Email to Parents 4/24

We hope everyone had a fantastic week and are looking forward to a wonderful weekend.  It’s hard to believe the 4th quarter is more than half over.  Here are a few updates from each subject area.

Math:  This was our final week of our measurement unit.  Students learned how to compare and convert weight, length, and capacity in both the customary and metric system.  Today, Friday, was a fun breakout.  Students were instructed to make sure all missing work was turned in before starting the breakout and then if they had time, they could work on the challenge.  I have updated the gradebook to reflect 50% for missing academic work and 40% for missing effort work.  I was getting some feedback that although I commented missing, when I left the score blank the assignment wasn’t showing up.  Once students turn these assignments in, I will update the gradebook so it reflects their score.  No points will be deducted for being late.

ELA:   This week we wrapped up writing our essay from last week, where students demonstrated their ability to integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write about the subject knowledgeably. Students also learned how to properly cite/quote poetry within an essay or paragraph, as well as how to eliminate first person point of view when writing. We ended the week researching information based on a focused question, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation, gathering relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, and integrating the information while avoiding plagiarism. I was also very impressed with student involvement on Google Meet on Thursday, where we practiced revising and editing a sentence.

This week we continued to learn about climate. Students researched a country with a different climate than the one we live in here in Arizona. There were many different countries chosen from Greenland to Canada! I am enjoying seeing everything that students have learned about climates in different countries. I also am working diligently to get grades updated and should have everything up to date by Monday. Then I will be able to regrade assignments that have been resubmitted.  Thank you for your patience and grace as we are figuring out this distance learning and distance grading!

 I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!