January 12, 2011

Kids are learning a lot at our Greek Academy. The competition is tight! Each polis now has a cheer and handshake. Argos has completed their flag and the others are nearly finished. Megara and Athens have some great name tags! Sparta is trying to intimidate the others by marching and showing their mighty military strength. More people in Corinth dressed up today and so they were able to earn quite a few points. All of the students have set some goals and are working toward their personal best. ARETE!!!

Homework:

Math: practice page 2-10/2-11 writing expressions

Planner signed Due: 1-13-11
Read 30 minutes

Soc. Studies: The pottery should be finished. We will be finishing up our art project and the pottery must be finished before students can work on part II. Students should be studying for the final test 2-5 minutes each night.

Language Arts:DOL Sentences #5-7 Due: 1/13. Worksheet: "There, Their, They're" Practice Review #2 Due: 1/13. Most students were able to finish the two assignments in class.

***Note-taking Practice: We have been practicing note-taking skills this week. Students have been learning how to write quality notes using shortcuts and abbreviations. Tomorrow (January 13), they will use their notes to answer eighteen questions about Ancient Greece. The questions will need to be answered in complete sentences.

On Friday (January 14), I will be showing the movie during lunch recess for those who were absent this week, or for those who need more information/review to answer the questions. The movie lasts approximately 20 minutes. Otherwise, if students are not finished with the assignment by Friday afternoon, they will need to research the questions online during the Martin Luther King Weekend. The assignment will be due on Wednesday, January 19.

***Red Pens:Thanks to all those who brought in red pen donations last week!!! As we all know, this is a VERY tight year for budgets in our school district. At the first of the year, I budgeted for two red pens per student. After Christmas, I noticed we had about fifteen pens left because so many students had lost theirs. We have approximately 130 students in sixth grade. At $.10 a pen (which is a really good price), that means it takes $13.00 just to give each student ONE red pen! Because of some very generous donations, we now have enough to last the rest of the year, as long as the students will be more responsible in the future in keeping track of them. Thanks again to all those who donated! It is GREATLY appreciated! :)