We will have class pictures this Thursday just before lunch recess.  Make sure to get orders in by Thursday.

We still have a number of students missing school.  This is really unfortunate timing, but we'll just do what we can.  My goal these last two weeks of the trimester is to cut out everything I can to give everyone a chance to get caught up and focus their energy on their essay and reading blogs.

Spelling - Test 19 Wednesday.  We will not have a test next week.

Vocab - No quiz this week or next week.

Reading - Read through ch. 24, plus the Reading Strategies Log, Reading blogs due next Tuesday, the 13th.

L A - Do what you can to move forward on your essay.  The few students who are on schedule will be turning their essays in tomorrow or Wednesday.  Others will hopefully have their essays in by Friday.

History - We're still just working on our Cause and Effect posters.  Students who are missing work use this time to catch up.

Spelling - we took test 17 Wednesday.  Be ready for that when you return.  We will take test 19 next week.
Vocab - We took a quiz today.  Be ready for it when you return.
Reading - Read ch. 22 this weekend
L  A- Today we learned how to write a conclusion paragraph.  See the below video for instruction.  By Monday, students should have drafted all the paragraphs of their essay.  History - We are working in groups to make cause and effect flow charts that cover then entire war.  Students who miss this should be okay as this is extra enrichment.  They just need to make sure they know the basic order of causes and effects in the American Revolution.

Spelling - we took test 17 yesterday.  Be ready for that when you return.
Vocab - Quiz on Friday.  Everyone should have their words and definitions at this point.
Reading - Read ch. 20-21 tonight
L  A- Today we learned how to write an introduction paragraph.  See the below video for instruction.  At this point, students should have drafted 3 body paragraphs and at least started their introduction paragraph.  We will be looking at different student intro paragraphs tomorrow to see if we can identify what works and what doesn't work when writing an introduction.
History - we are working in groups to make cause and effect flow charts that cover then entire war.  Students who miss this should be okay as this is extra enrichment.  They just need to make sure they know the basic order of causes and effects in the American Revolution.

As we are nearing the end of the trimester, make sure to be checking Sycamore for missing assignments.

Spelling - Test 17 this Wednesday
Vocab - New words out today, Quiz on Friday
Reading - Read through ch. 18 tonight
LA - Today and tomorrow we will be drafting our three body paragraphs
History - Read section 8.4

If you are interested, here is a list of resources that can help keep your kids safe on the internet.

1.  Focus on one task at a time for limited amounts of time
Try staying completely focused on making your history review flashcards for 1 minute.  Then see if you can beat 1 minute and try for 1.5 minutes.  Fill in the amounts of time that make sense for you, your task and your environment.

2.  Get glucose
Self-control and glucose are apparently very connected.  When we run low on blood-sugar, self-control is harder.  To get glucose try 1) eating, 2) moving (which releases glucose from the liver), or 3) having strong emotions.  All of these things increase our blood sugar and, in turn, our capacity for self control.

3.  Make your to-do list actionable
Instead of writing "history test", write "make flashcards for sections 7.1-7.3".  Instead of writing "paint the bedroom", write "select and purchase paint at store".  Make sure you can do anything on your to-do list immediately.

These first three come from a monthly brain-science email sent by Eric Jensen.  I would add a fourth tip, though.

4.  Pray for the Holy Spirit
We know that self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit, so pray that he would work in you and be your helper.  Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you focus!

After talking this morning about the upcoming tests and projects, we decided to move the Anything Project due date to Monday.  Some students will turn their projects in early.  The Spelling Test, History Test, and Vocab Quiz will stay put.

Wed. - Spelling Test
Thursday - Anything Project Due
Friday - History Test
Friday - Vocab Quiz

There are a couple pretty time consuming items in there.  I'll keep an open conversation with the students this week to see if it is reasonable that we need to move anything.