Here you will find an electronic version of the CEW graphic organizer that we use in class. You can type right on this, but first please MAKE A COPY of the blank CEW Format paper and save it on your drive, and be sure to give it a name (for example: CEW #3 - Your Last Name). After you have the copy on your drive you can type your response right on it and then either print it out or share it with me and/or Mrs. Davis. The questions for CEW assignments that are to be done for homework can be found in the description of the assignment in the Grade Book on Genesis.  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eMd9oUIple38wF_1HEaLIib6SYY_ktZKQYf3NjJLkWQ/edit?ts=57f647a3

A CEW is a writing response style that we utilize in Language Arts, Social Studies, and in various other subjects. CEW stands for Claim, Evidence, Warrant. It allows for our scholars to think critically about their reponses to questions posed to them. A CEW will look like a paragraph once constructed. The following is what goes into constructing a CEW:

Claim - This is your answer to a question without using "I believe" or "I think". It is a declaration.

Example: In Home of the Brave, a fiction novel by Katherine Applegate, Kek is brave.

Evidence - Prove your claim with providing three pieces of support.

Example: First, Kek has to travel to a new place on a strange "flying boat" all by himself. Then, he has to use words that he is not comfortable with yet in order to communicate with the people in his new home. Finally, he doesn't cry when he speaks to Dave, the man from the Refugee Center, about his missing mother.

Warrant - Make a statement that explains WHY you believe the evidence supports your claim.

Example: This shows that Kek is brave. He misses his old life in his village in Africa, but he's embarking on a new journey in a new place. 

The students are working on learning, and eventually mastering, the format of a CEW. We are working with templates to visually see the parts that go into constructing a proper CEW. Eventually, they will work on writing a CEW in a paragraph without the aid of a template. The examples above would look like this without labeling the various parts:

      In Home of the Brave, a fiction novel by Katherine Applegate, Kek is brave. First, Kek has to travel to a new place on a strange "flying boat" all by himself. Then, he has to use words that he is not comfortable with yet in order to communicate with the people in his new home. Finally, he doesn't cry when he speaks to Dave, the man from the Refugee Center, about his missing mother. This shows that Kek is brave. He misses his old life in his village in Arica, but he's embarking on a new journey in a new place.

Welcome to 5th grade!!!

My name is Mrs. Cernadas and I will be teaching you Language Arts and Social Studies this year. I hope you have had a wonderful summer and look forward to beginning a new year in a new school. This summer, I have been busy preparing the classroom just for you!

Other things to look forward to doing this year in school include reading a lot of different genres, or types, of books! We will also be exploring the early history of the United States, starting with Geography. I am looking forward most to working on our writing skills through the use of our writers notebooks. I have been writing in mine all summer so that I have some things to share with you.

I am very excited about the upcoming year, and I hope you are, too! But please enjoy the rest of your summer and read some good books! We will see you in September!

Sincerely,
Mrs. Cernadas 

Just in case you did not receive the supply list over the summer, your student will need to be prepared for school with the following items:
For Language Arts, your child should have:
- 3 composition notebooks for reading, writing, and grammar
- post it notes (3x3 are best)
- 2 binders for LA
- 2 packages of dividers for binders
- colored pens, pencils, tape in dispensers, white out, highlighters, pencil case
- take-home folder for HW and important papers
- gallon Ziploc bag to keep all reading books and post it notes safe
- hand sanitizer
- hole reinforcers
For Social Studies:
- 1 2inch binder
- dividers for binder
- filler paper for binder

For the classroom:
- box of tissues
- roll of paper towels
- package of lined paper

MAP Testing for Language Arts will be on Tuesday, May 24th. Please be sure to go to bed early the night before to come in rested and ready to do your best! :)

As we approach the end of the school year we have a few exciting events coming up! The following activities/events will be taking place in the next few days and weeks.

May 20, 2016 - Field Trip to the Philadelphia Zoo

May 27, 2016 - Trout Stocking Trip

June 16, 2016 - Heritage Day 

All permission slips have gone home and have been returned. Please keep in mind that no electronic devices are allowed on school trips. Cell phones, iPods, tablets, etc. should not be brought. Students can bring a bag lunch, and a drink/water (preferably not in glass), or they can purchase lunch at the Zoo during that trip. Also, there will be a gift shop available to the students. Cinch sacks or "purses" can be brought to carry lunches, money, or souvenirs purchased. Also, books to read should not be brought on the trip. We would like the students to take the opportunity to just talk to each other, enjoy each other's company, and appreciate the world around them.

Thank you! We are so excited to be able to enjoy these upcoming events as a class. :)