the horns”. They will learn the interesting origin of this
idiom; Spanish matadors literally took the bull by the horns to avoid being
tossed!
History/Geography: We are continuing our study
of Exploration this week. Last week, we had an important discussion about the
concept of motives and means of any situation. We analyzed the
motives these explorers had for undertaking such risky journeys, as well as the
means by which they accomplished them. We will be incorporating these terms (motives and means) in other areas of study to re-expose the students and ensure
that they truly understand their meanings. This week, the students will take a
closer look at the types of navigational tools and technology used during the
Age of Exploration. Did your child explain the reason we use “knots” to measure
the speed of boats? It’s quite interesting! This week, the students will learn
about Vasco da Gama, Pedro Alvares Cabral, Christopher Columbus, and Magellan.
We will also identify terms such as scurvy, mutiny, royal standard, encomienda,
strait, and circumnavigate. Please join us in voyaging through the fascinating Age
of Exploration!
Science: The students will continue
learning about the functions of the organelles within an animal cell by means of
similes. They will have a thorough understanding for the purpose of each
organelle and how these parts work together to make the cell a truly complex
and incredible part of organisms. We will end the week covering the six
different types of animal cells. These include: epithelial, blood, bone,
muscle, nerve, and fat cells. Please ask your child to share what he/she is
learning! You will see an animal cell in a sheet protector coming home each
day; the purpose of this is to practice labeling the cell’s organelles (using
dry-erase) marker.
