Room 42 News
October 6, 2014
Mrs. Keyes
Special Notes:
This week will have LIGHT
HOMEWORK ~ cheer, cheer
cheer! There is mid-term
assessing in the air. We will be
working on language arts and math
benchmarks. These are grade level
tests provided by the district six
times per year. A good night of
rest and a breakfast with protein
will be most helpful for students.
LEARNING GOAL
Language Arts:
I will be doing some quick review,
otherwise known as “cramming” on
some of our trimester objectives.
Students will spend a couple of
days on a test of reading
comprehension and writing
responses.
Students should bring reading
material at their AR level as
entertainment after they finish
tests. Great use of time, and
should ensure individual student
reading goals are met.
Math:
A week of division . . . . . . it was a
struggle at times. 
We started by estimating, then
worked with compatible numbers
stefanie.keyes@smusd.org
760-290-2121 ext: 3142
(fact families), and continued to
focus on the base ten model. Then
we used these strategies to take
away partial sums to get to the
answer.
Students are not required to use
the standard algorithm until sixth
grade. The goal when assessed will
be for students to be able to
explain their quotient in their own
words.
For example: What is 429 divided
by 7?
This is what a student response
would look something like in order
to get full credit: First, I
estimated and looked at 429 as
420 and knew that 7 x 6 is 42, so
7 x 60 would be 420. If I pull out
60 groups of 7, I would have
removed 60 equal groups of 7 =
420. There would still be nine left
over, which I could take one more
group of 7 from, leaving me with
2.
The work on the page would
reflect some subtracting along
the way with the words to
accompany the problem, and then
a final answer of 61 R2.
We will be wrapping this up on
Monday, taking a quick division
quiz on Tuesday, then reviewing
the first half of the trimester for
a district benchmark later in the
week.
Social Studies:
Students have learned of the
Desert Southwest Natives, the
Pacific Northwest and the Plains
People. They will learn about the
Northeastern Woodland groups
and the Arctic people on Monday
and Tuesday, which wraps up the
unit. Students will review
throughout the week, take home a
study guide on Wednesday, and
have a final chapter test on
Thursday.
Friday will be our Native American
Celebration. Students will watch
as I prepare a crock pot of "Three
Sisters Soup" and heat until lunch.
This will include the staples of a
couple of the studied regions'
foods: corn, beans, and squash.
Prior to lunch, students will have a
small portion of soup and
cornbread, but this is not
intended to be lunch, so please
plan as usual.
Students will rotate to three
classrooms for different
activities, all of about 30 minutes
each. The time in each classroom
will begin with a refresher of
content/importance, then will
follow with a craft:
In Mrs. Keyes' classroom,
students will string a beaded
bracelet of "wampum" which was
what the native people would use
as traded valuables, or to show
wealth.
In Mrs. Ceko's room, students will
prepare a "Sand Painting" which
was created by elders and
religious leaders to help people in
the healing process.
In Mrs. Martin's room, students
will be making totem poles (out of
paper, not trees) to replicate the
animals and symbols that the
natives cherished.
If any
parent/grandparent/guardian is
able to help, I could use two
helpers from 9:30-11:10 and one
from 12:15-12:45. Please let me
know if you are interested!
Science:
The content of our midterm
benchmark has to do with our
curriculum on phases of matter
(solids, liquids, and gas). We will
be continuing with this subject to
help with any clarifying before
the assessment. We will watch
some videos, and make a flip
chart. Should be fun stuff to
close up the past chapter.