Dear families,

this update is in regards to the combined 4th/5th grade second block TAG Writing class.

We have embarked on our persuasive writing unit! Please ask your child what topic and thesis they have chosen for their persuasive essays – we have some very passionate persuaders in class! We are just now in the planning phase – students have figured out their thesis and their three reasons why, and they have been working on gathering evidence that illustrates each reason. We have discussed what makes compelling evidence – that in some cases it’s facts and statistics but in other cases it’s personal stories. We have practiced being discriminating researchers on the Internet, using AAA (Appearance, Author, Accuracy) to determine if a website will have useful information. In the next week, we will finish our planning and begin the drafting process.

Students have a Greek and Latin roots packet that they have until Wednesday, January 20 to complete activities C, D, E and F in; we won’t have our class on Tuesday as the 5th graders will be going to Winkler that day. On Wednesday the 20th, we will also have our test on that unit (Unit 6 – Time and Place, the roots chron, temp, loc).

Students are also self-directing their own creative writing projects, some of which are collaborative. I am so impressed with the level of thinking and creativity that they are putting into these projects! We only have one day each week in class (Fridays) to dedicate to the projects, and I have asked students to spend about an hour a week outside of our Friday time to work on them as well. I hope you will talk to your child about the project they are creating – I think you will be impressed!

As always, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions or concerns!