December 14th-18th

General Announcements:	Whew!!! The holidays are almost here! It's hard to believe we are half way through the school year! We feel very blessed to work with your wonderful children every day! It is our hope that you and your family can enjoy the extra time you will have together!     Our holiday party is Friday, December 18th. Please don't forget to send the items from the sign up genius with your child to school on Friday!   We will dismiss at 11:00 am this  Friday, December 18th. This is the end of the second 9 weeks. Please continue to check your child's grades in iNow.   Please note Monday, January 4th, 2016 is our first day back to school after our break.   If possible, please replenish your child's pencil supply and glue sticks for the start of the second semester. Many students also need scissors.We appreciate your support!
Language Arts:	We are finishing up our story "Stray." We will test on the 5 vocabulary words on Tuesday, December 15th.  The final reading log is due Wednesday, December 16th. We will have a cold read test over a story that the kids have never read before on Thursday, December 17th. This is nothing they can study for, just pay attention and participate in class.
Social Studies:	We are finishing up studying the American Revolution. We will test on Wednesday, December 16th.
Math:	We are reviewing for our Fractions Unit Test.  The Fractions Unit test is Wednesday. Here is a link to the answers for the Fractions Study Guide.  ANSWERS to Fractions Study Guide :-)  IXL contract assigned last Monday is due Thursday.  The IXL skills due: Level F-Q 5, Q 16, R2, R3;   Level G- C 13 and V 5.
Science:	NO RESEARCH PROJECT this week!  This project has been delayed until January to allow more time.   We are doing a hands-on lab with chemical reactions.  We are going to make crystallized ornaments using Borax, pipe cleaners, and hot water.   We will also enjoy Science World magazines.  I plan to take a grade from the Science World activities.

December 7th-11th

General Announcements:	Our TEAM HOLIDAY PARTY is December 18th. We will send more information later this week. It will be a breakfast for the kids. School gets out at 11:00 AM on December 18th. We will send home a sack lunch form on December 14th for students staying in after school care. It will be due December 16th. Please continue to check iNow for your child’s grades. December 18th is the last day of the 2nd 9 weeks. We are still collecting Box Tops. Please send them in bags of 25 with your child!
Language Arts:	We are finishing up our reading story “In the Time of the Drums” and working on sequencing events today. We will begin the story “Stray” and answering questions with text evidence on Wednesday. We will have a comprehension and vocabulary test on Tuesday, December 8th. The reading log is due Wednesday, December 9th. Grammar IXL skills are due Friday: I.1, I.2, I.3, I.4. A new reading log will come home on Wednesday, December 9nd and it will be due Wednesday, December 16th.
Social Studies:	We are concluding our study of the American Revolutionary War. We will be filling out our study guide in class on Tuesday and going over it Wednesday. We will test on Wednesday, December 16th.
Math:	We are working on our understanding and application of fractions: comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators, improper and proper fractions, and fraction equivalents. Cumulative Review #11  came home Monday and is due Wednesday.   There will not be a Cumulative Review quiz this week. We will have a Fraction Unit test next week. Look for more Fraction homework Wednesday and Thursday night.   A new Math IXL contract came home on Monday and not due until next Thursday.
Science:	We are studying Earth & human interactions with the environment. We are looking at the impact of oil spills on the environment and ways they can be cleaned up.  We are testing different methods of cleanup.    We are also going to be doing a "Human Impact on the Environment" research project the end of this week and next week for a grade. This information will be posted under the Science page of the blog soon.

