READING POTDJacob was hoping he could run to third base in the baseball game.

Which sentence below has the same meaning for the word run?

A. Aubrey wants to run for class president.

B. Judy likes to run around the block every day before school.

C. James had to run the chickens out of the street.

D. Mother found a run in her best stockings.

Monday, March 24th

HOMEWORK REVIEW

• Tonight's HW: Words in Context worksheet

• Work on first draft of Influential Woman. It is due tomorrow!

CORE

• Review RL 4.9 by comparing/contrasting two stories: The Lion and the Mouse and The Dove and the Ant

• http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/h/elements1.cfm

• Complete a comparison chart. Be sure to use specific details from the text.Story

Characters

Setting *Where *When

What is the Problem? * Why did the character have a problem?

What is the Solution? * How did the character solve the problem?

Theme * What did the characters or reader learn?

1). Kids Should Be Able to Watch Television on School Nights!

I am tired of hearing all the bad and dangerous things about watching television. For a couple of generations, it has been debated whether or not students should be allowed to watch television during the week. I am here to loudly say “YES.” Television is not the enemy; old ideas are!

With a little bit of careful thinking, any parent will realize that watching television after school is a way for students to relax and unwind. Our lives are more demanding then yours were when you went to school. Not only are we getting more homework, but also our after school time is over-scheduled. Beside homework clubs and after-school tutoring and lessons, we play sports, practice music, dancing and art, and do community activities. When we do get home, we are tired. Most, if not all, of our homework is done, and all we want to do is settle down in front of the television and give our brains a rest.

Parents also remember what television was like in the old days. You had few channel choices, and most of the programs were silly and stupid. Today, the average household has over a hundred channels to choose from. In one hour, you can learn about ancient Egypt, the planets in other solar systems, and the latest dinosaur find. Many parents think that our learning has stopped once we are on the couch, watching television. The opposite is true! Our real education is starting. We are seeing and hearing about things that most school programs never touch.

Lastly, parents remember the way they used television. In the old days, our parents saw television as something separate from their homework duties. Today’s smart students use television as a means to support their homework efforts. Most of us have learned in Study Skills classes to use television watching as a reward for finishing all of our homework. We will only watch television when we have pre-planned, at the beginning of our homework session, to do so after we have completed all of our nightly homework tasks. So television does not keep us from our work, it makes us do it

So, I want to end with the advice that parents should allow their kids to watch television on school nights. It allows your children to unwind after a hard day, which will let their brains work better for the next day. Watching television is educational and will show us more things than a book can. Good students will use television watching as a way to encourage them to do homework and not to avoid it. So watch television, kids, it is your friend

RI 4.9 Review: Compare and Contrast two different points of view for students watching TV on school nights.

2). No TV on School Nights! While many kids want to watch TV on school nights, I for one, say they should not be allowed to. As a former weeknight TV watcher, I can say since I stopped watching TV, my grades have gone up, I have lost weight and I am healthier, and I sleep better. Television is not the answer to success; a ban from it is! Although most kids believe that TV is helpful to their learning, I feel it is a distraction. It needs to be turned off during the school week. For several years, my parents allowed me to watch TV on school nights. I would rush home, grab a snack, and turn the TV on. I basically watched TV from 4 PM until 10 PM. I was so hooked to the programs that I would not stop to do my homework. This left me with the mornings to do my homework. Since I stayed up so late, I could barely get up in the morning to do my assignments. I started to get bad grades, since I did not fully complete my homework and was unprepared for the day’s lessons. It has been a year since I have turned off the TV during the week. I am more alert after school and ready to do my homework. I wake up refreshed and prepared for the day’s lesson. I went from getting “C’s” to getting “B’s” and “A’s” on all my assignments! Another reason that the TV needs to be turned off on school nights is that it can make you fat. Kids wind up coming home, plopping down in front of the tube, and snacking. When you watch TV, you are distracted from what you are doing. When I was a school night TV watcher, I would open a whole bag of chips and eat all of it. After I finished the bag, I was amazed. The TV distracted me so much from the amount of food I was eating. Soon I gained weight and was sluggish. TV also advertises many junk food products geared toward kids, such as candy, sugary drinks, and fatty snacks. Kids see these products advertised in a kid friendly way and are lured to buy them with their allowance. What they don’t realize is that, while these products look appetizing, they make kids fat very fast. Once I stopped watching TV, I had more energy. I also had more time to think about the portions of food I was eating. I finished my homework in time to do additional activities, such as go to kickboxing class or shoot some hoops. By being aware of the amount of exercise and the food I ate, I felt better, lost weight, and was energized for the school day. Finally, kids should not be allowed to watch TV on school nights, as it keeps them up late. Kids are lured into the mindless watching of one program and the next. Before they know it, it is way past their bedtime. Yet, when they finally get in the bed, they are restless. All the visual stimulation from the TV keeps them up at night. I know, because I was one of the weeknight watchers. I would toss and turn in my bed for hours. I would finally doze off only to be awoken a short time later by my alarm. Once I turned the TV off on school nights, I slept better and was refreshed the next day. Parents, please encourage your kids to turn off the TV on weeknights. It makes them fat, do poorly in school, and lose sleep. So, I say to kids, turn off that TV and start living!

