Agp Newsletter October 4, 2007

David Poon, AGP teacher [email protected] Hello again everyone. Here’s the latest AGP news for 5th grade. My web page is alive so check it out when you get a chance. It’s on the teacher link on the school’s main home page. Congratulations to Lindsey M. for displaying this week’s character trait of courage while having to navigate around the school recently on crutches due to an injury. Reading Students have finished reading the realistic fiction novel entitled Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. They are also presenting their “Books in A Bag” book reports in class. They will also be responding to Read-A-Louds done in class. They are reading independently in class, in their book clubs, as well as reading several selections from their textbooks related to the Social Studies unit on Westward Expansion. Students should also be to reading their second book for their next book report. Specific criteria and due dates for the book report will soon be announced/posted. Research Students should be working on an independent research project which is based upon a topic of their interest/choosing. The goal of this assignment is threefold: -to allow students to go in depth on a topic -to promote discovery learning (inquiry) -to help develop passions for interest areas

US history. Students chose a topic related to this unit to research and creating power point presentations to share what they learned about the topic with the rest of the class. Students will also be viewing footage about homesteading and geography of the country to gain a better appreciation of the hardships that people faced as they journeyed across the country. Writing Students are currently writing their first drafts of their personal narratives; created an original Important Book as an extension of a Read-A-Loud that was done in class and are continuing to write in their journals. Our class book’s cover was illustrated by Lindsey, Jordan L., Dominique and Chris. It has been placed in the library for other students in the school to read. Students are also continuing to do daily edits. Homework Please encourage your child to get his/her homework done each night. A standard assignment is to read 20 minutes a night and record that reading in their reading logs. Please sign their reading logs once/week but feel free to sign each day if you like. Book orders The next Scholastic Book order has been sent home and is due to be ordered on-line by October 8.

August Library Media Center

They will present their findings to the class. As a general guideline they should complete a project once every quarter. This is an ongoing homework assignment although students are allowed to work on them in class as well. Social Studies

Put make note of these program dates on your calendar for October 11, 12 &13-Parent-teacher conferences 18-Early Release Day 23-Red Ribbon Week 26-End of 1st quarter 30-Fall Make up Pictures

Organization I will be conducting binder/desk checks periodically as a means of helping students stay organized and would appreciate it if you could do the same at home. Staying organized is an important key in keeping up with your school work. Students should have a spiral notebook for journaling, sections in the binders for Social Studies, Reading, one for Boggles (ask your child what that means), and a folder for homework. All handouts that are given out in class should be placed in the proper section of their binders. Students’ names should be written on all papers that are handed in or passed out. Parent Program Dr. Sylvia Rimm will be speaking to parents on the topic of “Growing Up To Fast”. This program is sponsored by the South Carolina Consortium for Gifted Education and will be held on Tuesday, November 27 from 7-8:30.at the Radisson in Columbia. The hotel is at 2100 Bush River Road. Social Studies Text I am working on enabling your child to access the textbook from home. They will need a pass code and I will let you know what that is when I finish setting it up. Stay tuned. ~Mr. Poon Your collaborative partner in education…