Dear Parents,
Wow! We are already starting week 2 of school. Can you believe it? I can't. The first few weeks always seem like a whirlwind, but I am working hard to help your children transition into 5th grade easily. Please let me know if I can do anything to help you or your child in any way. E-mail is the best way to get and keep in touch with me; I try to check my e-mail each afternoon or evening and will get back to you as soon as possible with a response.

This Week's Main Selection: John Henry
Julious Lester's story of John Henry begins with his birth and immediate growth to a size so large that "his head and shoulders busted through the roof which was over the porch" of his family's home in 1870's West Virginia. The tall tale continues with the saga of how John Henry grew big, strong, fast, and fearless. His crowning achievement, and the cause of his death, was winning a copetition to break through a mountain so the railroad could go through. On one side of the mountain, the railroad boss used a stream drill. On the other side, John Henry used his hammers and amazing strength. When John Henry and the steam drill met inside the mountain, the boss was amazed to find that while he had come only a quarter of a mile, John Henry had come a mile and a quarter. John Henry walked out of the tunnel to the cheers of the other workers, then fell to the ground and died. Everyone who was there came to the realization that "Cying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living."

Meet the Author: Julius Lester







Meet the Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney (Video Interview)





Practice this week's skills:
Reading: Fact and Nonfact
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3
Practice 4

Grammar: Independent and Dependent Clauses
Practice 1- 4

Spelling: Long Vowel Digraphs
Practice 1
Practice 2
Practice 3
Practice 4

Language:
Daily Oral Language (Click on the page to enlarge.)












Daily Language Review (Click on any of the pages to enlarge.)

Genre Study: Tall Tale (Click the words "Tall Tale" to find out more.)
Can you:
1. Define folktale?
2. What are the main characters, setting, problems, events in sequence, and solution?
3. Identify the use of exaggeration in the story?
4. Identify the culture and context of the folktale?
5. Compare this folktale to another? (Example: Paul Bunyun)
6. Compare and contrast this folktale to another in written form?
7. Participate in conversations about folktales and their elements?

Social Studies: Daily Geography
(Click on the page to enlarge.)









Announcements:
1. School Fees ($15) are due ASAP!
2. Open House (Grades 3-5) is Tuesday, August 31st at 6:00 p.m.
3. Our Student of the Week is Trenton.

We're going to have a great week!
Thanks,
Mrs. Telford