Answer the following comparison questions from the texts 1). Kids Should Be Able to Watch Television on School Nights! and 2). No TV on School Nights!

1. What is the main theme from both selections?A. Our world needs televisionB. Parents just don’t understand childrenC. Watching television during the week night can have effects on students’ performance in school.D. Teachers should stop assigning homework so that students have more time to watch television.

2. Why did you pick this theme?

3. How is the first text different from the second?A. It explains the negative effects of watching television on a week night B. It explains why you should not watch television during the weeknight.C. It gives a child’s interpretation of what parents think about weekly television watching.D. It gives a parent’s point of view of weekly television watching.

4. How is the second text different from the first?A. It explains the negative effects of watching television on a week night B. It explains the benefits watching television during the week nightC. It gives a child’s interpretation of what parents think about weekly television watchingD. It gives a parent’s point of view of weekly television watching.

5 How are the two texts similar? A. They both believe that watching television during the week is a good thing.B. They are both told from a student’s point of view.C. They both believe that there are no effects from watching television during the week nights.D. They are both told from a parent’s point of view.

6. What point of view did both text share?A. You can lose weightB. You will be more prepared for school the next dayC. You can learn educational thingsD. Commercials are fun

7. What did the second text not state as a benefit from turning off the television?A. Losing weightB. Improving gradesC. Improving friendshipsD. A good night’s sleep

8. What did the first text state as a benefit of watching television at night?A. It will help you lose weightB. You can learn educational thingsC. Commercials make you want to buy the foodD. Your brain will be more tired

VOCABULARY

• TW introduce vocabulary words using the video:

• http://www.flocabulary.com/8-were-the-piglets/

• Vocabulary words: address / eager / entrance / increase / mistrust / resist / sole / sturdy / survive / threat

• Tonight’s homework: Complete the definitions

WRITING

• Let’s review the writing process by watching a brain pop video on the writing process and take notes.

• http://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/writingprocess/

• Now let’s look at the rubric.

• Don’t forget to use your planning graphic organizer to help you as you write your first draft.

• Teacher will explain to students the in their first draft of their research paper the following must be include:

• 1st paragraph : Introduction : Explain your famous American woman

• 2nd paragraph:

• 1st Character trait and reasons and evidence to support

• 3rd Paragraph

• 2nd Character trait and evidence and reasons to support it

• 4th Paragraph

• 3rd Characterter trait and evidence and reasons to support it

• 5th Paragraph

• Conclusion

WORKSHOP

• Compare / Contrast 2 different Sources

• Venn Diagram Activity

• TW pull small group

READING POTD

Which homophone is correct?

The child spoke so softly that she was difficult to __________.

A. hear

B. here

Tuesday, March 25th

HOMEWORK REVIEW

Tonight’s HW: Superstar Siblings  RI 4.7

• Words in Context worksheet

READING

• RL 4.9 and RI 4.9 assessment

• Testing strategies:• Did you refer to the text to answer the questions?• Did you answer all of the questions?• Do all of your answers make sense?

VOCABULARYAddress (verb) To direct one’s words to. It took a lot of bravery, but Jim addressed the king and told him that he wanted to marry the princess.

(noun) 1. The place where you can find a person or thing. What’s the address of the pizza place? 2. A speech. In the president’s address, she said she planned to make the school day longer.

