Student/ Parent Agenda - 17 Feb – 21 Feb
Big question: Why is it important to continually
strive to improve?
Enduring Understanding: Literate people take
an active role in their own education by
periodically reflecting on their knowledge base
and learning habits. In order to move forward,
they learn to adapt, which in turn helps them
make sense of how the world works.
Guiding questions:
How does one adapt to difficult or confusing
situations?
Why do people try to change themselves?
How might someone come up with a plan to
overcome challenges and achieve new goals?
Need to Complete:
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Figurative Language Book
Open House display – choose your favorite page on Figurative Language –
make a poster to display
Fan Fiction (in class)
101st Day of School makes me OLD!!
Content Specific Academic Words - Original
Grammar Apostrophes in contractions and possessives, subject-verb agreement
Focus: Apostrophes in contractions and possessives, subject-verb agreement
Day 1
Select a mentor text and make a chart entitled, “Apostrophe-thon”.
Do the first few for the students, and then have them complete the rest with you as a whole class. Have
students go back to their writing and find possessives and contractions and add to the chart as time
permits.
Day 2
Make an Apostrophe Wall Chart with the students. The students can actually be the ones to make it. They
can add what they can remember from the week’s lessons and then add to it throughout the whole year.
Apostrophe-thon
Possessives (Ownership)
Contractions (Squished words)
Possessive
Object of Possessive
Contraction
Words Unsquished
his
clock
computer’s
screen
they’d
they had
Thursday
Spelling Lesson – Week 5
Focus: Schwa sound in multi-syllable words (ex. consonant)
Explain:
Pronunciation and Use
The schwa is a quick, relaxed, neutral vowel pronunciation. The purpose of schwa is to allow
unstressed syllables to be said more quickly so the main beats of spoken words are easier to place
on the stressed syllables.
Schwa does not have a single standard pronunciation. Instead, the sound produced for schwa
varies between short u, short i, and short e. Most commonly, the short u sound is used for schwa
in American English pronunciation.
Schwa in an unstressed syllable
Spelling List # 5
1
consonant
2
dependable
3
4
communicate
recommend
5
6
parallel
necessary
7
8
9
10
recognize
commitment
vitamin
probably
11
12
13
bulletin
adequate
hesitate
14
15
instigate
sympathetic
16
approximate
17
18
dramatic
predicament
19
20
Celebration
compromise
Writers Workshop - PERSUASIVE WRITING
Focus: Persuasive Writing Techniques - Mrs. Clancy is doing lesson…
Ask the students what techniques they use when they are trying to persuade their family
members or a friend to do something. Listen to different methods of persuasion and write a few
techniques down on the display board.
Explain that persuasive writing isn't objective, but calls the reader to action or to a point of view
using facts, logic, and arguments. A major newspaper is a good source for examples of persuasive
writing. An article written by a guest columnist (opposite the editorial page) expressing an opinion
and persuading readers to accept a point of view (sometimes with humor). Advertisements and
political campaigning are other sources of persuasive writing.
Tell the students to avoid opinions and generalizations as supporting arguments. To provide
practice in identifying good supporting arguments, use copy of Supporting Facts and Statistics
In persuasive writing, a writer takes a position FOR or AGAINST an issue and writes to convince
the reader to believe or do something.
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER FOR PERSUASIVE WRITING
TEKS: 5. 6(A), (B), (C), 5.7(A), 5.8(A),5.9(A)
CCRS: II A 1-11, B 1-3
Suggested ELPS: 4(J), (K), 1(H),4(E),4(H),4(I)
Strategic Reading Focus: Literature Circles
Focus TEK: 5.6(A), (B), (C), 5.7(A), 5.8(A), 5.9(A)
Writer’s Workshop
Writing Mini-lesson / Grammar
TEKS: 5.18B
CCRS: I (A )2-3
Suggested ELPS: 5(F), 5(G)
Focus: Persuasive Writing Techniques
Grammar Apostrophes in contractions and possessives, subject-verb agreement
Focus TEKS: 5.18C, 5.18G
CCRS: I (A) 5
Suggested ELPS: 5 (E) ii
Thursday
Spelling Lesson – Week 5
Focus: Schwa sound in multi-syllable words (ex. consonant)
Explain:
Pronunciation and Use
The schwa is a quick, relaxed, neutral vowel pronunciation. The purpose of schwa is
to allow unstressed syllables to be said more quickly so the main beats of spoken
words are easier to place on the stressed syllables.
Schwa does not have a single standard pronunciation. Instead, the sound produced
for schwa varies between short u, short i, and short e. Most commonly, the short u
sound is used for schwa in American English pronunciation.
Schwa in an unstressed syllable
In words with more than one syllable, not every syllable is given equal emphasis
when spoken. Three levels of syllable stress are possible:
stressed
secondarily stressed
unstressed
Every multi-syllable word has a single stressed syllable. The single stressed
syllable of the word has the most emphasis. The remainder of the syllables may
have a secondary stress or may be unstressed.
The word em· pha· size has all the levels of stress. The first syllable is stressed,
the second syllable is an unstressed syllable pronounced as schwa, and the third
syllable has a secondary stress.
The Spelling of Schwa
Many multi-syllable words do not seem to be pronounced as they are spelled. This is
because schwa is a function of syllable stress and not of spelling. Once learners can
recognize stressed syllables it becomes easier to predict when schwa will be used
in an adjacent, unstressed vowel, regardless of the spelling. The examples below
show schwa as it is exhibited when spelled with each vowel. The unstressed vowel
sound, schwa, is underlined in each word.
Grammar Lesson
Focus: Apostrophes in contractions and possessives, subject-verb agreement
Day 1
Select a mentor text and make a chart entitled, “Apostrophe-thon”.
Do the first few for the students, and then have them complete the rest with you
as a whole class. Have students go back to their writing and find possessives and
contractions and add to the chart as time permits.
Day 2
Make an Apostrophe Wall Chart with the students. The students can actually be
the ones to make it. They can add what they can remember from the week’s
lessons and then add to it throughout the whole year.
Persuasive Essay Graphic Organizer
Paragraph #1 – Introduction
Attention-grabbing beginning -
Description of issue -
Opinion Statement –
Next Paragraphs
Reason
Evidence to support
(details and examples)
-