Hello! This week we started Unit 2 on Proportional Relationships. By the end of next week we will be having our first quiz on the first 7 lessons of Unit 2.

Lesson 1 explains what equivalent ratios mean in the context of paint mixtures and has students use equivalent ratios to generate the same color paints. Lesson 2 helps students identify patterns in tables that represent proportional relationships and shows them how to use a table to calculate unknown quantities in a proportional relationship. Lesson 3 has students determine the constant of proportionality (C.O.P) for a proportional relationship represented in a table and explain what it means. They will use the constant of proportionality to calculate unknown information in a table and justify whether a table represents a proportional relationship or not. Lesson 4 explains that when the value of one quantity in a proportional relationship is 1, the other quantity is the constant of proportionality. Students will also learn to write equations to represent proportional relationships.

Next week we will begin Lessons 5 through 7. Lesson 5 will connect each part of an equation of the form y=kx to the situation it represents and then have students use an equation to solve problems involving a proportional relationship. Lesson 6 uses the word reciprocal to explain the relationship between the two constants of proportionality in a proportional relationship. Students will then write two equations that represent the same proportional relationship (y=kx and x=1/k y). Lesson 7 focuses on how to justify whether a relationship is proportional or not by looking at the structure of an equation.

We are still deeply engaged in our second unit of study revolving around the unit question, “How do humans interact with the environment?” Students are doing “practice” activities on their own, in pairs, and with the entire class to learn new social studies content or develop new skills. They then take a “mastery check” (aka, “quiz) to demonstrate their understanding. If students do not show sufficient understanding (≥80%), they must return to practice activities, have 1:1 or small group conversations to deepen their understanding before they retake a new “mastery check.”

We have moved on to learning about how ancient humans interacted with their environments and how their environments shaped their lives. We have begun with ancient India, then will continue to compare the geographies and environments of ancient China, Greece, and Rome.

Enduring Understandings

1. Geography and the environment influence and determine where humans settle and live.

1. Humans both adapt to and change the environment to meet their needs.

Learning Targets

• I can use cardinal directions, map scales, key/legend, and titles to locate important physical features of ancient India, China, Greece, and Rome on a topographical map of the world.

• I can use other kinds of maps (e.g., landform, population, climate) to determine important characteristics of this region.

• I can use knowledge of maps to complement information gained from texts about a city, country, or region.

• I can describe the topography and climate of each region, including the importance of mountain ranges and deserts, seas, islands, and peninsulas.

• I can explain how geography and environment influenced the development of complex societies in both the ancient and modern worlds.

Students received their second progress report this past Friday. Please look through it with your student and encourage them to make up any missing work and/or retake quizzes they did poorly on.

Students took a quiz this past week on the hierarchy of organization of living things. We are now practicing measurement and metric conversions as students measure their own body parts. Next, we explore the details and workings of the digestive system.

Life Science Learning Targets:

• Classify organisms into the currently recognized kingdoms according to characteristics that they share. Be familiar with organisms from each kingdom.

• Describe the hierarchical organization of multicellular organisms from cells to tissues to organs to systems to organisms.

• Identify the general functions of the major systems of the human body (digestion, respiration, reproduction, circulation, excretion, protection from disease, and movement, control, and coordination) and describe ways that these systems interact with each other.

RL4 I can determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning, tone, or mood, including the impact of repeated use of particular images.

RL5 I can analyze how aspects of a literary work’s structure contribute to its meaning or style

W3 d. Use precise words and phrases, relevant descriptive details, and figurative and sensory language to establish a mood that evokes an emotion, to capture action, and to convey experiences or events.

W4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed.

W6 Use technology, including current web-based communication platforms, to produce and publish writing and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others. Research to Build and Present Knowledge

a. Use phrases and clauses to communicate ideas precisely, with attention to skillful use of verb tenses to add clarity.

Emerging (ELD 2)

Phonics

Developing (ELD 3)

Expanding (ELD 4)