What are APEX students doing in APEX class? This page will contain a very
general overview of what each grade level is doing. As in all areas of life,
"the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray." There are
times that we will deviate from my plans due to special circumstances. If you
have further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
- For 3rd grade:
- For 4th grade:
- For 5th grade:
For 3rd grade:
To be announced when classes begin
For 4th grade:
Before the end of the first semester, 4th grade APEX students will have
completed their study of Among the Hidden, the first novel they will study
this year. During this novel, students have made predictions, learned to make
inferences, learned how to identify forshadowing, etc. Additionally, they have
taken this novel, and on a graphic organzier, identified the plot, conflict,
characters, and setting. Before the completion of this novel, they will add
the climax, resolution, and theme to their study.
The next novel they will study, beginning in second semester, will be Hatchet,
by Gary Paulsen. This novel focuses on a young boy's struggle to survive in
the wilderness, alone, after his plane crashes. It is ripe with adventure and
suspense, with plenty of opportunities to further their knowledge of story
elements.
In writing, as well as studying what comprises a good story structure, they
have been focusing on learning to write sensory language, language that
appeals to one of our 5 senses, through various assigned writings. They,
hopefully, have come to understand why it is important to show, not tell, your
reader the action in a plot. They will continue to write during second
semester, focusing on other elements of good story structure.
They have completed, except for a review/test, their study of "Hands-On
Equations," Level 2, an algebraic thinking system. During 5th grade, they will
again review all of Level 1 before beginning the more demanding Level 2
lessons. After the semester begins, they will be getting back into real-world
problem solving, focusing on all the main areas in math: measurement,
geometry, graphs/tables/charts, probability, etc.
Hopefully, they will also begin a science unit on the study of severe weather.
This ties directly back to a novel study they did in 3rd grade on Night of the
Twisters.
For 5th grade:
During the first semester, 5th grade APEX students have already completed
their in-depth review of Level 1 of the algebraic thinking system, "Hands-On
Equations." They are now working in Level 2, which will eventually go into
positive and negative integers. Once this level is complete (a total of 8
lessons), they will, once again, get back into real world problem solving in
all areas of math, measurement, geometry, probability, graphing, etc.
In Language Arts, students should finish the first novel they will study this
year, Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. During this novel, students have
been working on such skills as sequencing of events, predictions, and making
inferences. Additionally, they have been working on matching the novel to
story elements such as plot, conflict, setting, characters. Still to come are
climax, resolution, identification of theme, etc. The next novel they will
begin, in second semester, is Savvy, by Ingrid Law. Savvy is a book that has
been highly recommended for 5th graders. Further, it won the distinction of
being a Newbery Honors book.
In the area of writing, an important one because of the TCAP 5th Grade Writing
Assessment coming in 2/10, they have been studying what makes a good story
strategy. Students have worked on numerous parts of the writing process, most
recently, on taking out the overly-used "To Be" verbs, and making their voice
in writing active, rather than passive. Still to come, before the February
assessment, are in-depth studies of the use of figurative language (similes,
metaphors, personification, hyperbole), the use of dialog and the importance
of punctuating it correctly, etc.
When time allows (not very often!), students do solve logic puzzles and
Sudoku, their perennial favorite, and other various activities.
Seemingly, every minute of our time together is packed with either math or
language arts instruction/activities. Hopefully, after the TCAP Writing
Assessment, and after they finish Level 2 of "Hands-On Equations," there will
be more time to get involved in some critical thinking activities and creative
problem solving.