BLOG KEY
Important Dates:
9/7 - Labor Day - No school
9/14- Parent Training (Singapore, IEW)
- Check out the pics of our classroom game time w the DOGS. We LOVED having them visit!
- The class earned a Popsicle Party!! Woo hoo!! I’ll bring those on Monday.
- A few students have already hidden Phil 4:8 in their hearts and have recited it to me! Those who choose to do this will receive a little prize. This is optional.
IEW- You'll notice that we begin composing papers from our KWOs on Wednesday. Now that we are starting to write our IEW papers, I want to share some goals and procedures that will hopefully ease any stress at home. I'm praying that this foundational groundwork that you are beginning to lay will result in your student's growing confidence in writing skills and an excitement about learning how to be effective communicators! Students are to make the paper their own. The main ideas need to be included, but they need to try to put these ideas in their own words. THIS IS THE GOAL THAT WE ARE WORKING TOWARDS. Don't expect this right away. Please carefully read all of the instruction tips on PP 33-35 of your IEW Manual as you approach this new teaching. MOST IMPORTANTLY, REMEMBER- "Hands ON structure, hands OFF content." In class, I will model this process. And we will create a paragraph from the students' ideas. I will of course guide their responses and give them suggestions, if they are intimidated or unsure. I will allow them to copy the paragraph we create together. OR they are welcome and encouraged to make it their own. Remember Teachers, we can't help too much!
Rough Draft (RD)/Proofread – All papers must be double-spaced. The rough draft is just that- a rough draft. Please do not have your student erase and correct errors. Don't hinder or interrupt your student by pointing out all of their spelling errors at this point. Remember that the purpose of these IEW lessons is not to teach spelling or grammar. Those are completely different skills. If they ask you how to spell a word, provide them w that info.Or say "do your best to spell it. We'll make sure it's correct later." If the word they are requesting you to spell is from the source text (ie proper names...), remind them to try to include that info in the KWO. Students should only refer to their KWOs to write papers, not the source text. This is why checking the KWO by retelling is such an important step. Once finished writing the RD, CELEBRATE YOUR STUDENT'S EFFORTS!! Then, proofread the paper the following day. Use the symbols on the proofreader's marks page. You can find this in the IEW section of Campus Binder. Correct any misspelling, punctuation, and capitalization by writing the correction in red or a different color. The reason the papers are double-spaced is to allow room for the correction to be written in without erasing. ALWAYS KEEP RDs, FDs, AND CHECKLIST IN THE CAMPUS BINDER.
Checklist – The Composition Checklist is found at the end of each week's lesson in the IEW book. This will not used for you to grade your child's paper. This is a helpful guide to aid in making sure that the appropriate structure, mechanics, vocabulary (later style techniques) are used to compose the paper. Each checklist is tailored to identify certain structure and stylistic techniques, vocab.
Final Draft (FD) – Students will begin writing the final draft on Fri. and will turn this in to me on 9/9. I'll note all of this on the Blog Calendars. ALL FINAL DRAFTS MUST INCLUDE AN ATTACHED AND COMPLETED CHECKLIST. All items on the checklist, elements of style, dress ups, vocabulary words, need to be underlined and labeled in the left or right margin. The checklist will state exactly how to label these elements. They only need to underline and label one of each item listed. See sample paper in Campus Binder.
Poetry- The Poetry curriculum is a cumulative, oral program meant to develop linguistic and oratory skills. Students should be listening to the poems and reciting along, rather than reading (it might help to read the first few times, but after that, listening is much more helpful.) Once we've mastered the first poem, you will see the second poem listed on the blog. Then, students should practice poems 1 and 2. We'll then move on to 1-3, etc. Assessments will be of a less formal nature in class throughout the quarter. Remember, the emphasis here is on being enthusiastic and expressive with our recitations. I find that the class enjoys adding hand motions and exaggerated facial expressions, when we practice recitation in class. Focus should be on inflection, volume, tone of voice, eye contact, etc.
History- Story of the World Ch 4 Extensions
Geography:
Continents & Oceans song and map can be found here on the main blog curricula/geography page. Students will be responsible for pointing to the continents and oceans on a map on 9/7.
