Essay Requirements (Grades 6-12 ONLY): At least 250 words, but shall not exceed 500 words • Typed and double-spaced • Original work only • Be sure to properly cite your sources. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/ • Due on Friday, January 24th Scoring Rubric Comprehension (20 points) How well does the essay reflect a thorough comprehension of the essay topic? Does the essay provide supported reasons for the student’s topic selection? Organization (20 points) Does the argument/discussion follow a logical and easily understood progression? Does any outside evidence contained in the essay support the essay’s main points? Conclusions (20 points) Do the conclusions follow logically from the main body of the essay and reflect what the student has learned from research? How compelling are the conclusions? Creativity (20 points) Use of diverse resources, language &/or style, unique angle? Writing (20 points) Correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, sentence structure. Poster Requirements (Elementary ONLY): • Poster MUST be 18x14 inches • Illustrates & supports a significant African American • Illustrates the contribution clearly and with artistic energy • Is it Colorful? Creative? Innovative? Legible? Different? Finished? • Poster should have a caption of at least three sentences, but no more than 10 to include who, what, and how the person contributed to shaping history. • Poster should mention at least one NEW thing the student learned during this contest? (E.g. arts in STEAM, African American role models, about oneself, society, African American history &/or culture, etc.) CLF will have 3 winners from each division who will receive a $50 gift card. Student winners and their parents will be invited to an awards reception hosted by CLF. One honorary mention from each school/division will be asked to read their essay or present their poster submission. Refreshments will be served and community leaders, special guests, fellow students, teachers, school officials, and board members will be in attendance.

CLF Community Partnerships

Please note, January 17, 2020 will be “FUN FRIDAY” for 4th and 5th grades.

Ecola Virgil

We are directly in the middle of our testing window. We have started with our DRA (reading) assessments and have started MAP as well. Make sure that your scholars are getting enough rest and having breakfast in order to ensure they are able to focus and do their best. Also, please remind your scholar to focus and do their best on these assessments. This week in ELA, our class story will be "Farfallina and Marcel." We will learn about plot and verbs for now and the future (using: I will, you will, etc). Sight words: see, look Letter of the week: Ff The Topic 7 assessment will be taken on Monday. We will begin learning how to deconstruct numbers starting with numbers 2-5. We will also start developing reasoning skills. Please continue to send your scholar in appropriate outer wear as we do try to go outside for recess as much as possible. Make sure items are labeled to help identify items that may be misplaced. Dates to know: Testing window: Jan 13-24th Quarter 2 ends: Jan 24th

The Kindergarten Team

Reading - We will be reading "Martin's Big Words" by Doreen Rappaport. Reading Skills: inferring, retelling, and making connections Phonics: long o, spelled 'oa' (ex: boat, soap, float) Math - We are finishing with Chapter 2, which is solving addition and subtraction facts to 10. Science - We are using the Engineering Design Process to design igloos. Social Studies - We are learning about symbols and traditions of the United States. Health - We are learning about community helpers and understanding stereotypes about objects and roles.

First Grade Team

We had a great first full week of 2020! Next week, we will be continuing our reading unit on Creative Ideas. The question of the week will be, "Where do creative ideas come from?" In class we will be reading "A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George Washington Carver." Throughout the week, we will focus on facts and opinions, as well as, inferring. The spelling pattern for List A next week will be comparative endings -er, -est. In math, we will be finishing topic 5. This topic covers subtracting within 100 using strategies. We will be taking our topic test. We will also begin Topic 6. This topic will cover fluently subtracting within 100. As a reminder, it is recommended that students practice their basic addition and subtraction facts with flashcards regularly at home. Please continue to send your child to school in the correct school uniform. The only day children do not have to wear all black shoes is his/her PE day. As always, if you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher via ClassDojo. We are looking forward to an amazing 2020 here at CMIT!

