Here's what's been happening in English and Social Studies:
English
We spent part of last week and this week taking the NWEA MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) diagnostic in Reading and Language. Your students' results on this exam will help them set academic goals that they will work on in Advisory through Study Island. When we weren't testing, we discussed the structure for our first Pop-Up Debate coming up next Wednesday as well as the 6 Purposes for Writing that we will be exploring this year. Looking ahead, we will start our class novel, The Giver, in the next week or so and discuss how we talk and write about books in our class using the framework found in Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading.
Social Studies
As we wrap up our unit on Medieval Europe, we explored the feudal system with a simulation and talked about what life was like in Medieval towns. We will complete the assessment for Unit 1 in class next week - a creative project with a writing component. All parts of this assessment will be completed in class with teacher assistance and will assess how well your student understands the big concepts of this unit. There is no memorization or studying required for this assessment, just organized notes and critical and creative thinking. I will go over the details for the assessment in class on Tuesday and it will be due by the end of class on Friday. If students want or need to work on the assessment at home during the week, they are welcome to, but the four days of class time I have planned for is more than enough time to complete the assessment. After that, we will start Unit 2 on Ancient Islam and hopefully launch our first PBL shortly thereafter!
Other Important Stuff!
Back to School Night Presentation
It was great to see and meet many of you at Back to School Night this week. If you were unable to attend and/or would like to review the presentation, you may do so here. I am still working on getting more grades into Infinite Campus and appreciate your patience as we work out some of the kinks and get back into the flow of the school year.
Remind
I will be using the Remind service for occasional updates and reminders. You and your student can sign up for Remind for free by following the directions at the links below. You can opt to receive push notifications (on a smartphone), text notifications, or even email notifications.
The Well (Office Hours)
Finally, the WELL (my office hours) starts next week. If students want help with an assignment, need to retake a quiz, or want clarification on something, they can come see me on Wednesday from 12:30-1:15. In order to attend the WELL, students (or parents) need to fill out the WELL Attendance Form. This will auto-generate an email to you, the parent. You must "reply all" to that email in order to confirm your students' attendance at the WELL. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Thanks, Explorer families! Have a wonderful and restful Labor Day weekend.
Mrs. Ellis
mellis@westlakecharter.com
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