Forms Residency Newsletter
April 6-10
Important Dates
April 22: Perot Museum
This Week in Residency...
First and Second Grade Class
Math
TEKS: 2.9G Telling Time to the Five Minutes and/or Nearest Minute (am/pm)
ELA:
TEKS: 2.14B, 2.5, 2.13, 2.27 Comprehension Skills / Locate Facts in Nonfiction
Grammar:
TEKS: 3.4 common prefixes, suffixes and root words
S.S.:
TEKS: 2.1AB, 2.16 Cultural Celebrations / Easter
Science:
TEKS 2.14 Life Cycles
Third- Sixth Grades
Reading and Writing
6th Grade: Hidden Figures Unit Launch
Students are beginning a new unit with Hidden Figures, building background knowledge about the Space Race while analyzing vocabulary, determining central ideas, and examining the author’s point of view. They will also engage in meaningful discussions around the module’s guiding questions, focusing on perseverance, inequality, and innovation.
TEKS: 6.6C, 6.7C, 6.9D(i), 6.9D(ii), 6.10A, 6.1A, 6.1D
5th Grade: Writing a PSA (Public Service Announcement)
Students are beginning a multi-day writing project where they analyze a model PSA and then plan, draft, revise, and edit their own. They will focus on clearly introducing an issue, supporting their ideas with strong reasons, and crafting a powerful conclusion to inform or persuade their audience.
TEKS: 5.11A, 5.11B, 5.11C, 5.11D, 5.12B, 5.13A, 5.13C, 5.13D
3rd & 4th Grade: Determining Main Idea & Comparing Texts
Students continue building their understanding of water around the world by determining the main idea in One Well: The Story of Water on Earth and related informational texts. They will complete the unit by comparing and contrasting texts, analyzing how different sources present ideas about water and population.
TEKS: 3.6G, 3.7C, 3.9D(i), 3.9D(ii), 3.13A; 4.6G, 4.7C, 4.9D(i), 4.9D(ii), 4.13A
Math
3rd Grade – Lessons 63–66
These lessons typically align with 2021 Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for early multiplication, division, geometry, and measurement concepts.
TEKS Focus
- 3.4A/B – Represent multiplication & division using arrays, equal groups, and number lines.
- 3.4F – Recall multiplication facts (fluency emphasis).
- 3.5A – Classify and sort 2-D shapes based on attributes.
- 3.7B – Determine perimeter of a polygon.
- 3.7C – Determine area of rectangles with unit tiles.
- 3.3B – Solve one- and two-step word problems using all operations.
4th Grade – Lessons 63–66
These lessons address more advanced multiplication, division, fractions, and geometry.
TEKS Focus
- 4.4A/B – Use arrays/area models to represent multi-digit multiplication.
- 4.4H – Solve multi-step problems using multiplication & division.
- 4.5A/B – Represent equivalent fractions and compare fractions with unlike denominators.
- 4.6D – Classify 2-D figures based on parallel/perpendicular lines and angle types.
- 4.10A – Represent decimals to the hundredths on number lines and in expanded form.
5th Grade – Lessons 66–69
These lessons focus on operations with fractions/decimals and volume.
TEKS Focus
- 5.3K – Add and subtract decimals to the thousandths (models & algorithms).
- 5.3H – Represent and solve addition/subtraction of fractions with models.
- 5.3L – Multiply decimals using models & strategies.
- 5.4H – Divide whole numbers and decimals (conceptual & algorithmic).
- 5.6A – Understand volume as cubic units; model and calculate volume of rectangular prisms.
- 5.3B – Solve multi-step word problems involving fractions and decimals.
6th Grade – Lessons 57–60
These lessons align with TEKS for algebraic reasoning, number operations, integers, and ratios.
TEKS Focus
- 6.3E – Solve equations using one variable (addition/subtraction/multiplication/division).
- 6.4B – Apply integer operations (positive & negative numbers).
- 6.5A/B – Use ratios and rates to solve problems; represent them as tables, graphs, and equations.
- 6.6A/B – Understand area, surface area, and volume of 2-D and 3-D shapes.
- 6.1B – Apply mathematical process standards to real-world problem solving.
- 6.3A – Model and solve one-step equations using manipulatives or diagrams.
Science
3rd Grade Science – Food Chains Overview
TEKS: 3.12A, 3.12B
What Students Learn
- All living things need energy to survive.
Energy comes from food. - The Sun is the main source of energy for life on Earth.
Plants use sunlight to make their own food. - Producers (plants) make their own food.
- Consumers (animals) eat plants or other animals.
- Herbivores eat plants
- Carnivores eat animals
- Omnivores eat both
- Decomposers (fungi, bacteria) break down dead materials and return nutrients to the soil.
Food Chains
- Show one single path of energy flow.
Example:
Sun → Grass → Grasshopper → Frog → Hawk
What Students Should Be Able to Do
- Identify producers, consumers, and decomposers.
- Arrange organisms to show a correct food chain.
- Explain that energy moves from the Sun to plants to animals.
- Predict what happens if one organism is removed from the food chain.
4th Grade Science – Food Webs Overview
TEKS: 4.12A, 4.12B
What Students Learn
- Food chains work together to form food webs, which show many overlapping feeding relationships.
- Organisms depend on each other in complex ecosystems.
- Every organism has a niche (its role in the environment).
- Changes to one population affect the entire food web.
Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
Students review these terms but at a deeper level:
- Producers: plants, algae
- Consumers: herbivores, carnivores, omnivores
- Decomposers: worms, fungi, bacteria
Food Webs
A food web shows:
- Multiple food chains linked together
- Animals that eat more than one type of organism
- Energy moving in many directions
Interactions & Changes
Students learn how:
- Competition for food affects survival
- Natural events (floods, droughts) change food webs
- Human activities can disrupt ecosystems
- Removing a single species can shift the entire web
What Students Should Be Able to Do
- Build or read a food web diagram.
- Identify producers, consumers, and decomposers within a web.
- Explain how energy flows through a food web
- Predict outcomes when part of the web changes (ex: fewer plants, more predators).
- Explain how organisms depend on each other in ecosystems.
5th grade science- Biome Project- Research this week
6th Grade Science – Environmental Science Overview
Aligned to 2021 TEKS: 6.10A–F, 6.11A–B, 6.12A–B
Big Ideas Students Learn
6th graders study how Earth’s systems interact, how environmental changes occur, and how human actions impact ecosystems.
1. Environmental Changes & Ecosystems
TEKS: 6.12A, 6.12B
Students learn:
- Ecosystems are made of living (plants, animals, microbes) and nonliving (sunlight, soil, water, air) factors.
- Organisms depend on each other for survival.
- Environmental changes can be:
- Natural: floods, droughts, wildfires, hurricanes
- Human-caused: pollution, deforestation, construction, resource use
Students should be able to:
- Identify short-term vs. long-term environmental changes.
- Predict how changes affect populations (increase, decrease, extinction).
- Explain how organisms adapt, migrate, or perish due to environmental changes.
2. Water Resources & Conservation
TEKS: 6.10A, 6.10B
Students learn:
- Earth’s water is distributed among oceans, rivers, lakes, groundwater, glaciers, atmosphere.
- Water is a limited resource and requires conservation.
- Human activities influence the quality and availability of water.
Students should be able to:
- Describe the water cycle and how it supports ecosystems.
- Explain how pollution affects watersheds, groundwater, and aquatic organisms.
- Identify ways individuals and communities conserve water.
3. Air Quality & Human Impact
TEKS: 6.10C
Students learn:
- Air quality affects humans, animals, and plants.
- Pollutants can come from:
- Factories
- Cars
- Burning fossil fuels
- Wildfires
- Air quality is measured with AQI (Air Quality Index).
Students should be able to:
- Explain how poor air quality affects respiration and ecosystems.
- Identify ways to reduce air pollution (public transit, renewable energy, regulations).
4. Resource Management & Sustainability
TEKS: 6.10D, 6.11A
Students learn:
- Types of natural resources:
- Renewable: solar, wind, water, biomass
- Non-renewable: coal, oil, natural gas, minerals
- How humans use and extract resources.
- Importance of sustainable practices.
Students should be able to:
- Compare renewable vs. nonrenewable resources.
- Explain the environmental effects of mining, drilling, and agriculture.
- Identify conservation strategies.
5. Climate, Weather, & Global Patterns
TEKS: 6.10E, 6.10F
Students learn:
- The difference between weather (daily) and climate (long-term patterns).
- Global climate is influenced by:
- Latitude
- Elevation
- Ocean currents
- Wind patterns
- Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect.
Students should be able to:
- Interpret climate graphs and data.
- Explain how carbon emissions affect global temperatures.
- Predict how climate changes impact ecosystems.
6. Human Health & Environmental Exposure
TEKS: 6.11B
Students learn:
- Exposure to chemicals, pollutants, and biological hazards can impact human health.
- How to minimize risk through personal choices and community policies.
Social Studies
We will be revisiting last week’s social studies concepts again this week to strengthen understanding and give students additional time to practice and apply what they’ve learned. This spiral review helps build deeper comprehension and confidence before moving forward.
6th Grade: Governments, Economies, and Technology in East & Southeast Asia
Students explore how countries in East and Southeast Asia develop by using resources such as land, labor, and capital to produce goods and services. They examine different economic systems, including free enterprise, socialism, and communism, while also learning how governments are structured, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and how technology continues to shape societies and economies around the world.
TEKS: 6.10A, 6.11A, 6.11B, 6.12A, 6.13A
5th Grade Social Studies Blurb: The 1920s and the Great Depression
Students will learn about the economic prosperity of the 1920s, when many Americans experienced rising incomes, a growing middle class, and increased consumer spending. They will also examine how heavy use of credit, farm failures, and a severe drought on the Great Plains led to the economic collapse of the 1930s and the devastating Dust Bowl.
TEKS: 5.6A, 5.9A, 5.9B
4th Grade: Texas in the Late 1800s
Students will learn about the major changes that took place in Texas during the late 1800s, including the growth of the cattle industry, the interactions between American Indians and American settlers, and how transportation, ranching, and settlement transformed the Texas landscape.
TEKS: 4.4B, 4.9A, 4.9B
3rd Grade: Researching Local Culture
Students will research a local culture by asking questions, gathering information from sources, and organizing what they learn. They will share their findings with the class through a short presentation.
TEKS: 3.12B, 3.13A, 3.14A
Forms Residency
ajensen@formsacademy.com (Third-Sixth Math and Science)
mpayne@formsacademy.com (Third-Sixth ELA and Social Studies)
bstrawn@formsacademy.com (Academic Director)