Important Upcoming Dates and Reminders

Wednesday, 10/27:

• Late arrival for students.
• Study for chapter 3 math test.
• Grammar quiz

Thursday, 10/28:

• Chapter 3 math test.
• Study the sleep charts students bring back today.

Friday, 10/29:

• Fall Festival Party (2:15-3:15pm)
• Scary Story Writing Entries are due.

Curriculum Update for 10/25-10/29

Here is a curricular update for this week:

Reading:

• We are reading a non-fiction selection called Iditarod Dream. We are going to study if dog sled racing is cruel to dogs.
• Students are having meaningful book conversations with one another about the stories that they are reading in their self selected books.
• Students have studied elaboration cues and are using them in their writing. They are learning to expand upon their writing by using phrases like: "because", "for example", and "like."
• We've also been studying pre-fixes, suffixes, and word part pronunciations as we study spelling strategies.
• In addition, we continue to study high level vocabulary words as well as the vocabulary from our reading selection and use these words in context.

Writing:

• Lots to do in writing class! Students are working on a variety of writing including the following:

1. Non-fiction research with their non-fiction selections.
2. Publishing their very own created stories and other pieces of writing.
3. Publishing their book reviews.
4. Writing their scary stories for the scary story contest.
5. Soon they will publish their second draft memoirs.

Math:

• We have wrapped up our Unit 3 geometry unit.
• A test on unit 3 is scheduled for this Thursday. It is a short test but still will be worth the standard 100 points.
• I am going to monitor very specific fraction, decimal, and time telling skills in small groups.
• Next week we will start studying computation, but with decimals.

Social Studies:

• This week and next week we are going to study how Spanish explorers gained power in the Americas.
• We've been discussing a lot of current events, including the local political races in Illinois.
• In addition, we've been building a lot of background in our study of history via great videos of exploration.

5th Grade Citizenship Celebration!

The kids in fifth grade have earned over 1,000 gold tickets this quarter and have earned a day of celebration. This will take place during part of the school day on Friday the 22nd. Here is what the kids voted on. Everyone can wear PJ's if they like and we will have four rooms with activities for the kids to choose from:

1. Game room for board games or electronic games like PSP's. Please no cell phones with games.
2. A craft room where kids can make crafts from a variety of materials we will have or things that kids may want to bring in from home.
3. A room for quite reading.
4. A movie, How To Train Your Dragon, will be shown in one room.

Important Dates and Reminders

Monday, 10/18

*Math Fact Practice Club meets after school from 3:40-4:2opm.

*Some students stay after school to practice their lines for the musical.

Tuesday, 10/19

* Book Review 1st drafts are due today.

*Some students stay after school to practice their lines for the musical.

Wednesday, 10/20

* Memoir 1st drafts are due today.

* Yellow Folder goes home! Check out the grade and progress updates!

*Possible Read with Mr. Vaid day today (tentative-may reschedule)

*Some students stay after school to practice their lines for the musical.

Thursday, 10/21

* Social Studies Test (Chapter 3)

* Culver's Night. I will be working between 7pm and 8pm.

*Some students stay after school to practice their lines for the musical.

Friday, 10/22

* Math Quiz (angles, triangles, measuring, and polygons)

* Maybe switching seats (if we have time) (some students get to choose where to sit next)

Curriculum Update for 10/18-10/22

Reading:

• Students are going to engage in having book conversations about what they are reading and compare, contrast elements from the stories and ask each other questions about their stories.
• Students will also continue working on the essay writing. They have become very strong essay writers. I am very impressed! This week we will study how to add multiple evidences from the text and consequently, multiple inferences (interpretations)
• Students will also use vocabulary words in context and act out the vocabulary in skits.
• Students will read to form opinions while they are working on their book reviews.

Writing:

• This week I will introduce the Halloween Scary Writing Contest. Over the next two weeks, students may enter the competition. The contest is to see who can write the scariest two page (maximum) story. There is a prize involved...oooh!
• While working on their memoir drafts this week, I will teach students how to elaborate using elaboration cues like because, for example, and like. In addition, while working on their memoir drafts this week, students will study how use proper time transition words to move from paragraph to paragraph.
• I am very excited that more and more students are going through the writing process and publishing their work. It is a joy to conference with them and work on things they should fix and celebrate great writing and skills that they have.

Math:

• As usual, anticipate a Friday quiz.
• We will study the following concepts this week: types of angles (opposite and adjacent), congruency of polygons, definitions of polygons, and tessellations.
• We'll continue to work in small groups as well.
• Enrichment work will be given to students who graduate from the concept based on the pre-test.
• I am also monitoring the following concepts: telling time, measuring perimeter, and using variables.

