Welcome back! It’s been quite an adventure to get back from Winter Break! I hope everyone was able to squeeze some extra rest and relaxation in on our snow days! I know I certainly did, but I’m excited to be back and ready to hit the ground running!
In the coming weeks, we will be focusing on our upcoming Semester Benchmarks. Students will have a benchmark in Reading, Math, and Science. We will be working on reviewing materials and test prep in class. Please be sure to support your child from home by reviewing any materials that come home, getting plenty of rest each night, and having a healthy breakfast.
This week, our SODA (Student Organization for Developing Attitudes) presenters came to visit. These are students from Hermitage High School who come in monthly to talk with the students about positive behaviors and feelings. Today they discussed self-love with an activity where the students taped a piece of paper to their backs and went around the room writing positive things on each other’s papers. The students loved receiving these wonderful complements!
Click the camera for all of our photos from the week!
THIS WEEK IN…
Reading- In reading this week, we reviewed plot and conflict resolution in fiction text. The students learned about the “Plot Mountain” and each element that is involved, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. 
We read fictional text, drawing out our “Plot Mountain” to determine how the plot was constructed in the story.
In addition to reading fictional text, we also watched Pixar short films in order to construct similar “Plot Mountains”. While we were only able to watch two, there are many more in their packet and online. I will be sending home their packet and below are links to the videos. This is great practice for plot and conflict resolution that you can enjoy at home!
YouTube Shorts links: Partly Cloudy, For the Birds, Geri’s Game, Lifted, Presto, Dug’s Special Mission, Tin Toy, Burn-E, Knick Knack
Writing- We were able to wrap up our rough draft process of our multi-paragraph essay on the one thing we’d like to change about Trevvett. Going in to next week, we will begin the editing process. Students will sign up for conferencing times with me to discuss their essay and the steps they need to make to finalize their work!
Social Studies- We continued to learn about the geography of the southeast region of the United States. The students labeled the key land and water features on a map, focusing on the importance of these features. We also began diving into our textbook to discover the effects of the geography of the southeast region on daily life.
Math & Science– Visit Miss Capano’s blog to read what students did in math and science this week!
A GLANCE AT NEXT WEEK:
- MATH: Stem and Leaf Plots, Line Graphs, Mean/median/mode/range
- SCIENCE: Review of fourth grade SOL 4.4 – Plants
- READING: Test taking prep, Strategy Application To Support Comprehension
- WRITING: Conjunctions, Editing Multi-paragraph Writing Prompt
- SOCIAL STUDIES: Southeast Region Review
UPCOMING EVENTS NEXT WEEK:
- Monday, 1/15 – NO SCHOOL
- Tuesday, 1/16 –
- SOL 4.4 Science Flashcards Due
- Miss Capano’s Bring Your Own Device Goal Celebration
- Gelati Celesti Spirit Night
- Wednesday, 1/17 – (Rescheduled) Brookland Middle School counselors visit to discuss sixth grade scheduling (1:00 PM)
- Thursday, 1/18 – Reading IA Formative Assessment
NEWS AND REMINDERS:
- Benchmarks: Semester benchmarks are quickly approaching! Due to the time off for holidays and snow, we are extra busy refreshing students’ memories and providing study tools to prepare. Thank you for ensuring students are present, prepared with materials and completed homework, and in a consistent nightly study routine!
- Reading Benchmark: 1/25 and 1/26
- Math Benchmark: 1/31 and 2/1
- Science Benchmark: 2/9
- Brookland MS Rising Sixth Grader Open House: Save the date for Thursday, 1/25 at 6:00 PM when Brookland Middle will open their doors to rising sixth graders. Stop by to take a tour and learn what to expect next year! Be on the look out for additional scheduling information from Mrs. Bushey soon!
- Girls in STEM Day: Click here for an exciting and FREE opportunity for girls to engage in a day of STEM exploration on February 11th!
- Math and Science Innovation Center Discoveries: Click here for diverse offerings for Saturday classes from the MSiC! What a great enrichment opportunity!
Mrs. Golden