Eager (adj) Wanting very much; excited. I was so eager to open my presents ran right into the back of the couch.

Entrance (verb) To fill with joy or delight. Kelly was totally entranced by the sight of the unicorn.

(noun) A place where you enter, or the act of entering. Flying down from above, the comedian made a big entrance at his show. Note: These two words are spelled the same but are pronounced differently.

Increase (verb) To make or become larger; to add to. As the kids entered the haunted house, their fear increased.

Mistrust (noun) Doubt about someone’s honesty. Nothing ruins a friendship faster than mistrust.

(verb) To be suspicious of; to not believe. It was kind of strange, but Pedro mistrusted anyone he didn’t know.

Resist (verb) To refuse to give in to; to withstand. Jenny tried to convince Cassandra to sell her bike and buy a skateboard, but Cassandra resisted.

Sole (adj) Being the only one of its kind; belonging to only one person or group. The sole reason that Andre was on the baseball team was his dad made him.

Sturdy (adj) Firmly or solidly built; determined. The chair was so sturdy that even fifty years after it was built it didn’t wobble.

Survive (verb) To stay alive or continue to exist; to keep on going; to live longer than. How long do you think you could survive in the wilderness all alone with no food or water?

Threat (noun) 1. A warning that one may do harm. I don’t believe any of Marvin’s threats that he’ll burn my house down if I don’t pick him for my basketball team. 2. Something that can do harm. If you’re walking through the jungle, beware of threats like tigers and snakes

WRITING

• Teacher will review writing process.

• Things to check for when editing your work:• Each paragraph must be indented.• Each sentence must begin with a capitol

letter.• Each sentence must end with the correct

punctuation.

• Teacher will review writing rubric with the students.

• Teacher will explain peer-editing checklist with the students.

• Trade your paper and edit!

Peer- Edit Check List

1. INTRODUCTION: ______ Do you have a good introduction?

2. PARAGRAPHS/CONTENT:

______ 5 clear body paragraphs

______ Paragraph 1 stays on topic (introduction: Explain famous American Woman is)

______ Paragraph 2 stays on topic (1st character trait: provide reasons and evidence)

______ Paragraph 3 stays on topic (2nd Charter trait: provide reasons and evidence)

______ Paragraph 4 stays on topic (3rd Character trait: provide reasons and evidence)

______ Paragraph 5 stays on topic (conclusion)

_____ Do all topics relate to main topic?

______ Organized Paragraphs?

3. MECHANICS:

______ Spelling ______ Punctuation Correct

______ Grammar ____ Paragraphs are Indented

WORKSHOP

• Grade Level Passage: Ants: A Plant’s Best Friend

• TW Pull small group

READING POTD

Which homophone completes the sentence?

• Diamonds are expensive because __________ very rare.

A. there

B. they're

C. their

Wednesday, March 26th

HOMEWORK REVIEW

• Superstar Siblings RI 4.7

1. Explain what the chart tells you about the younger Williams sister.

2. What do Marc Gasol and Daniel Sedin have in common?

3. Which siblings do you think are the most successful? Use text evidence to explain your answer

• Tonight’s HW: Reread A Covered Wagon Girl. Create a 20 Word GIST summary

GUIDED• Imagine It Story: A Covered Wagon Girl

• What is a diary entry?

• Vocabulary to know:• vast - adj. large; widespread (page 303) • associations - n. plural of association: a friendship and connection (page 302) • tremendous - adj. very large (page 312) • provisions - n. plural of provision: food or other necessary items (page 313) • engaged - adj. busy with (page 306) • detained - v. form of detain: to keep back (page 302) • permanent - adj. lasting; not temporary (page 315)

• Let’s read the story

INDEPENDENT WORK

• Create a story board after listening/reading the story

• Answer these questions in your notebook:

1. Why do Sallie and her family leave their home in Indiana to travel to California?

2. Why does Sallie’s family decide to stay the winter in Fremont, California?

3. Where will Sallie and her family finally settle?

4. What are the genre and the author’s point of view for this selection?

5. Summarize Sallie’s diary entry of June 19~.

• Write about it: What is the longest trip you have ever taken? What were the best and worst parts of it? Write about your trip in a diary format.

VOCABULARY

Synonyms: Circle the word on the right that matches the meaning of the word or phrase on the left.