Social Studies:

• This week on Thursday we will take the test on early adventurers and explorers.
• We will study European explorers this week on Monday and Tuesday. We have some interesting and important activities relevant to reading skills and writing skills that we will involve ourselves in.
• Wednesday, I am going to teach the kids how to take an open book test. The Thursday test will be open book and I must teach them how to read and re-read. Actually they already have had these lessons, but I will teach this again.

Citizenship:

• An important citizenship study begins this week: Bullying. The kids will be studying what bullying is and what to do when being bullied. We have a bully prevention program at our school.

Important Dates and Reminders

Tuesday, October 12th: Math Fact Tuesday (Originally Monday) I have asked some of you if your child can stay for more math fact practice after school and occasionally during extra recess. This after school meeting is from 3:35pm to 4:15pm.

Wednesday, October 13th: Half Day of School. Dismissal is at 12:00pm.

Friday, October 15th: Reading Selection Test, Math Friday Quiz

Tests and quizzes: We will have quizzes in reading, math, writing (grammar), and social studies this week. Some are quizzes that students can not really study for, but assessment that I take into account when determining grades. In addition, these assessments are mainly based off of specific mini lessons done in class, and not simply unit work or units of instruction.

Tuesday, October 19th: Book Reviews due (Students should be working on these during this week and early next week) The instructions and rubric will be handed out on Tuesday.

Thursday, October 21st: Memoirs are due. Students will primarily work on these during class, but some work will have to be completed at home.

Thursday, October 21st: Culver's Night. I'll be there at Culver's working from 7pm to 8pm. Proceeds during the work hours of May Watts staff go to the May Watts School.

Curriculum Update Week of 10/11-10/15

Hello everyone! Check out the curriculum update for this upcoming week:

Reading:

1. Students are going to focus on the theme or heroism and read the selection from our reading book We'll Never Forget You Roberto Clemente.
2. Students are going to read for a variety of purposes including to determine if Roberto Clemente was a hero and why, to draw conclusions from pieces of text that are written in a show not tell format, to infer, to predict, and to re-read. As usual, we're using a lot of strategies to strengthen our comprehension.
3. Students are practicing critical thinking skills and using evaluative thinking while writing reviews on their self selected books.
4. As usual, we'll read for pleasure, read to practice fluency, and read with fluency. I'll meet in small groups and have reading conferences. The kids are enjoying the reading conferences quite a bit!

Writing:

1. Students are working on writing their memoirs. I've shared with them several memoirs including my very own (which I'm still writing) and they are in the process of pre-writing and rough drafting their own memoirs. By the way, their memoirs are due Thursday, October 21st.
2. I'll meet students and have conferences on their own student created writing. By the way, some students have finished the writing process on their first pieces and have published either letters or stories.
3. In grammar we are going to focus on possessive nouns and learn how to use apostrophes for singular and plural nouns.
4. Our craft lessons this week will focus on showing action, not telling of it while writing either our memoirs or student created writing.
5. Any other lessons I teach will be based off the errors that I see on draft papers.

Math:

1. Students in 5V math jump into geometry this week. Monday is a pretest.
2. From Tuesday-Friday we will study the following: Different types of angles, different types of triangles, vertical and adjacent angles, and simplifying fractions.
3. There will be a quiz Friday.
4. Small group math groups will meet to study the following concepts: how to tell time, how to simplify fractions, how to long divide, and how to use variables.

Social Studies:

1. This week we will wrap up our exploration, trade, and conquer unit. We've studied how early adventurers have tried to establish power and wealth via exploration, trade, and war.
2. There will be a chapter test (open book) this Friday, or possibly early next week. We are doing a fun activity this week when students apply what they have studied in a writing experience that allows them to take the role of a leader of the country of 5V and plan their way to world domination.
3. As we study our next few lessons, I will emphasize text structure and reading non-fiction, rather attacking the reading of non-fiction in particular ways with a combination of reading strategies, and non-fiction comprehension strategies.

Spelling:

1. This week we are studying unit 4 "vowels before the r consonant" and we will have a quiz on the words next Monday or Tuesday.
2. We might try shaving cream spelling this week if we have time.

Math Facts:

1. Students know that by the end of the month the math fact goal is to have 60 correct on the two minute math fact test.
2. We will continue to practice math facts online with our math magician website and our that's a fact website.