Q3 Week 1

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."

-George Washington

The new year is here and it is sure to bring fresh challenge and adventure for our students. Our own nation seems to be in a time of uncertainty, and it seems appropriate that this semester we will dive into the history of its founding, which was itself fraught with uncertainty and danger. We will also meet a brave little Princess who must defeat an army of nasty goblins, and new and fantastic parts of the English language.

Students, parents, and teachers should all be committed to discover something new this year. There is so much out there, it would be a shame to miss the opportunity.

In class this week:

1) In History we take a first look at the motivations and means that led to the discovery, exploration, and settlement of the Americas by Europeans. Ask your students why anyone thought to look on that blank part of the map in the first place, and what nations were involved in the race to create colonies.

2) In Writing we will be doing a review of all of our parts of speech. Ask your students to identify which words are which in everyday sentences. Is that a noun or an adjective? What role does this noun play in the sentence, the subject or the object? Are we using an action verb or a being verb? These are the kinds of questions that will give your student familiarity with grammar.

3) In Literature we are going to start reading the Princess and the Goblin by George McDonald on Tuesday! So make sure your student has it and brings it to school. It is my favorite story that we read during the year and is sure to enchant both you and your student.

Best,

Mr. Ohbayashi

Project Week

Dear Parents,

Welcome back from vacation. I hope each of you had a wonderful two weeks enjoying the holidays with your students. It's project week! This week we will be working almost exclusively on our projects which are going to be presented next Wednesday night (the 11th).

The project is in the style of a "live wax museum" where the students will dress up as and pretend to be their assignment historical person. When approached, the students will 'turn on' and give a speech about who they are and their historical significance. The criteria for this project will come home tomorrow so be looking for it!

Other than the project students should be making sure they have a solid grasp on the first six stanzas of Paul Revere's Ride. We are moving on to the next two stanzas next week, so make sure they are working diligently on it.

Best,

Mr. Ohbayashi