Anything in magenta is optional.
BLOG KEY
General:
Act – Activity
Ch – Chapter
Ex – Exercise
L – Lesson
p – Page(s)
Math:
HIG – Home Instructor’s Guide
TB – Textbook
WB – Workbook
FP – Facts Practice (A, B, C, or D denotes which sheet to use)
Writing:
IEW- Institute for Excellence in Writing
KWO - Key word outline
Science:
TB – Textbook
NBJ – Notebooking Journal
WDYR - What Do You Remember?
COMING SOON...
Monday, September 28 - Moms in Prayer. 9 a.m. at Agape Java
Monday, September 28 - Co-teacher (AKA Parent) Training. 1-2 p.m. in the sanctuary. Q&A session with a panel of experienced Fortis parents. Come with your questions, big or small!
Wednesday, September 30 - Pizza, Spirit, and DOGS Day!
Wednesday, September 30 - MDO/Grammar School Playdate at Lions Foundation Park in Liberty Hill immediately after school.
Monday, October 5 - 5th Grade Colonial Celebration!
Monday , October 12 - Teacher Training Day. NO SCHOOL!
"Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands..." Psalm 90:17
DOCUMENTS you'll need this week (uploaded to the Google Drive):
BIBLE/VIRTUES: This month, we'll be focusing on the virtues of courage and respect. When the Pilgrims left Holland for America, it required a tremendous leap of faith and must have taken an extraordinary amount of courage. Once they arrived here, it took even more courage to face the challenges of a strange and difficult new life, fraught with hardship. In addition, we will spend time discussing the importance of respect for God, respect for our fellow classmates and friends, and respect for our leaders and those in positions of authority.
MATH:
- Improve recall speed of multiplication math facts.
- Practice adding and subtracting mixed numbers.
- Find the product of a fraction and a while number.
- Convert a measurement expressed as a fraction (proper fraction or mixed number) to a smaller unit or a compound unit.
- Convert a measurement expressed as a mixed number to a smaller unit.
- Express a part of a measurement as a fraction of the whole.
- Practice multiplying a fraction by a whole number and converting measurements from fractions or mixed numbers to smaller units.
SPELLING:
- Assess mastery of words ending in ICE.
- Learn to spell words that are exceptions to the I-Before-E generalization.
GRAMMAR:
- Know that there are three types of pronouns: subject, object, and possessive, and be able to identify and label them in a sentence.
- Practice dictionary skills.
- Learn four new vocabulary words and be able to properly incorporate them into writing.
- Write key word outlines using the story sequence chart.
- Know that all narrative stories have three parts: characters and setting; plot; and climax/resolution.
VOCABULARY QUIZ:
This is not an easy quiz. Students need to actually know the words well. They should really understand what the words mean and how to use them in a sentence. The quiz is a mixture of:
1. Fill-in-the blank (in the context of a story with missing words from a word bank),
2. Choosing antonyms from a word bank,
3. Supplying synonyms for words, and
4. Writing original sentences using vocab words.
The best way to prepare is to have your student write sentences for each of the words, as well as study the synonyms and antonyms. The sentences they write on the test must demonstrate that they understand what the word means. They would not get credit for a sentence such as, "I like the word prosperity." They also must use proper capitalization and punctuation in order to get full credit for the sentences, so have them practice this as well. I will not count off for misspelled words that I wouldn't expect them to already know. The vocab words must be spelled correctly, however, since they are listed on the quiz. They should also be familiar with other forms of the vocab words. For instance, they should know "indignance" and "indignant," as well as "indignantly."
READING:
- Summarize a passage through oral narration.
- Engage in meaningful Socratic discussion.
- Identify virtues, as well as elements of truth, beauty and goodness, in reading passages.
- Improve reading comprehension.
- Learn ten new vocabulary words and a maxim.
- Know that second declension nouns can also be neuter.
- Be able to use a chart to decline a second-declension neuter noun.
HISTORY:
- Know that William Penn was a Quaker and the founder of the Pennsylvania colony.
- Be aware of the differences between the way Penn treated the Indians as opposed to the other settlers.
KEY DATES TEST PREPARATION: The key dates test will list the six events, in random order, and students will have to fill in the dates from memory. Students will not be tested over the jingles, but they are extremely valuable in helping students retain not only the dates, but also some important context and details surrounding the event.
HISTORY JOURNALS: I will be collecting history journals on Wednesday to grade assignments for the last few weeks of the quarter. Remember that in order for your student to get full credit for each assignment, he or she needs to format it correctly and thoroughly follow the instructions. Refer to the sample page behind the history tab in the binder, as well as the notes in the front of the journal, for complete instructions. Following this format helps keep the journal neat and organized and makes it MUCH easier for me to grade, as well. Thank you for your help on this!
- Memorize the components of the digestive system and the renal system and understand the function(s) of each.
- Use the study guide to prepare for next week's test.
GEOGRAPHY:
- Develop a heart of compassion for the peoples of the world who don't yet know Christ.
- Memorize the names and locations of the islands of the West Indies.
- Be familiar with the climate and geological features of the islands in the West Indies.
MEMORY WORK:
Geography: We'll continue our study of the islands in the West Indies. A hard copy of the maps can be found behind the "memory" tab in your child's binder. Additional maps, as well as MP3s of the song, are available at this link: Geography Resources.
History: Students will memorize a portion of the Declaration of Independence (bolded portion only) and 21 key dates.The key dates have accompanying jingles that do not have to be memorized, but will help students memorize the dates and retain details about the events to which they correspond. We will test over the first six dates on 11/30:
1. Leif Ericsson Explores America - 1000
2. Columbus Sails to the Americas - 1492
3. Lost Colony of Roanoke - 1583
4. Founding of Jamestown - 1607
5. Landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth - 1620
6. Salem Witch Trials - 1692
7. First Great Awakening -1740s
8. French & Indian War - 1754-63
9. Boston Tea Party - 1773
10. Paul Revere's Ride - 1775
11. Declaration of Independence - July 4, 1776
12. American Revolution - 1775-83
Poetry: This quarter, we'll work on memorizing and reciting Proverbs 2:1-11 (NIV).