The Week of April 4th, 2011

Dear Parents,
As we come back to school from Spring Break, remember there is NO SCHOOL on Tuesday, April 5th.
Our class is participating in GEO-SPACE with the DuPage Children's Museum facilitators on Thursday, April 7th. With 5th grade having this "in-school" field trip we are not having reading and math everyday this week.
CLASSROOM HELPERS for GEO-SPACE are Mrs. Burrows and Mrs. Olsen!
Please be here at 9:00!

SAVE THE DATES = Thursday, April 14th = Open House and Book Fair

Wednesday, April 20th - 8:30 am for Too Good For Drugs Graduation
Parents are encouraged to attend!!!

HERE'S WHAT WE WILL BE UP TO IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: None this week!

READING: We will be reading a historical fiction novel, Jacob's Rescue. This novel takes place during the Holocaust. This book is based on real people and events that happened during the Holocaust. The students will be gradually introduced to the hardships Jewish families experienced, but does not make the reader too overwhelmed. There is a strong message of respect for others throughout this book.
While reading, the students will be drawing conclusions and making inferences. They will be able to identify the author's viewpoint and cause and effect relationships.

ENGLISH/WRITING: The students will be writing an informational friendly letter.
It will be based on what they learned in the Too Good For Drugs program.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are doing an enrichment activity before we begin the next chapter.
We will be learning the history of "Yankee Doodle" and be writing a new and creative version!

SCIENCE: Chapter 15 Energy - We will be learning about Kinetic and Potential Energy.

MATH: Chapter 12
Monday = reviewing Lesson 12.5 "Comparing and Ordering Fractions" and extending this lesson with Mixed Numbers
Tuesday = No School
Wednesday = Lesson 12.7 Fractions and Decimals
Thursday and Friday - no math due to the GEO-SPACE program....which is an extension of geometry!!!

The Week of March 21, 2010

Dear Parents,
Tuesday we are having our SCOOPer Reading Celebration. The class is planning the theme of the party in class on Friday, March 18th and some students will be asked to bring treats. A sheet with this information will come home with your child on Friday. If your child volunteers to bring in a goodie and it's not convenient for you, just let me know....

Wednesday is our field trip to NaperSettlement. The students need to bring a sack lunch and drink. Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. We spend a good amount of time outside!
Chaperones = Mrs. David, Mrs. Reynolds, and Mrs. Gurnic
Please be here by 9:05 and don't forget your lunches!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING THIS WEEK!

SPELLING: Lesson 24 Review Lesson
**100% on pretest = Challenge List
There are 30 review words. 15 words will be given on the pretest.
15 words will be given on the final test on Friday.
The entire list needs to be studied because the words will not necessarily be the same on the pretest and post-test.

READING: This week we continue our study of China. The students have used the facts they researched about China to create a travel brochure.
The travel brochure is due MONDAY.
We will continue to reinforce the use of main idea and supporting details by doing an internet activity on the giant panda.
We will also be learning about proverbs this week and Chinese folktales!

ENGLISH: We will be sharing our final copies of our expository writing!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are not beginning the next chapter until after spring break.
We will be learning more about CHINA in our homeroom during this time!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Lesson 3 Chemical Changes
The test is on Chapter 14 is on Friday, March 25th!

MATH: Chapter 12 Fractions continued
Monday = Lesson 3 Simplest Form
Tuesday = Lesson 4 Mixed Numbers
Wednesday = No math due to field trip
Thursday = Quiz over Lessons 12.1 - 12.4 and HOMEWORK SHEET
Friday - Lesson 5 Compare and Order Fractions and Mixed Numbers

The Week of March 14, 2010

Dear Parents,
I look forward to seeing many of you at the P.T.O event on Saturday, March 19th "Spring Fling"!
These events are a great way to socialize and support our school!