November 30th - December 4th

General Announcements:	We hope you had a wonderful break and safe travels! Please continue to check iNow for your child’s grades. Dec. 7-15th Salvation Army Toy Drive at Brock's Gap.  : Chick-fil-A Hoover Commons & Patton Creek will each host a collection of new-toys for Forgotten Angels through Salvation Army. This special toy drive is for Birmingham area children in need of a bit of extra love during the holidays.  Dec. 16th, BGIS has scheduled a special school pickup including the Cow & a Salvation Army representative.
Language Arts:	We will be finishing up an informational writing piece on one of the 13 colonies. We will be drafting and editing this week. We will begin a new story on Wednesday and focus on sequencing main events. We will test comprehension and vocabulary December 8th. Grammar IXL skills are due Friday: Y.1, Y.2, and Y.3. A new reading log will come home on Wednesday, December 2nd and it will be due Wednesday, December 9th.
Social Studies:	We are beginning to talk about the American Revolutionary War battles and the Declaration of Independence this week. We will test on the American Revolution December 16th.
Math:	We are working on our understanding and application of fractions: equivalent, comparing, ordering, and adding/subtracting with like and unlike denominators .  Here is a Link for copy of this week's Cumulative Review. Cumulative Review is due Wednesday.....we will check it together in class. There will not be a Math Quiz this week. A new IXL contract will be assigned tomorrow and will not be due until next Tuesday, December 8th....the students already had an early start to two of the skills.
Science:	We are discussing different ways that humans impact the environment. We will also discuss the use of fossil fuels and alternative energy resources. No tests or quizzes this week. Grades will be taken on activities done in class.

November 16th- 20th

General Announcements:	Thanksgiving break is next week (November 23rd-27th)! Safe travels to all that will be out of town. If your child will be absent or checking out Friday, please let us know ahead of time so they can complete any work from that day. A note from BGIS Computer Teacher, Mrs. Willis: Parents and Community,In honor of Hour of Code on December 11, 2015, we would like to invite the community to share their expertise with computers.  If you are a computer professional and would love the chance to share your experiences with students at Brock's Gap, we need you!  We are looking for presenters to share on Friday, December 11, 2015 at Brock's Gap Intermediate School.  If you are interested or know someone who is, please fill out the form below with your information! Link to form Thanks for all of your support on this fun day learning about computers and coding!  If you have any questions, please feel free to email Mrs. Willis. **From our nurse, Mrs. Walker: In accordance with Alabama law, Section 16-29-1, Code Alabama, 1975, our school will be conducting a free screening to detect adolescent scoliosis TOMORROW- November 17, 2015 all day during PE classes. The school nurse along with a nurse from Children's Hospital will conduct the scoliosis screening program. The screening, which takes about one minute, is simple and not embarrassing. It involves a visual examination of the back while standing straight and bending over. Boys and girls will be screened separately. Scoliosis is a twisting, or curve of the spine which occurs in about 10% of the adolescent population and about 2 ½% will require some type of medical attention. The first sign of scoliosis is usually noticed between the ages of ten and fourteen. If any symptoms are detected for your child, you will be notified by letter. Please make sure your child wears a slip-on shirt or blouse on the screening day. Girls may wear a bathing suit top or bra which will remain on during the screening. If you do not want your child to participate then send a note in writing to the school nurse. Thank you for you cooperation with the screening program.  Please continue to check iNow for your child’s grades.
Language Arts:	We will be finishing up an informational writing piece on one of the 13 colonies. We will be drafting and editing this week. We are doing Unit 5 Greek/Latin Root words this week. Our words all contain the roots dict-, scrib-/script-, or graph/gram. The homework sheet came home today and is due Wednesday, November 18th. The test will be this Thursday, November 19th. There is no Grammar IXL contract and NO READING LOG this week! A new Reading Log will come home after the Thanksgiving break!
Social Studies:	We are beginning to talk about the American Revolutionary War this week. We will be discussing Patriots, Loyalists, armies, and the battles in the war. We will continue this after Thanksgiving break and finish up before the winter holidays
Math:	We are working on our understanding and application of fractions: comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting.  Cumulative Review #10  came home today and is due Wednesday.  We will have a Cumulative Review Quiz on Thursday.Here is a link to Cumulative Review #10 .
Science:	We are studying the process of Photosynthesis.  We will have a quiz on FRIDAY.  A study guide came home today and here is a link Photosynthesis Study Guide .  Students can find many photosynthesis activities and video on the Science page of our blog: Link to Science activities.

