Mrs. Michelle Rojas

5^th/6^th grade Reading, Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher

Somerset Miramar Academy

Dear Parents,

            Welcome to the fourth nine weeks! I am very excited to continue to work with your children, challenging them everyday to develop their critical thinking abilities, inferring, synthesizing and evaluating reading selections every day. I would like to see them continue to read at least 30 minutes daily at home as now they are able to check out books from the school’s library every two weeks. They are also taking AR quizzes in my class and at the library. I would also like to see them completing reading logs, following the guidelines provided and writing a detailed summary using complete sentences. Please remember current events are due every Friday. Please review home learning with them, sign their home learning assignments and sign agendas. Most importantly, during this quarter, we will be reading novels! Our sixth graders will be reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham. Our fifth graders will be reading Number the Stars. It is extremely imperative that your child has their novel with them everyday in class starting on April 20. We will be working daily from the novels by reading it in class, having discussions about the novel, and analyzing characters and situations that arise as we read. If you have any questions, please e-mail me at mrojas@somersetmiramar.com.

Important dates:

Tuesdays: Papers go home. Review all assignments and sign assignment sheet.

April 16: Report Cards go home

April 23: Early Release

May 8: Sixth grade field trip to Animal Kingdom

Reading Log:

Reading Log Instructions

In your reading log folder, include this information for every reading log entry:

Title of the Book:_____________________________________

Author: ____________________________________________

Date: ___________________                        Time read: ______________________

Pages read:________________

Summary:

Include a summary about what you read using at least 5 sentences. Discuss the setting, characters, plot, problem and solution of the story. Include as many details as possible. If you are reading a non-fiction book, write about what are you learning and how it is relevant to you. Please remember to use correct grammar, capitalization and punctuation.

Example of a correct reading log entry:

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

Christopher Paul Curtis

August 24, 2008                                 30 minutes

Pages: 10-42

            Today I read about a 10-year-old boy, named Kenny, who tells us the story of his family, “the Weird Watsons,” who live in Flint, Michigan. Most of Kenny’s problems are caused by his older brother, Byron, who is also the school’s bully. Today I read that Byron gave a kiss to his reflection and ended up with his lips frozen to the side-view mirror on the family’s car. His dad, sister and brother tried to help him, but they couldn’t. Mama decided to pull him off the mirror! Kenny whispered he would call his brother the “Lipless Wonder.”

Current Event:

Rubric:

Article: 2 points

Picture: 2 points

Resource: 2 points

Title: 2 points

Date of Article: 2 points

Summary: 10 points (Please be sure to write using your own words, neatly and legible).

Total: 20 points

Due every Friday

***There will not be a current event due on November 7, 2008.

Useful Websites:

http://www.tutorial.teachtci.com/: History Alive, 5^th grade review for Social Studies

pearsonsuccessnet.com: Reading Street, 5^th and 6^th grade review for reading stories

 hwww.yourchildlearns.com/europe_map.htmttp://

www.how-to-study.com: Excellent website to learn about reading strategies, writing strategies, and it includes some math reviews.

www.wordlywise3000.com: Excellent website to build vocabulary skills.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Rojas

Wish list

Walmart Gift Card

Ace Educational Super Store Gift Card (in Davie)

Barnes and Nobles Bookstore Gift Card

Thank you for all your donations. I truly appreciate everthing that has been donated to our classroom. 

6th grade and 5th grade:

Week of April 20, 2009

Special Extra-Credit Opportunity for both classes: If students view the movie Earth on April 22, Earth Day, and bring the ticket with a one-page essay about what they learned from the movie, they will be eligible for extra credit points and will not be required to do their current event for April 24. The extra credit assignment is due on April 24^th and this assignment will replace their current event grade. If the student does not view the movie, a regular current event will have to be turned in on Friday, April 24^th.

Special Extra-Credit Opportunity for both classes: If the entire class sells one carnival booklet per student, we will have no current event Friday, May 1^st. Please help your child sell at least one carnival booklet. This carnival allows us to improve our school, our community, our resources, and us! I truly believe we can do it!

April 22: Earth Day!

April 23: Early Release

6^th grade begins the novel: The Watsons Go to Birmingham

Please be sure your child brings their novel everyday to school. It is imperative that their novel is in school daily as we will be working from the novel during our reading time and taking notes in the book. As always, thank you for your continued support.

