February 4 Newsletter

One of our fantastic Ancient Egypt dioramas!  Now it's off to Ancient Greece and Astronomy!

Hello Questers!

The following is a newsletter for the week.


Ancient Greece Quiz

There will be a quiz on Thursday about the learning thus far in our new ESB unit.  Students will have to label different city-states on a map (Athens, Megara, Corinth, Sparta, Ithaca, and Troy).  They will also have to answer questions about some of the quiz cards they have been studying in class.

Map to study
Quiz Cards to study

Geometry Quiz

There will be a quiz on triangles and quadrilaterals on Friday.  Students will be responsible for understanding the following vocabulary words:  isosceles, scalene, equilateral, rhombus, parallelogram, rectangle, square, acute, obtuse, right.

Valentine's Day

Due to popular request, we will be having a Valentine's Day party next Friday!  This may look a bit different from elementary parties in that it is optional for students to bring in Valentines.  Many students want to bring them in!  We will not have "mailboxes" for these, but students are welcome to pass them out individually while we play some games and watch a movie.  If your student would like to bring them in, I recommend they do not write individual names on them, as it is easier to pass them out without the names.  If they would like to put names on them, that is very nice, and we can help to make sure they are distributed.

We would love some snacks!  If you are able to send in a drink, a snack, or a Valentine treat, please email us and we will put Mrs. LaRock on the coordination.  We won't need something from everyone, just enough to keep it festive.  Although the students insisted on all sugar, all candy! we could do with a cheese and cracker plate somewhere in the mix.  Thanks for your help with this!

Drama Unit

We have begun our Ancient Greece drama unit!  Students have been reading scripts, and choosing roles for two plays:  The Odyssey (kid's version) and The Greek Heroes (I wrote this one based on a book they are reading in class).  Many students would like some of the lead roles!  There will be auditions early next week.  For the auditions, students will need to read some of the lines from their role from the stage.  I will have a couple of people help me determine who should have the part.  If your student is interested in one of the leads, encourage him / her to project, project, project, as that is the most challenging part with a play for fifth and sixth grade students!

I will announce parts by the end of next week.  Students will have a couple of weeks to practice their lines before we begin rehearsals.  Rehearsals will happen during our LA block.  During the time students are practicing their lines, and throughout the unit itself, we will also be reading from our Greek mythology books.

Questers Without Borders

A poster regarding the languages of your student's continent is due this Thursday.  Many are coming along very nicely!

Questions to ask your student:

• What part are you interested in for the Greek play unit?
• What is one foreign word from a country in your continent?
• What Greek polis are you in for the Greek unit?
• What are the Quiz cards for the quiz on Thursday?

Let us know if you have any questions for us!!