November 9th-13th

General Announcements:	TOMORROW is DRESS YOUR BEST at Brock’s Gap for our Veterans Day program.During the month of November we are collecting unopened, travel-size toiletries for the VA Hospital and homeless Veterans in Birmingham. Collection boxes will be in the BGIS lobby through this Friday, November 13th.  Progress Reports come home TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 10th. Please look over your child's grades with them and return signed on Thursday, November 12th. THERE IS NO SCHOOL THIS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11th in observance of VETERANS DAY From our nurse, Mrs. Walker:In accordance with Alabama law, Section 16-29-1, Code Alabama, 1975, our school will be conducting a free screening to detect adolescent scoliosis on November 17, 2015 all day during PE classes. The school nurse along with a nurse from Children's Hospital will conduct the scoliosis screening program. The screening, which takes about one minute, is simple and not embarrassing. It involves a visual examination of the back while standing straight and bending over. Boys and girls will be screened separately. Scoliosis is a twisting, or curve of the spine which occurs in about 10% of the adolescent population and about 2 ½% will require some type of medical attention. The first sign of scoliosis is usually noticed between the ages of ten and fourteen. If any symptoms are detected for your child, you will be notified by letter. Please make sure your child wears a slip-on shirt or blouse on the screening day. Girls may wear a bathing suit top or bra which will remain on during the screening. If you do not want your child to participate then send a note in writing to the school nurse. Thank you for you cooperation with the screening program.  Tyra Walker, RN (School Nurse, Brock's Gap Intermediate) hone  439-1630 Fax 439-1601
Language Arts:	Topics of Study - *Vocabulary: We are starting week 4 in our Greek and Latin Roots study. Homework practice will be sent home on Monday and due on Thursday. There will be a test on Friday, November 13th. **Reading Log- There will not be any more reading logs sent home this month.  **Writing-  This week, we learned important note-taking skills needed in order to write an Informational writing piece.  We gathered and organized information and then worked together to write an short writing piece on colonies.  This set the stage for next week. We will be working in class on this piece for the next two weeks. **Language IXL-  We are working on using commas in a series and in dates. The IXL skills are DD.1 and DD.2. Extra class time was given today to work on both of these skills. IXL contracts are due Friday.
Social Studies:	Topics of Study – We are completing our study of the events leading the American Revolution. Students are reviewing the causes of the Revolutionary War this week. There will be a quiz on Friday. The students can study their notes packet and democracy activity.
Math:	We completed our study of volume with our Unit test last Friday. Today we began our study of fractions.  Our unit begins with a study of the whole as well as understanding mixed numbers.  We will have an IXL contract- click on this link for a copy- IXL November 9th-13th . The practice skills are Level G: L3, U1, and D11. Students should show their work on D11. Cumulative Review also came home today and is not due until Friday. Here is a Link to Cumulative Review #9 . We will have no tests or quizzes this week!
Science:	We are continuing to look at how plants are producers, and what that means to the rest of life. We are specifically focusing on photosynthesis and how we know plants are producers. We will be doing several different hands-on activities that go along with our study. These experiments and representations will help us develop a better understanding of how energy flows from the sun and then, outward. No quiz this week; all activities will be done in class and in our Science notebooks!