1. to speak to survive address increase

2. disbelief mistrust threat address

3. to stay alive resist survive entrance

4. excited eager sole sturdy

5. only entranced sturdy sole

Connections: Each sentence has a strong connection with one of the words from the unit. Write the correct word on the line below.

1. Gary said he was going to punch Brendan in the nose if he didn’t quiet down.

2. This diamond is the only one of its kind in the entire world.

3. It’s hard to believe a word Myron says.

4. I could not take my eyes off the movie screen because the story was so amazing.

5. No matter how much my sister begs, I will never let her use my new iPod.

WORKSHOP

• Text Structure 14

• Writing: Peer Edits

• TW pull small group

READING POTD• Select the best answer choice

My sister doesn't like going to the zoo because there are ________ many people there.

A. though

B. to

C. two

D. too

Thursday, March 25th

HOMEWORK REVIEW

• Who would like to share their 20 word Gist Summary?

• Tonight’s HW: Create a Story Pyramid for A Covered Wagon Girl: Include the title, genre, author's purpose, theme, text structure, and main idea

CORE• TW introduce Scholastic News: The Power of Music with video and words

to know: http://sni.scholastic.com/SN4/03_24_14_SN4

• Before reading feature article, start the Anticipation guide by reading the statements and deciding if you agree or disagree.

Statements   

Agree/Disagree

ParagraphNumber 

Were YouRight?

Reflect

Schools across the country are putting more money into music programs.

       

Learning to play a musical instrument may help enlarge part of your brain.

       

Devoting a lot of time to learning to play music makes kids less motivated in other classes.

       

Students who play instruments are more likely to drop out of school.

       

Research shows that playing an instrument can make you a better listener.

       

VOCABULARYCockroaches

People don’t think too highly of cockroaches. There’s something about their long antennae and quick movements that makes them easy to mistrust. Yet unlike spiders, wasps, or ticks, most roaches are not a threat to people. So why do we hate cockroaches so much?

It could be because there are so many of them. The number of cockroaches in the world is constantly increasing, because they reproduce very quickly. There are about 3,500 different kinds of cockroaches in the world. The only place cockroaches are not found is at the polar ice caps!

We could hate cockroaches because they are hard to kill. Some types of roaches are able to resist poisons that are made to kill them. They also move quickly: Some adult cockroaches can run up to two miles per hour. Although this might not sound very fast, consider this: If cockroaches were the size of lions, they would be able to run at 50 miles per hour!

It could be because we know they will probably outlast us. Cockroaches have survived for 320 million years. That is much older than humans. It is even older than dinosaurs! Cockroaches have existed from before dinosaurs were around until dinosaurs went extinct, all the way up until today!

But none of those reasons really explains why most people hate cockroaches. Most people hate them because they just look creepy! The next time you feel this way, keep in mind that it could be worse. Most cockroaches in America are less than one inch long. One type of cockroach found in Borneo grows to more than four inches long! Now that’s creepy!

1. What are three different insects mentioned in the passage that can harm people?

2. Where is one place that cockroaches are not found?

3. How fast can adult cockroaches run?

4. How long have cockroaches been on Earth?

5. What are some reasons why cockroaches are hard to kill?

WORKSHOP

• Catch up:

1. Text Structure 14

2. Passage: An Ants Best friend

3. Venn Diagram Activity

4. Writing: Peer Edits

• TW pull small group

READING POTD

Which homophone is correct?

• That new skateboard is way to/too/two expensive for me to buy.

A. to

B. two

C. too

Friday, March 28th

HOMEWORK REVIEW

• Who would like to share their story pyramid for Covered Wagon Girl?

• Tonight’s HW: Complete Final Draft of influential woman. Due Monday!

READINGSW complete the following assessments:

1. Vocabulary

2. Imagine It: A Covered Wagon GirlDid you refer to text and include page and paragraph numbers?Did you answer all of the questions?Do your answers make sense?

3. SN: Quiz Whiz

4. Writing: Your Two Cents Read the debate on page 7 of this week’s issue. Write a response that includes an introduction that states your opinion, at least two supporting reasons, and a conclusion. When you’re done, edit your work to fix mistakes.

WORKSHOP

• The Need for Speed: Proofreading: Check It

• Writing: Peer Edits

• TW pull small group