Omega Update

Literacy
We are finishing up our book projects this week and have begun (barely) our next unit, which centers around the Northern Forest Canoe Trail. The NFCT is a 740-mile long system of waterways that begins in New York and flows through Vermont, Quebec, and New Hampshire to the coast of Maine. It was used for transportation by the earliest inhabitants of this land, the Native Americans. Students will be learning strategies for research and reading non-fiction text as we learn about the NFCT. This unit will be primarily student driven. Today the students generated questions that will guide our study. Their questions will take us into the realms of history, science, public land management, and geography. The unit will culminate after Spring Break with a canoe trip to explore a part of the Trail and to participate in a stewardship effort by picking up trash along the waterway. As always, I am open to ideas and information from the community (including the students).

Spelling
We have yet picked back up with the spelling program, but I plan on getting back into the groove with that next week.

Writing
We are working on putting together a class book that includes writing pieces from every student. This week kids decided which pieces of their writing they want in the book. We will be adding more pieces as we go through the year. Students will also have the opportunity to illustrate their writings.

Research
An information sheet will be in your mailboxes by the end of the day Wednesday or first thing in the morning on Thursday. Today students picked topics. We also worked together to set up Research Action Plans for each student, which breaks down all the various tasks and sets a deadline. I will photocopy each student's plan and put it in the corresponding parent mailbox so that we are all on the same page. Hopefully, this plan will help keep us all more on track. I am requesting that students start bringing in materials on Monday so that we can start collecting facts first thing next week. I am requesting that all materials (as complete as possible) be in by the end of the week, March 21.

Thanks for all you do to support your child, the Omega Room, and Schoolhouse!
Rachel