Extension!

Hola Familia,

The essay due date has been extended to Sunday at 12 noon. Just a few more tips/reminders to get you through the next day and a half:

• —Be sure you did not write a story. This is an essay.
• Ask yourself, "Have I included everything I need?" You should have the following:
• Intro paragraph: with a thesis
• 4 Body Paragraphs
• Conclusion paragraphs: 6 sentences 
• Reminder: The topic sentence of every body paragraph should be the reason to support your thesis.
• The rest of that paragraph needs to show that the topic sentence is true.

Are you done writing? Take one last look at your work.

• —Spell check your work. To do this, click “Tools”, then click “spelling”. The spell check will begin.
• —Whisper read your work. As you do this, listen for any mistakes or places where your writing does not make sense. 
• —Make sure your work is “Times New Roman” font at a size “12”. 
• Make sure there are NO SPACES between your paragraphs. They should only be on separate lines. 
• —Be sure your paragraphs are indented. 
• Double space your work. To do this, select the whole document with your cursor (or press CTRL A), click format--> line spacing-->double (trust me, this is the best part).
• —Give your essay a title. Remember, no extra spaces between the title and the first paragraph.

Is your essay longer than one typed page? Don't worry. Be proud! You've done excellent work. 

—

Final essays are due tomorrow. Here are all of the tips to ensure success!

Family,

We are really moving through our nonfiction essays in class. Students have done excellent planning and research, and drafting, now we are moving into our final draft/publishing stage. At this point, all students should have one typed draft shared with me on Google Docs. I have asked that they finish their final draft at home, if they were not able to finish in class. Even those students who have finished, should check their document if possible. I am making a concerted effort to comment on every single student's essay today. Students know how to respond to my comments and make appropriate changes in Google Docs. For those who have never used Google Docs before, it is a pretty cool program. As long as you have access to the internet, you can visit your document anywhere. Also, there is no "save" button because they program automatically saves your work.

Here are the steps to accessing Google Docs:

1. Visit docs.google.com
2. You may be prompted to log in. If so, use your school account login (firstname-lastname@pgcps.org and your password). You may have to enter your info a second time after you are redirected to the PGCPS login page. It's okay. Do what they are asking you to do. 
3. If you are not logged into google, here is what the process will look like:

1. If someone else (like Mom or Dad) is logged onto Google, here is how you add an account without logging theirs out:

1. Once you are logged into Google Docs, you should see your document just as you did today in class. 
2. Click on your document and begin work!

Speaking of work...

Some homeskillets are still missing a conclusion paragraph. You have two ways of writing a conclusion paragraph. Either way is fine. Check this link for the first option or just follow this formula:

Sentence 1: Restate your thesis in different words.

Sentences 2-5: State each reason as a sentence in different words.

Sentence 6: Leave an interesting lesson learned from your research about your topic. 

Last thing. This is how you will be graded:

I hope this info was helpful. Let's finish the quarter strong!

-Ms. Sheps

Social Studies Quiz 3.4

Hola Familia,

This is the last part of this week's study guide. Happy prepping!

• What are some benefits to moving to a rural community?
• There is less population density.
• People can work close to their homes.
• People can enjoy the peace and quiet.
• It costs less to live in a rural community.
• What does it mean when a rural community is described as having a lower population density?
• There are fewer people living in the community, and they live further apart.

Use the map on page 27 for this. 

• Which cities on the map have the highest population density? 
• Rockville, Baltimore, Annapolis
• What is the population density around Cumberland? 
• 100 to 250 people per square mile, or 259 to 648 people per square kilometer
• Is the greatest area of low population density in Maryland west or east of Baltimore? 
• East

Social Studies Quiz 3.4 Study Guide

Family,

Our Social Studies Quiz will be on Friday. Here are the notes from today:

• Important Terms:
• Population: the number of people who live there
• Urban: having to do with cities
• Suburban: a community that is close to a large city
• Commute: to regularly travel back and forth between your home and your job
• Rural: having to do with country or country life
• What is an area’s population density?
• Population density is a measure of how close together people live.
• What causes an area’s population to grow larger? 
• Many people move there for jobs, services, and entertainment.
• What are four things people like about cities? 
• Everything people need is nearby.
• There are more jobs. 
• There are good hospitals and schools. 
• There are special events, entertainment, and more excitement.
• What are two things people do not like about cities? 
• They are crowded and noisy. 
• People live very close together.
• What are two things people do not like about cities? 
• They are crowded and noisy. 
• People live very close together.

Do you have writer's block? Check these videos to jar your memory.

Greetings Family,

Some of you might be a little behind in your writing work. Here are some helpful links/examples to help you get writing!

KWL CHART--Plan your Writing: https://learnzillion.com/resources/99916-informational-writing

Writing an Introduction: https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/8814-write-an-introduction-for-an-informational-text

Writing a Conclusion: https://learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/6771-write-a-conclusion-for-an-informational-text

Announcements for the Week

Greetings Family,

I hope everyone enjoyed the weekend. We are off to another action packed week. Here's what is planned:

-Reading Logs and 60 minutes of iReady time have been assigned for Homework.
-We are finishing up our writing unit this week. Look for additional writing homework assignments as we close on our essay.
-We will have a social studies quiz this Friday. Please look for the study guide.
-This is the last week of quarter 3! Let's do our very best!

