Our week in learning 9/25

The eighth week of school is upon us! It's hard to believe the quarter is coming to an end, and soon students will begin preparing to switch classes after conferences. There is no school on Friday this week, and the Mother-Son event takes place at Archway Arete this upcoming Saturday. Science fair projects are due next week! On Friday, October 6, students will turn in their completed science fair packet, essay, and tri-fold board. This week, we will finish The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and next week we will hold an end-of-book party to celebrate the end of the quarter and the end of our last Narnia book!

This week in Language Arts, students will begin the writing process with pre-writing tools such as graphic organizers and outlines. They will be composing a descriptive essay about an imaginary field trip their class took. Please look for rough drafts coming home to help your students with spelling and grammar checks!

This week in literature, students will finish The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and update their notebooks in preparation for the last literature test of the quarter. They will be expected to place the events of the children’s adventures in the order that they occurred.

Finally, students will be preparing for their Latin and Greek Roots (1-25) test on Thursday. 

In science, we will begin to wrap up their chemistry unit, delving into the structure of the Periodic Table and how atomic properties give the Table its order. They will learn how atomic weights were discovered and that the order of the Periodic Table is extraordinarily regular. There will be an open-note chemistry quiz on Friday, October 6.

This week in History, students will continue learning about the Renaissance, focusing discussion with the Castiglione and Machiavelli readings, and the Renaissance in northern Europe. Study guides are going home today and will be due on Monday, 10/2. We will have a catch up day on Thursday for students to finish any incomplete notes, work on their study guides, and study for their test. The Renaissance test will be on Tuesday, 10/3. There will be a states location quiz covering the South, Mid-Atlantic, and New England regions this Wednesday 9/27. We will be learning about the Midwest region of the United States this week.

This week in Math, students will continue with our fractions unit. We will work on understanding the relationship between fractions and division, addition of fractions, and subtraction of fractions. Math groups will continue this Wednesday, 8:00-8:45.

 

Our week in learning 9/18

 This week, we cordially invite you to Math and Phonics Night on Wednesday, September 20th. In addition to word problems and Spalding, we will also be covering the basics of sentence diagramming.

There will be no school on September 29.

Another week has come and gone, and before we know it, the quarter will be over! Students will continue to work on their science fair projects at home. By now, they should have their hypothesis written, have decided on their variables, and may soon begin conducting their experiments.

We will continue with math groups on Wednesdays. On Thursday, students will take a unit test. If you would like to help students prepare for this test on Wednesday, please let me know that you are interested in leading a math group.

This week in grammar, students will explore descriptive writing. They will describe items such as their favorite foods using details that appeal to the senses. They will also draw a Narnian creature of their own invention, which other students will write a detailed description of, and will write their own description of another student's Narnian creature.

In literature, students will read through chapters 12-14 and continue building their summarization skills.

This week in History, students will continue learning about the Renaissance, focusing on Venice, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Castiglione. On Friday, students will get to read unabridged excerpts from Castiglione’s The Courtier and Machiavelli’s The Prince in preparation for a socratic discussion on leadership on Monday. Please note that these are difficult passages and may need some parental or older sibling assistance to comprehend. I would suggest taking time to read these, and maybe creating a vocabulary list. The readings can count for reading log credit. We will also be learning about the South region of the United States on Wacky Wednesday. There will be a states location quiz covering the South, Mid-Atlantic, and New England regions next wednesday, 9/27.

In science, students will continue studying chemistry by learning about molecules and compounds, as well as mixtures and solutions. Students will practice writing chemical formulas with atomic symbols, and learn the difference between a solute and a solvent. They will read about the difference between acids and bases and conduct a lab to determine which known substances are acids, bases, or neutral, based on their prior knowledge of the substances.

This week in Math, students will finish the unit on “More Calculations with Whole Numbers" and will take a unit test on Thursday. Students will start Unit 3: Fractions on Friday with a review of fractions, equivalent fractions, mixed numbers, and comparing fractions. Math groups will continue this Wednesday, 8:00-9:00.

Homework Survey

Please see this week’s family newsletter from Office Manager, Rachele Holcomb, for a link to the annual homework survey. If you are not receiving the weekly family newsletter, email Rachele Holcomb at rholcomb@archwayarete.org.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Our week in learning 9/11

Click for Monday 9/11's history notes

This week in science, students will begin their chemistry unit by studying the periodic table and the history behind the discovery of the elements. They will read about the chemist Robert Boyle, who conducted experiments to determine acids and bases using violet water, and will conduct their own experiments on acids and bases on Friday.

Science fair project proposals are due TODAY, Monday, September 11. Packets must be signed by parents and brought in for teacher approval.

In math, students will take their chapter 2 and 3 test over solving word problems with bar models and mental math calculations. They will begin the next unit and practice multiple-digit multiplication. Math groups will continue on Wednesday from 8-9 a.m. Parents are welcome!

In literature, students will read chapters 9 and 10 in Voyage of the Dawn Treader. There will be a quiz after chapter 10. Students will continue to memorize "The Tyger" and will recite it on Wednesday for a participation grade.

In language arts, students will review classifying and diagramming sentences.

In history, students will read about the Renaissance and will continue their U.S. geography unit on Wednesdays.

Our week in learning 9/5

 Announcements - 

*Please note that the Science Fair packet requiring a parent signature is due Monday, 9/11*

Friday, September 8 is Grandparents Day! Grandparents are welcome to visit Archway Arete and sit in on classes.

If you would like to volunteer to lead a math group this Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. please e-mail me at jcanfield@archwayarete.org to let me know. The hour-long math groups focus on reviewing for upcoming quizzes. Parents are needed to refer to the answer guide and help students work out the problems.

Students will prepare for their upcoming unit test in science this week by reviewing their foldables and quizzing each other in class. This week, students will also be introduced to their science fair projects, due 10/6. The unit test will take place on Friday, September 8.

In math, students will use bar models to solve word problems. They will create a foldable with instructions on setting up bar models. Our first math groups will begin on Wednesday.

In history, students will begin studying U.S. geography and the Renaissance. Students will take a unit test on Meso-American civilizations on Wednesday. Please make sure your child brings his or her study guide to class on Tuesday to review it for accuracy.

Students will continue reviewing the parts of speech and diagramming in language arts, focusing on identifying prepositions. In literature, students will complete chapters 8 and 9 in Voyage of the Dawn Treader and examine Eustace's character arc.