Roller Skating Party is Monday!
Project Challenge meets on Tuesday!
Field Trip to Naper Settlement is Wednesday, March 23rd!
~Students need to dress appropriately since a lot of the activities are outside!
~Sack lunch!
~Chaperones = Mrs. Reynolds, Mrs. David, and Mrs. Gurnic
Please be here at 9:10! Thanks!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 23 - words with suffixes and word of the week
Challenge list = 100% on pretest

READING: This week we continue our study of China. We are focusing on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. The students have been using non-fiction China books from our Prairieview library, the internet, and other sources.
The students are using clarifing and monitoring skills as they dig into the information!
The outline is due Tuesday, March 15th!
Next, we will be creating a travel brochure from our outlines!

SCOOPer READING:
GOALS DUE FRIDAY, MARCH 18th! I am hoping that everyone reaches their goal!!!

ENGLISH: Expository Writing "The Importance of Saving Money"
The students have their introduction and 3 key idea paragraphs due on Tuesday.
Tuesday, we will be peer conferencing and writing our conclusion paragraph.
Next, we will be revising and proofreading.
We will be typing our final copies here at school!
This piece of writing will be put in our writing folders that go on to Lakeview and will be entered in a contest!
Have your students share what they have written with you!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finished with Chapter 9.
Monday = How to Study sheets and going over our notes!
Tuesday = Jeopardy review!
Wednesday = TEST

SCIENCE: We are doing what was planned for last week!
Physical Changes.....Your child should understand that mass does NOT change during a physical change! We will be doing two experiments that demonstrate this!
We will also be learning about mixtures and solutions!

MATH:
Monday = Lesson 11.4 Prime and Composite Numbers
Tuesday = Homework Sheet and Quiz over Chapter 11 Lessons 1-4
This will be all we do in chapter 11!
Wednesday = A fifth grade math assessment **not graded**
Thursday = Chapter 12 Lesson 1 - Understanding Fractions
Friday = Chapter 12 Lesson 2 - Equivalent Fractions

The Week of March 7, 2011

Dear Parents,
Thank you for sending in snacks for ISAT testing week. The students sure appreciated your generosity. I have plenty of snacks for awhile!
The students seemed confident about the tests they took. I look forward to seeing great ISAT test results.

I enjoyed talking to the parents I met with during parent/teacher conferences. At any time, feel free to contact me about any concerns or questions regarding your child or what's happening in the classroom!

REMINDERS:
~No School on Friday, March 4th or Monday, March 7th!
~Roller Skating Party = Monday, March 14th.....turn in permission slips if you plan on going!
There is a limit to how many students can attend!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 22 words with -ing or -ed
Students in my class need to get 100% on pretest to be on challenge list!
Word of the week begins with U!

READING: This week we begin studying the fascinating country and culture of China. We will focus on identifying main idea and supporting details using research materials. The students will be using non-fiction China books from our Prairieview library, the internet, and other sources. The students will be using clarifing and monitoring skills as they dig into the information!
The students will be completing an outline which will be used to create a brochure on China!

SCOOPer Reading: The deadline is approaching......March 18th!

ENGLISH: Expository Writing......your child is in the process of writing a 5 paragraph expository essay that will be submitted in a contest! Have them share the details of the contest and what they are writing!
We have spent a lot of time practicing how to make writing have FLAVOR....a voice....to make it interesting to the reader(s).

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 9 continued.....
We will applying our knowledge of Revolutionary War uniforms to create an original uniform!
Lesson 3 "The World Turned Upside Down" and creating a circle book with the information learned in this lesson.
I would suggest reviewing lessons 1 and 2 at this time!
An ongoing review makes studying for a chapter test a lot easier!

SCIENCE: Chapter 14 Physical Changes
We will be doing two activities that reinforce this concept!

MATH: Target Test over Chapter 4 which is used to monitor student progress, it's not a grade.
Chapter 11 Lesson 1 Multiples and Least Common Multiple
Lesson 2 Divisibility rules
Lesson 3 Factors and Greatest Common Factor
Lesson 4 Prime and Composite Numbers

Quiz and Homework sheet are scheduled for Monday, March 14th!