- The Second Grade Team

We are entering the third week of the new year. We still have a lot more work to do. Let's keep our scholars focused and continue working together to ensure their success. Next week in Reading, students will be making inferences and determining the central message in our weekly story Pushing Up the Sky. In Social Studies, we will be finishing up Chapter 2 and taking our assessment. In Math, we will be studying elapsed time and in Science we will be studying force and motion. We will also be taking our MAP Reading & Math assessments during the week if january 6-24, 2020. Upcoming Dates & Reminders 1/13/2020 Skate Zone Permission Slip & Money due 1/14/202 Skate Zone Field Trip 1/20/2020 No School 1/22/2020 Black History Project Due 1/24/202 Quarter 2 End Let's have a great week on purpose!

Third Grade Team

This week in RELA, students read "Paul Bunyan and A Very Grand Canyon," focusing on synthesizing information from two texts. Our grammar skill was Plural Possessive Nouns. Next week, students will begin working on poetry and our grammar skills will be Action and Linking Verbs. This week in RELA ,students completed Lesson 4: The United States Becomes a World Power. Next week they will complete Lesson 5: The United States Since World War II. Students took their Winter MAP Reading Growth Test this week. This week in math we started our division topic. Scholars were instructed that division uses the same facts as multiplication. We discussed a few different methods of how to do short division. We also introduced the concept of remainders. We will continue to work on remainders and start long division next week. This week in science, we continued working on our physics unit. We talked about motion, mass, and gravity, and how they interact. Scholars were able to practice a STEM activity at home. They created gliders and calculated the distance and time that their glider went after they threw it. This provided an opportunity for students to talk about different features on a plane and how we can design things to be faster and more fuel efficient. We have also started our Winter MAP testing. Remember to focus on math facts to help them with their scores in math! Good luck scholars. P.S. Send Pencils

-Mrs. Michaela Moon, Fourth Grade Lead, Green Team Lead, Green Kiwanis Club Sponsor

Hello Parents! We are half way through the month already! Here is what is to come looking forward. In Math, we are still working on fractions, mixed, improper fractions, adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions with the level of rigor increasing each week. For Science, we will begin Chapter 2 forces and motion. In ELA, students will conclude our Quarter 2 novel Abby Takes a Stand. Students will also be testing for winter MAP Assessments. For Social Studies, students will continue to learn the skills needed to be successful at JA Biztown. Next week, we will focus on business management and selecting jobs. REMINDERS/UPDATES: NO HOMEWORK WEEK of Jan13th -17th Week of January 13th- Math MAP January 20- MLK Day NO SCHOOL Thank you for all that you do and your continuous support, it does not go unnoticed!

5th Grade Team

Lego/Robotics K-2nd grade students practiced talking about feeling and emotions (joy) and they built their own lego model. 3rd -5th grade students built their favorite robot with cubelets and legos. Next week, they will be able to practice telling stories based on the robot they build. They did excellent class work this week. Technology Greetings, 2-5 Scholars practiced: Hardware Fundamentals: Network Basics The learners receive direct instruction and practice with networking concepts, such as LANs, WANs, and file format compatibility. They gained knowledge about how to use remote equipment and review the intellectual property in this engaging and interactive digital lesson. https://www.learning.com/ Art Last week and this week in art class projects have included: Habitat renderings with a focus on line, shape, and color to express a connection to the environment. Students art asked to reflect on their environment including the world beneath their feet and show what they imagine. We have some classes working on pop-up books that require anthem to focus on their craftsmanship. And, other classes are prioritizing line, repetition, pattern, and color in their experience with gesture and contour drawings. Physical Education All students are working on cooperative games this week and team building to complete certain tasks. Grades 3, 4, & 5 will be traveling to Skate Zone with Mr. Hamms and the classroom teachers to work on a STEM activity before skating. Also the Heart Healthy Hero's for the American Heart Association will be starting with Mr. Hamms again, we have a school goal of $2000. This not only helps the AHA, but Mr. Hamms might even get a donation from AHA for more/new PE equipment.

Creative Arts Team