Can you believe it is March already? The year has been flying by. A big thank you to all of you who encouraged your student to get the big state report in on time. I was delighted with the quality of most of the reports!
We have a delightful student teacher in our room this month. She will be finishing up in April. Her name is Mrs. Hardy, and she is doing a great job!
The read aloud book I am sharing with the class right now is called Beetles, Lightly Toasted. It is a really funny book (with a certain "ewwww" factor) about a boy who follows the scientific method to find ways to conserve the food supply. I am hoping that it will inspire a lot of creativity as the students decide what to do for their science fair projects. Remember that the science fair is mandatory for my students. One of the Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) is that each student by this point will be able to come up with a question, and then be able to come up with a way, using the scientific method, to answer it. Participation in the science fair is how I will be measuring the students' ability to do that. Science fair registration forms are due on March 12th. If you have lost yours, please stop by the office for another copy.
Math We have finished up our fraction unit, are working on ratios and percentages, and will be focusing a lot on graphing and measuring for the remainder of the month.
Reading The Last Treasure by Janet Anderson is the novel we are reading in class right now. It is full of mystery and adventure. This has been a book that my former students have absolutely loved, and this year's students are enjoying so far. Be sure to ask your child what is going on in the book!
Social Studies The Civil War is such an interesting subject to learn about! We are learning about the events leading up to the Civil War and about the Underground Railroad. Later this month, the students will do research on various people, battles, and topics relating to the Civil War, and will create posters to teach each other about what they have learned.
Science During the first half of March we will be focusing on current electricity. Then we will be moving onto our final unit of science: Heredity! Both of these units are fun and exciting for the kids. They have had a blast making electrical circuits and playing with static electricity.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Welcome to February!
Another month has come and gone, and here in Room 18 we are working hard and making a lot of progress! Last month I was able to go to two trainings and to observe a STEM school is Las Vegas. I can't wait to use some of the fun things I've learned!
Math
The students have done wonderfully with the basic fraction concepts. We will be working on adding and subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping, multiplying fractions, and ratios this month. The students have all of the skills they need to be successful, it's just a matter of learning the steps to use what they know.
Reading
Intervention groups have started again. The students are working on a weekly story out of the Harcourt Trophies book. They practice comprehension strategies and learn about different genres. In small groups, they are either working with a Title 1 aid or are in a guided reading group with me. Ask your child to tell you about the book he/she is reading!
Writing
Writing persuasive letters will be the focus of our writing lessons this month as we prepare to take to the Direct Writing Assessment. This is a writing test that all fifth graders will be participating in. Your child will be given a writing prompt and be expected to write a well-organized essay in the computer lab. The assessment will be graded by professionals at the state level. There will be several areas that will be graded. These include ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence structure, and spelling and punctuation.
Science
Give your child a high five! The entire class did an excellent job on their magnetism tests! Our average score was 19/20! Nowadays, there is electricity in the air! We will be focusing on both static and current electricity this month. Towards the end of the month we will begin our final unit on heredity.
Social Studies
Lewis and Clark, The War of 1812, The Texas Revolution, The Trail of Tears, and wagon trains were all covered in January. This month we will be learning about The War with Mexico, the California Gold Rush, the Homestead Act, the Pony Express, and the events leading up to the Civil War. We are covering a lot of information and the students are meeting the challenge with excitement and success! I love teaching US history!
SEP meetings
SEP meetings will be held the first week in March. Look for your appointment notice to come home during the second week of February. Also, if your child is on an IEP, your child's spring conference will be held at the middle school with the teacher that will be over him/her. If you still would like a regular SEP with me, just email me and let me know. Spring SEPs are very important for 5th graders!!! We will be filling out middle school registration as well as holding a progress conference. Your child will have to choose between band, orchestra, and an arts rotation. If your child is going to choose to play an instrument, we will need to put down which instrument he/she wants to play at that time.
State Reports
Hopefully you have heard by now that we are working on state reports in class. We will spend a large amount of time in the coming weeks on these reports. There will be ample time and instruction given on researching, how to put facts in your own words, how to organize a multi-page report, and to work on the maps and poetry that are required. The final draft will need to be completed at home, and it may be typed or neatly written. This will be the large project for 3rd quarter. It is due on Wednesday, February 29th.
*Please remind your child to read each night!
Math
The students have done wonderfully with the basic fraction concepts. We will be working on adding and subtracting mixed numbers with regrouping, multiplying fractions, and ratios this month. The students have all of the skills they need to be successful, it's just a matter of learning the steps to use what they know.
Reading
Intervention groups have started again. The students are working on a weekly story out of the Harcourt Trophies book. They practice comprehension strategies and learn about different genres. In small groups, they are either working with a Title 1 aid or are in a guided reading group with me. Ask your child to tell you about the book he/she is reading!
Writing
Writing persuasive letters will be the focus of our writing lessons this month as we prepare to take to the Direct Writing Assessment. This is a writing test that all fifth graders will be participating in. Your child will be given a writing prompt and be expected to write a well-organized essay in the computer lab. The assessment will be graded by professionals at the state level. There will be several areas that will be graded. These include ideas, organization, word choice, voice, sentence structure, and spelling and punctuation.
Science
Give your child a high five! The entire class did an excellent job on their magnetism tests! Our average score was 19/20! Nowadays, there is electricity in the air! We will be focusing on both static and current electricity this month. Towards the end of the month we will begin our final unit on heredity.
Social Studies
Lewis and Clark, The War of 1812, The Texas Revolution, The Trail of Tears, and wagon trains were all covered in January. This month we will be learning about The War with Mexico, the California Gold Rush, the Homestead Act, the Pony Express, and the events leading up to the Civil War. We are covering a lot of information and the students are meeting the challenge with excitement and success! I love teaching US history!