***Shout out to Marc Anthony for his stellar performance in our school production, "Ms. Nelson is missing."

Let's keep working hard.

-MS. Sheps

Short Study Guide for the Weekly Quiz (Rescheduled for Monday)

Greetings Family,

For this week's quiz, students need to know what a thesis is and how to recognize a thesis in informational text. Here is what we learned about a thesis:

• A thesis is the main argument in your writing.
• It is a fact you believe and can prove with evidence.
• ›Not everyone has to agree with your thesis.

The quiz has been rescheduled for Monday, March 20, 2017. 

Happy Snow Day!- Announcements from the Week

Greetings Family,

Happy snow day! I hope you enjoyed the time spent with loved ones out of the cold. Here are the announcements for the week:

-Students will have a weekly quiz this coming Thursday. The quiz will cover skills learned during our non fiction writing and reading units (study guide to follow).
-Students in class 4.1 were the victors of the February round of the Family Gems game. Our celebration will be on Friday. Students may bring snacks for students. I ask that if a student does bring snacks, they also bring items to share with the rest of the class. Individually wrapped packages are appreciated.
-Our Creative Arts Production will be on Thursday at 7PM. We hope to see you there!
-Quarter 3 ends next week! Let's make sure we are monitoring Schoolmax. Please reach out to me with questions. I'm happy to help.

Let's make it a great week folks. Keep working hard!

-Ms. Sheps

Grade Reports Came Out Today

Hola Familia,

Check this special message for a quick explanation of grade reports. One thing I forgot to mention is that if you see the letter "E" in a column that normally has the number grade, that "E" probably represents "exempt". It likely does not mean your child received a failing grade. I really hope this video is helpful. As always, please reach out with questions.

Respectfully,

Ms. Sheps

Tonight's Homework Due Tomorrow

Family,

We started our research work in class today. Please check out this video if you need a reminder of how to finish up your KWL chart:

In case you did not finish today's classwork...

Here is a quick clip reminding you of what you need to do.

Social Studies Chapter 1- Lesson 3 Study Guide

Social Studies Chapter 1- Lesson 3

• Important Terms
• Resource- Something useful that comes from the earth like water, land, plants and minerals
• Consequences-something that results from an action
• Middens- Hills of used oyster shells
• Habitat- A place where plants and animals normally live and grow.
• Pesticide- chemicals that kill pests like insects
• What are three things Native Americans did to meet their basic needs (basic needs: food, water, shelter)? 
• They cleared the land and planted crops. 
• They used the trees to build homes and boats. 
• They hunted and fished.
• What positive consequences have come from building dams? 
• Dams provide towns with water and electricity, prevent flooding, and make it easier to travel on rivers.
• What is one way plant and animal habitats may be destroyed by dams? 
• Building dams could flood land and destroy habitats.
• Look at the graph on page 21. If the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay reaches “improving” by the year 2015, how long will it have taken to reach this level from the earliest time shown?
• 45 years
• What are three ways of modifying the environment that are different from the ways of the early Native Americans? 
• Modern Dams prevent flooding and make traveling on rivers easier. 
• People made roads and highways. 
• Docks have been build for launching and storing boats.
• What are two ways you can protect the Chesapeake Bay and its waterways? 
• Pick up trash 
• Write to a government official about a threatened habitat
• What are two effects of a growing population? 
• There is less farmland. 
• More houses and jobs are needed.
• What are two laws that have helped control the environment? 
• There was a law about where people can build and what kinds of buildings can be built. 
• National parks, state parks, and forest preserves were created to protect plants and wildlife. 

Announcements for the Week

Good Afternoon Family,

I hope the week is off to a great start for everyone. Just a few announcements for the week:

-Progress reports will go out tomorrow. Please expect them to come home.
-There will be a weekly quiz this week! Students got their notes last week. Look for a study guide to come out later today.
-Reading logs and 60 minutes of iReady are due next Monday.

Have a great week!

-Ms. Sheps

Writing Homework Due Friday

Good Afternoon Family,

We have been working on a literacy task in school. The task consisted of reading and annotating three texts as a class. One of these texts was a visual text in which students were required to take notes. Each of these texts has a common topic- Abraham Lincoln. Students have also unlocked a writing prompt related to the three texts. They planned their writing responses to the prompt using evidence from each of the three texts. After planning the response, students began writing the response to the prompt. Finally, students created a final version of the prompt to be submitted for a grade.

The last day of our task completion was yesterday. Not all students were able to complete their final draft in the time allotted, so they were given the opportunity to finish the assignment at home. Students were given their writing materials and notes to bring with them. The last day that students will be able to submit their writing assignment will be Friday, March 3, 2017. This writing assignment is worth a quiz grade.