IMMIGRATION DAY

Mexican hot chocolate, eating rice with chopsticks, Irish sour dough bread, and Polish wedding cookies were a hit at our immigration day celebration.  The students got an opportunity to experience some of the frustrations and fears of early immigrants.  They recorded their experiences in the form of a poster which will be graded. Here are a few photos for your enjoyment.  Have a great evening!

 The Medical Exam

Great Immigrant Outfits

Ask your child what he or she learned about immigration today. 

A Peek at This Week!

Immigration Day

It has been a joy to hear the children share their heritage in class.  They were eager to share pictures, outfits, and stories about their family. As a part of our study of immigration in social studies, students will enjoy a simulation on tomorrow (Monday, November 23).  Everyone will come dressed as an immigrant (including the 5th grade teachers) as we help students to understand how to celebrate and show pride for the variety of cultures that make up the United States.  They will gain a better understanding of why Ellis Island existed and the importance of learning how to appreciate the uniqueness of others.  This is always a fun event for fifth grade students at Pontiac Elementary.  Please do not loose any sleep over your child's outfit, because dark colors (grays, browns, or blues)  plain, simple, outfits are the best if you are having trouble.  Thank you in advance, for sharing any special food items to represent your child's family with our students.  Ask your child questions about the day when he or she returns home.  Students who can verbalize the learning often retain the knowledge. After Thanksgiving we will discuss the obstacles immigrants faced once they began obtaining employment, residence, and education in America.  We will also discuss those immigrants who arrived at Angel Island in California. 



ELA 
In ELA students are reading the novel Letters from Rifka.  It is the story of a Polish immigrant girl who comes to America with her family.  Students have generated questions about the events taking place in the novel, they will also record literary connections, and write diary entries.  Along with their reading, students will explore commas in a series.  We will continue covering these topics after Thanksgiving. 

Magnet Choice 
On December 1, 2015 parents and students can attend the Magnet Choice Fair at Spring Valley High School. Please take a look at the Richland Two School District website so that you and your child can learn more about this event.  Parents should be receiving information about this event in the mail soon.  Let us know if you or your child have any questions. 

Avid
Our students did a fantastic job during the AVID visit.  The visitors were impressed by their use of academic language, respect for one another, and ability to discuss in cooperative groups.  Our students are beginning to speak with confidence and excitement in an academic setting.  We are so proud! This is a good time to update your child's supplies.  There are many students without highlighters, colored pencils, pens, pencils, and notebook paper.  

Enjoy your days off with your family! 

A Look at Our Week

ELA

This week in ELA we will complete our letters to veterans.  Block one students will be writing letters to veterans at the district office and Block two students will be writing letters to the family members, men, and women of the National Guard.  We will also continue studying inference in reading as we take a look at wordless animated films, books, and riddles.  On Friday, students will bring in a few mystery items to share with the class as we wrap up our study of inference. 

Social Studies

Students are completing their study of major inventors and inventions that began the industrial revolution. They created advertisements for four of the inventions discussed in class.  Advertisements will be done at home and in class.  We will wrap up our study with a discussion about Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan. There will be an open notebook quiz on Friday to culminate our study.  On Monday we will begin our study on immigration. 

AVID

On Thursday, we will have an AVID visit.  Students will get an opportunity to speak to AVID coordinators from various states about the components of AVID.  They will practice their communication skills as they verbalize their learning and the importance of being organized, working with others, and being an individual thinker.  We look forward to the visit!

A Look at Our Week!

ELA
This week in ELA students will complete their study of nouns. A short quiz on nouns will be given on Thursday.  The reading skills for the week are making inferences and predictions.  Students will use evidence from photos, context clues, text and prior knowledge to make inferences and predictions about literature.

Social Studies
Our next topic of study in social studies is the Industrial Revolution. This week we will discuss inventions and inventors from the late 1800s and early 1900s.  Students will discuss the impact each invention has on present day technology.  Students will create advertisements for some of the inventions we discuss in class.  

AVID
For the next few weeks we will continue to chart examples of WICOR (Writing to learn, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading to learn) in our daily lessons.  We want our students to apply what they learn in class. 

Veterans Day

We would like to invite the veterans in your family to join us for a special Veteran's Day celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 11th at 8:00am.  The program will include breakfast, a parade, and a special assembly.  Please RSVP to your child's teacher if you plan to attend.

Even if you are unable to attend, we would like to recognize the veterans in your family on our Wall of Heroes display.  Please let us know the name and branch of service of any veteran in your child's family who you would like us to recognize. 

Also, please send us a photo of your veteran/s for a slideshow we are preparing.  Email your photos to pontiacveterans@gmail.com by Friday, Nov. 6.  Please include the veteran's name, branch of service, and your Pontiac student's name in your email. 

Thank you for serving our country.  We hope to see you on November 11th!