SEP meetings
SEP meetings will be held the first week in March. Look for your appointment notice to come home during the second week of February. Also, if your child is on an IEP, your child's spring conference will be held at the middle school with the teacher that will be over him/her. If you still would like a regular SEP with me, just email me and let me know. Spring SEPs are very important for 5th graders!!! We will be filling out middle school registration as well as holding a progress conference. Your child will have to choose between band, orchestra, and an arts rotation. If your child is going to choose to play an instrument, we will need to put down which instrument he/she wants to play at that time.
State Reports
Hopefully you have heard by now that we are working on state reports in class. We will spend a large amount of time in the coming weeks on these reports. There will be ample time and instruction given on researching, how to put facts in your own words, how to organize a multi-page report, and to work on the maps and poetry that are required. The final draft will need to be completed at home, and it may be typed or neatly written. This will be the large project for 3rd quarter. It is due on Wednesday, February 29th.
*Please remind your child to read each night!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Welcome to 2012!
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone had a refreshing break and is ready to come back full steam ahead! The next few months are critical as we really push into new academic territory.
Math --We will be spending a couple of days reviewing and refreshing material we have covered. Then we will begin our unit study on fractions. We will be learning about equivalent fractions, reducing/simplifying fractions, and comparing and ordering fractions. We will also be learning how fractions, decimals, and percents are connected.
Reading --We will be working out of the Harcourt text books for the first two weeks back. After the assessments given during the first two weeks, we will then be breaking up into guided reading groups again, and delving into some really exciting novels.
Spelling--Our lists for the coming month are going to be as follows:
Week 1-repeat of I before E list. The scores in December on this list were mediocre. It is an important rule to learn. The complete rule is: I before E, except after C and in words that say "ay" or "I"
Week 2--working on suffixes again ful, ness, ly
Week 3-- Working on science words
Week 4-- Compound words
Writing--The kids will be writing the summary for their Matter chapter in their science book, as well as be turning in their chapter on the American Revolution in their time travel book. We will also be learning more about how to use the 4-square organizer to help with our writing. This is a really useful tool. My son is a senior in college, and still uses the basic organizer for his writing. We will be using it to help us do our best in our Direct Writing Assessment. This is a test every 5th grader in the district will take in February. *Last month's focus was on descriptive writing. Hopefully your child brought home his/her Christmas Is poem so that you could see how descriptive your young author is. Several of the poems were published in Iron County Today just before Christmas. Let me know if you did not see it, and I will make copy of my issue.
Science--We are finishing up our Matter unit and will begin our study of magnetism and static electricity.
Social Studies--We are beginning our longest unit of the year. It covers Westward Expansion and is very fun. We will begin with Lewis and Clark and finish up with the Pony Express. We will be covering The War of 1812, the Texas Revolution, the Trail of Tears, wagon trains, and the War with Mexico. 5th graders usually love this unit, so ask your child what he/she is learning about!
Please be aware I will be out of the classroom twice this month for training. The first will be for a first-responder class. Since we only have a nurse in the building once a week, we try to have several staff members certified as first-responders for student safety. The second training I will be attending is an arts conference that also focuses on recycling and engineering. In light of North's transition to a STEM school, and my belief that the arts are important to a well rounded student, I volunteered to attend the conference.
Best wishes for a fantastic new year!
I hope everyone had a refreshing break and is ready to come back full steam ahead! The next few months are critical as we really push into new academic territory.
Math --We will be spending a couple of days reviewing and refreshing material we have covered. Then we will begin our unit study on fractions. We will be learning about equivalent fractions, reducing/simplifying fractions, and comparing and ordering fractions. We will also be learning how fractions, decimals, and percents are connected.
Reading --We will be working out of the Harcourt text books for the first two weeks back. After the assessments given during the first two weeks, we will then be breaking up into guided reading groups again, and delving into some really exciting novels.
Spelling--Our lists for the coming month are going to be as follows:
Week 1-repeat of I before E list. The scores in December on this list were mediocre. It is an important rule to learn. The complete rule is: I before E, except after C and in words that say "ay" or "I"
Week 2--working on suffixes again ful, ness, ly
Week 3-- Working on science words
Week 4-- Compound words
Writing--The kids will be writing the summary for their Matter chapter in their science book, as well as be turning in their chapter on the American Revolution in their time travel book. We will also be learning more about how to use the 4-square organizer to help with our writing. This is a really useful tool. My son is a senior in college, and still uses the basic organizer for his writing. We will be using it to help us do our best in our Direct Writing Assessment. This is a test every 5th grader in the district will take in February. *Last month's focus was on descriptive writing. Hopefully your child brought home his/her Christmas Is poem so that you could see how descriptive your young author is. Several of the poems were published in Iron County Today just before Christmas. Let me know if you did not see it, and I will make copy of my issue.
Science--We are finishing up our Matter unit and will begin our study of magnetism and static electricity.
Social Studies--We are beginning our longest unit of the year. It covers Westward Expansion and is very fun. We will begin with Lewis and Clark and finish up with the Pony Express. We will be covering The War of 1812, the Texas Revolution, the Trail of Tears, wagon trains, and the War with Mexico. 5th graders usually love this unit, so ask your child what he/she is learning about!
Please be aware I will be out of the classroom twice this month for training. The first will be for a first-responder class. Since we only have a nurse in the building once a week, we try to have several staff members certified as first-responders for student safety. The second training I will be attending is an arts conference that also focuses on recycling and engineering. In light of North's transition to a STEM school, and my belief that the arts are important to a well rounded student, I volunteered to attend the conference.
Best wishes for a fantastic new year!
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