Vocabulary Words:

The Watsons Go to Birmingham Vocabulary

Chapters 1-3

1. vital: necessary syn: essential, significant ant: optional, unimportant

2. numb: unable to feel or move

3. delinquent: someone who breaks the law

4. emulate: imitate syn: simulate, duplicate

5. hostile: unfavorable; relating to an enemy syn: unfriendly ant: amicable, friendly

6. huddle: crowd together

7. intimidate: frighten syn: discourage

Spelling words: blizzard, demonstration, emulate, frostbite, grenade, hostile, hypnotized, incapable, delinquent, miraculous, panning, punctual, reinforcements, skimpy, thermostat, version, vital

Novel test, Grammar test, Spelling test and Vocabulary test will be on Friday, April 24.

Week of April 27, 2009  The Watsons Go to Birmingham

6^th grade

Vocabulary Words:

Chapters 4-8

1. drowsy: sleepy

syn: sluggish ant: awake part of speech: adjective

2. maestro: an expert musician or composer

part of speech: noun

3. genie: magical spirit in stories

 part of speech: noun

4. haphazardly: unplanned, disorderly

 part of speech: adverb

5. tempted: to entice or to lure

 part of speech: verb

6. executioner: an official who gives a sentence, or a capital punishment

part of speech: noun

7. traitor: a person who betrays another or their country

part of speech: noun syn: spy ant: loyalist

8. zombie: someone lacking energy

part of speech: noun

9. scowl: to grimace or to glower

 part of speech: verb syn: frown ant: beam/smile

Week of May 11, 2009 The Watsons Go to Birmingham

6^th grade Chapters 13-15/Epilogue

Vocabulary Words:

1. stingy- reluctant to give or spend. antonyms: generous synonyms: tight part of speech: adjective
2. pervasive- to become spread throughout all parts of  synonyms: permeating
3. thugs- a cruel or vicious ruffian, robber, or murderer. syn: hoodlums, gangster part of speech: noun.

4.  wobble-to move unsteadily from side to side, syn: tremble, quiver part of speech: verb

5. banned-to prohibit, forbidden part of speech: verb synonyms: outlaw  antonyms: allow.

 Test: Thursday, May 14th

Reminder: Please monitor your child's project for Geography. The project about countries is due on May 21st. If you have any questions, please e-mail me.

5th grade:

Please be sure your child brings their novel everyday to school. It is imperative that their novel is in school daily as we will be working from the novel during our reading time and taking notes in the book. As always, thank you for your continued support.

5^th grade begins the novel Number the Stars on April 20^th

Number the Stars Vocabulary

Chapters 1-3:

1.  impassive: without emotion; apathetic; calm; serene syn: emotionless, unaffected part of speech: adjective

2.  prodded: to poke with or as if something pointed syn: stir part of speech: verb

3.  Nazi: member of the National Socialist German Workers’ party of Germany in 1933 under Adolf Hitler, seized political control of the country

4. sabotage: to injure or attack syn: disable, vandalize, cripple part of speech: verb

5. rabbi: the chief religious official of a synagogue part of speech: noun

6. lanky: ungracefully thin; bony part of speech: adjective

7. stubborn: fixed or set in purpose or opinion syn: obstinate part of speech: adjective

8. obstinate: firmly adhering to one’s purpose; inflexible persistence syn: unyielding part of speech adjective

9.  trousseau: an outfit of clothing part of speech: noun

Spelling Words:

lanky, Nazi, sabotage, kroner, disdainfully, rabbi, Haite, occupation, rationed, synagogue, submerged, prodded, impassive, stubborn, obstinate

Novel test, Grammar test, Spelling test and Vocabulary test will be on Friday, April 24.

Week of April 27, 2009 Number the Stars

5^th grade

Vocabulary Words:

1. synagogue: a Jewish house of worship, often having facilities for religious instruction

part of speech: noun

2. congregation: an assembly of persons brought together for common religious worship.

 Part of speech: noun

3. relocation: to move (a building, company, etc.) to a different location

part of speech: verb

syn: transfer

4. Star of David: a hexagram used as a symbol of Judaism

 part of speech: noun

5. tentatively: unsure; uncertain; not definite or positive; hesitant

part of speech: adjective syn: undecidedly ant: certain

6. specter: some object or source of terror or dread

 part of speech: noun syn: spook

7. exasperation: an act of being irritated; extremely annoyed

part of speech: noun syn: aggravation ant: calming, soothing

8. imprinted: a mark made by pressure; a mark or figure impressed or printed on something

part of speech: noun