Welcome Starblazers!

Students have been learning about PIE. Everything an author writes has a purpose. An author persuades, informs and/or entertains his audience. Students are going to write a summary about information they are collecting in class about volcanoes, blindness, dogs and Mt. Vesuvius. The students will go to the computer lab to type their summaries along with the paper they wrote on the person they admire. After they write their summaries students will be reading an entertaining selection, The Dog of Pompeii and reading an informative passage about the city of Pompeii. Please ask your child questions about these two passages.

We are  learning vocabulary terms. Students should be going over their terms nightly. The terms are in their yellow notebook. There will be a test on these terms at the end of the month. Even though we are not having new words this month they should be reviewing the old words.

Book project information has been sent home with your child. Students are to select a book off the list they were given. There are many books to choose from, but the book does have to come from this list. Students should be reading this book for their reading logs. Information about their project choices have been sent home.  They are to complete two items from the choices given. Projects are due, Friday, March 9th. 

Students have been given a reading log. They should read 100 minutes a week. A log is due each Tuesday with a parent signature. Students have been doing very well with these. They need to be reading the novel they selected for their book project.

Students go to the media center once every two weeks. Please make sure they return library books on the day they are due.

Here are a few books students might want to read :

Hatchet

Brian's Song

Tuck Everlasting

Number the Stars

The Egypt Game

The Giver

Helen Keller The Story of My Life(Autobiography)

The Upstairs Room

Bridge To Terabithia

Marley A Dog Like No Other

The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas

The Lighting Thief

Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush

Smiles to Go

There's a Girl In My Hammerlock

Maniac Magee

Liar Liar

Old and new Starblazers, read one of the following and email me your opinion of the book. Can you guess which book from the list is my favorite?

The 12 Power Words

(Students should be able to define, spell and use in a sentence.)

Trace: Outline

Analyze: Bread down into smaller steps or parts

Infer: Read between the lines; read what the author doesn't say

Evaluate: Judge or determine value

Formulate: Build, create

Describe: Tell all about it

Support: Back it up; defend

Explain: Tell; Tell sequence, parts, or details

Summarize: The short version; key points or main idea

Compare: Things that are similar

Contrast: Things that are different

Predict: Think about the future

UNRAAVEL

U - Underline the title

N- Now make a prediction about the text

R - Run through and number the paragraphs

A - Are you reading the questions?

A - Are the important words circled?

V - Venture through the passage(Read it.)

E - Eliminate wrong answer choices in the questions.

L - Let the questions be answered.

Students should use this strategy when they are reading a passage and have questions to answer. It helps them to focus in on important information.

In compliance with federal law, the Rowan-Salisbury School System administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination because of race, religion, national or ethnic origin, color, age, military service, disability, or gender, except where exemption is appropriate and allowed by law.