November 2nd- 6th

Announcements:	NEXT Tuesday, November 10th at 8:45 A.M., is our Veterans Day program at Brock’s Gap. If you have a family or friend you would like to invite to attend and be honored at our Veterans Day program, please complete the bottom of the letter that came home last week or email Mrs. McNiel or Mrs. Ponder for more information. During the month of November we are collecting unopened, travel-size toiletries for the VA Hospital in Birmingham. There are collection boxes in the BGIS lobby today through Friday, November 13th.   THERE IS NO SCHOOL NEXT WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11th in observance of VETERANS DAY! Progress Reports come home next Tuesday, November 10th. Don't forget to check your child's grades from time to time in INOW.
Language Arts:	Vocabulary: We are starting week 3 in our Greek and Latin Roots study.  We will focus on mem-, -ology, and sci-.  Homework practice came home today and is due Thursday. The Vocab test will be this Friday, November 6th. Reading Log-These will be due on Wednesday, November 4th.  I will not be giving a new one on Wednesday due to being out for Veteran's Day next week.  Language IXL-  The new IXL activities are due Friday. The new skills are FF.1, FF.2, and FF.3. Students should be completing these activities first thing in the morning during homeroom. We encourage them daily to use their homeroom and class time wisely. Writing- We started Informational writing on today. We will work on writing across the curriculum using our Social Studies study of the colonies to fuel our focus for this writing piece.  Great work on the Tombstone Projects!
Social Studies:	We will be discussing democracy and the events leading up to the American Revolution.
Math:	We are finishing up our study of volume this week. Students are determining the volume of rectangular prisms, irregular figures, and more complex figures. We will have a UNIT TEST on Volume THIS Friday.  A study guide came home today and I have a copy posted on the Math section of our Blog. The first page of the Study Guide is due tomorrow and the rest of the study guide is due Wednesday.  There are no new IXL activities assigned this week. Here is a link to the VOLUME UNIT STUDY GUIDE: Unit 2 Volume Study Guide . Tomorrow I will post the answer to the study guide to my Math Blog.
Science:	We are studying  ecosystems.  This week we will be learning about Food Chains and Food Webs. There will be a Science Quiz this Thursday and a study guide came home today. We will be doing many activities in class tomorrow and Wednesday to prepare for this quiz. Here is a link to the study guide: Ecosystem Vocabulary Study Guide

October 26th-30th

General Announcements	Today we kicked off our recognition of Red Ribbon by WEARING RED (we also collected canned goods for the Firehouse Shelter)-We pledge to be drug free.   Tuesday will be PJ (pajamas) DAY-Your choices are the key to your dreams!  Wednesday will be SUPERHERO Day-   Be someone’s hero and stand up to bullying and drugs. Thursday will be THROWBACK THURSDAY- We will “throw drugs” back. Friday will be PINK OUT DAY.  Scare away drugs, bullying, and cancer.  Promote healthy bodies. This week is also our Book Fair at Brock’s Gap.  Students can go to the Book Fair before school if they have money to purchase something.  Our homerooms will go to the Book Fair on the following days:  Mrs. McNiel (Wednesday) and Mrs. Ponder (Thursday). In honor of our Veterans.....during the month of November and in conjunction with our upcoming Veterans Day Program, we will be collecting unopened, travel-size toiletries for the VA Hospital in Birmingham. There will be collection boxes in BGIS lobby from Monday, November 2nd through Friday, November 13th.   Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 10th at 8:45 A.M., we will have our Veterans Day program at Brock’s Gap (a letter with this information should have come home last week)! Don't forget to check your child's grades from time to time on INOW.
Language Arts:	This week we will be finishing up reading "Trapped By The Ice!" We wrote a newspaper article about some of the challenges the crew faced. We will test the vocabulary Tuesday (October 27th) and have a cold read test (using a story we have never seen before) on Tuesday as well.  Reading log is due Wednesday The tombstone was due today and presentations are October 28th and 29th.
Social Studies:	We are finishing up our study of the 13 colonies. The test for the 13 colonies will be Thursday and a study guide came home Friday. Next week we will start talking about the causes of the Revolutionary War.
Math:	This week, we will continue our study of volume.  Students are determining the volume of rectangular prisms and irregular figures. This is a new concept for many, and it may take some time to understand at greater depth.    A new Cumulative Review and IXL contract came home today. The Cumulative Review is due WEDNESDAY and our quiz will be Thursday.  We will also have a Unit Test on Volume next Wednesday.
Science:	We have begun our study of Ecosystems. We started the Unit by discussing an article in our Science World magazines, "Taking on World Hunger." This article discusses a bacteria called rhizobia that lives inside nodules of a pea plant.  This bacteria absorbs nitrogen gas from the air and converts it into ammonia,  a nutrient that plants can use.  These discussions are building background knowledge for our study photosynthesis.  Grades are being taken from activities done in class.