Curriculum Overview
Mr. VanDerWerken


THIRD QUARTER


Social Studies
SKILLS AND CONCEPTS:
  • The Revolutionary War
  • The Constitution
  • The Nation Grows...Divides and Re-unites (The Civil War)
Science
Weather and Climate
(Investigate and use appropriate technology to build an understanding of weather and climate):

Investigate the water cycle processes of:

  • Evaporation
  • Condensation
  • Precipitation
  • Run-Off
Discuss how factors are affected by weather patterns:
  • Temperature
  • Wind direction and speed
  • Precipitation
  • Cloud cover
  • Air pressure
Describe/Analyze various cloud formations and their relation to weather systems;
Explain how global atmospheric movement patterns affect local weather;
Compile/Use weather data to establish a climate record and reveal any trends;
Discuss how geography influences weather & climate:
  • Mountains
  • Sea breezes
  • Water bodies
A SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT IS DUE THIS QUARTER!
Information regarding the details of the science fair will be forthcoming.

If you'd like to get more information on science fair project resources, ideas and "How To" create a science fair project CLICK HERE

 

Health
The SUPER KIDS Program Continues (Jan.-Feb.16),
with Officer Jonathan Arnold:
Recognizing Stereotyping and Discrimination;
Listing Rules for Productive Arguing;
Identifying Alternatives to Fighting;
Adapting to Changing Relationships;
Healthy Alternatives to Drug Use;
Rational Counter-Arguments to Pressure to Use Drugs, Alcohol, and Tobacco.

Continue First Aid; Environmental Behaviors and Health Risks; The roles of calcium, phosphorous, floride, and vitamin D; Selecting foods that contribute to dental health; Diet information.

Math
Students have daily math classwork/homework. I give time for students to start (and sometimes students will complete) their work in class. This helps clarify any problems the student has with the assignment. I would encourage parents to make sure their child brings home their book/work, even if they finish their work in class. You can check your child's work to be sure they understand the math concept that we did that day. Every quarter will have a quarter review, followed by the end of quarter test.
SKILLS:
  • Angles
  • Triangles
  • Polygons (Sum of interior angles)
  • Polygons:
    Parallelism and Perpendicularity of sides and angles
  • Solving Problems with Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Polygons (Sum of Measures of Interior Angles)
  • Solving Problems with Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Polygons (Lengths of sides and diagonals)
  • Solving Problems with Triangles, Quadrilaterals, Polygons (Parallelism and Perpendicularity)
  • Review Transformations, Reflections, Translations, and Rotations
  • Line and Rotational symmetry of plane figures
  • Review Measurement:
    Customary and Metric for:
    Length, Mass, Capacity, and Temperature
  • Estimate Measurements from one system to another (For Length, Mass, Capacity, and Temperature)
  • Area of Rectangles and Perimeter of Plane Figures
  • Problem Solving throughout the quarter with objectives taught this quarter
Reading
READING THEMES: "Time And Time Again," and the first half of "Traveling On." Students will also utilize the Accelerated Reader Program. Students need to read at least 20 minutes per night. They can read their accelerated reader, or any story book that interests him/her. Although, I don't require a daily parent signature for the home reading, I am asking parents to routinely monitor their child's nightly reading. I'm planning on reading one story from our textbook per week (Mon.-Wed.). Then on Thursday or Friday, take a comprehension test on the story. Every quarter will have a quarter review, followed by the end of quarter test.
GENRE:
  • Tall Tell
  • Myth
  • Historical Fiction
*In addition to our whole group instruction, we will also have guided reading in small groups.*

SKILLS: Compare And Contrast; Main Ideas And Supporting Details; Predicting; Context Clues; Author's Purpose; Setting; Paraphrasing; Visualizing.

English / Grammar
SKILLS: Adjectives; Using Adjectives To Improve Sentences; Comparative And Superlative Adjectives; Adverbs; Using Adverbs To Improve Sentences; Contractions; Pronouns; Subject And Object Pronouns; Pronouns And Their Referents.
Writing
For the second semester, I am focusing on writing strategies to enhance the students' clarification writing proficiency. I plan to model the writing prompt with the class Mon.-Wed., and then let the students do the writing prompt independently on Thur./Friday. Ideally, I would like the students to type and edit their writing assignments on Thur./Friday, on the class computers in html format. Their finished stories will then be placed on their writing page in the "Aspiring Writers" section of my web site.
SKILLS: Clarification; Descriptive Writing; Report Writing; Journal Writing; Book Report Writing.
Wordly Wise
LESSONS: Fifteen-Twenty. Parts A and B will be done on Mon., parts C and D on Tue., part E on Wed., and the test will be given on Thursday. By Friday, students should have all their words and definitions on their index cards. Writing the words and definitions on index cards, helps students with retention, which in turn, helps them on their wordly wise tests.
Spelling
LESSONS: Fifteen-Twenty-one. There will be a trial test on Monday, and a final test on Friday. Students who achieve a 100% on the trial test, need not take the final test. The spelling words are taken from our stories in our reading textbook.