Hooray! We Did It!

Hooray!  We did our best on our Milestones tests!  We finished today with 100% perfect attendance (for our class) for each day, meaning that we don't have any students taking a make up test.  I am so very proud of how hard our boys and girls have worked to do their very best!

We will be having a small class celebration tomorrow, so students are allowed to bring in a DVD movie selection if they would like.  (We will vote as class to decide what we watch.)

4/28

Students worked really hard on today's math Milestones test!  I am proud of all the hard work they have put in this year, and they took their time today to do their best. 

We will test science tomorrow afternoon and social studies Thursday afternoon.  Homework is to review these two subjects!

The May newsletter is going home (early) in today's signed papers.  The upcoming final month of school is extremely busy, so mark your calendars accordingly!

4/23

Testing today got off to a great start!  The kids were very comfortable with the format since they had practiced it already.  Tomorrow will be the writing (typing!) portion of the ELA test.  I am so proud of our students and of the effort they put forth!

Continue to work on AM.  Work on ideas for the ELA restaurant menu project.

This Week's Important Info

It seems that Milestones testing went well yesterday for 3rd & 4th grade (who are also testing today).  We will begin testing in the morning with the English/Language Arts portion followed by the writing section Friday.  Thank you all for the snacks that you have sent in to keep the kids fueled during this process!  Thank you also for your help in keeping them calm, rested, and well fed during the testing period.

Next week, we take all of our tests in the "afternoon" (target start time of 11:30 am): Tues. Math, Wed. Science, & Th. Social Studies.

Now for assignments/homework:
*Work on AM every night if you haven't mastered a minimum of 160 objectives.  Thank you!
*Students may complete a WOW for a bonus both Wednesdays of the testing window (4/22 & 4/29).
*Students may also complete a bonus spelling and/or vocabulary choice (due 4/23).
**Our spelling and vocabulary tests will be Monday instead of Friday.  Please study this weekend!

This Week's ELA 4.5

4^th 9 Weeks, Week 5

Spelling: Greek/Latin Roots #13 therm and socio

*Quizlet.com is a great online site to study the meanings of these words.

*You need to know the definitions of these words as well as how to spell them for the tests on MONDAY.  Use the definitions to help you study.

therm = ________________________________   socio = ___________________________________

1.             therm (n.) a unit of heat equal to 1,000 great calories  

2.             thermal (adj.) related to heat and temperature

3.             thermometer (n.) an instrument that measures temperature or heat

4.             thermostat (n.) a devise used to control the temperature

5.             thermos (n.) a container that is used to keep things warm, such as your soup; a double-walled container that keeps things warm

6.             endothermic (adj.) heated from within the body

7.             exothermic (adj.) requires heat to be absorbed from outside the body

8.             thermograph (n.) a devise that automatically writes down (records) changes in temperature

9.             thermodynamic (adj.) caused or operated by heat that has changed into different forms of energy

10.         thermophile (n.) an organism that has adapted to living in a very high temperatures (heat), such as bacteria or algae

11.         social (ad.) friendly; a person who enjoys companions

12.         unsocial (adj.) not social; having or showing a dislike

13.         association (n.) a group of people who have gathered based on similar goals or beliefs

14.         associate (n.) a fellow worker or friend (usually related to an office)

15.         antisocial (adj.) against the basic rules of a group; harmful to people in a group 

16.         disassociate (v.) to break ties with a group; to end a friendship; to sever a relationship

17.         sociology (n.) the study of how people get along

18.         sociopath (n.) a person who suffers from an antisocial mental disorder

19.         socialite (n.) a person who is important or of high rank within a specific, usually fashionable group

20.         sociogram (n.) a diagram that represent each person’s friends in a classroom or group

**5^th grade is taking the Milestones test for ELA (English/language arts) Thursday morning and writing Friday morning!**

Milestones Math Vocabulary                       

Test 4/27/15                       

1.        equation – a mathematical “sentence” that says that two things are equal (3 – 1 = 2; 7 + n = 12); it is always true

2.        expression – a mathematical “phrase” that stands for a numerical value (3 – x; 7n)

3.        evaluate – to calculate the value of; to solve

4.        prime number – a whole number greater than 1 that has only two factors, itself & 1

5.        composite number – a whole number greater than 1 that has more than two factors

6.        sum – the answer to an addition problem

7.        difference – the answer to a subtraction problem

8.        product – the answer to a multiplication problem

9.        quotient – the answer to a division problem

10.     array – an arrangement of items in rows and columns; can be used to show multiplication and area

11.     reciprocal – the flip (or inverse) of a fraction; example, the reciprocal of ½ is 2/1

12.     multiple – a number that is the product of a given number and any whole number; example: the multiples of 3 are: 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, etc.

13.     least common multiple (LCM) – the least number, other than 0, that is a common multiple of two or more numbers; example, the LCM of 3 and 5 would be 15.

14.     factor – the two (or more) numbers that are multiplied to get a product

15.     greatest common factor (GCF) – the greatest number that is a factor or two or more numbers; example, the GCF of 8 and 12 is 4

16.     divisible – when a number can be divided by another number equally with a whole number quotient (6 is divisible by 1, 2, 3, & 6; a number is divisible by all of its factors)

17.     simplest form – a fraction in which the greatest common factor of the numerator and denominator is one; also called lowest terms or reduced

18.     ordered pair – a pair of numbers used to locate a point on a graph; the x coordinate is followed by the y coordinate

19.     congruent –having the same shape AND the same size; identical

20.     attribute – a property or characteristic of something (An attribute of a rhombus is four congruent sides.)

21.     perimeter – the distance around a figure; the sum of the lengths of the edges of a figure

22.     area – the number of square units needed to cover a flat surface (measured in square units)

23.     volume – the number of cubic units needed to fill a space figure (measured in cubic units)

24.     capacity – a measure of an amount of liquid (often measured in cups, gallons, liters)

25.     weight – a measure of how light or heavy something is (often measured in pounds or ounces)

26.     mass – a measure of the quantity of matter in an object (often measured in grams)

27.     convert – to change a measurement form without changing its amount (1.2 m = 120 cm)

28.     vertex (plural = vertices) – the common endpoint of two rays in an angle, two line segments in a polygon, or three or more edges in a space figure (corner)

29.     face – a flat surface of a polyhedron (three-dimensional solid figure)

30.     edge – a line segment where two faces meet on a polyhedron (three-dimensional solid figure)

Milestones Funk

Does the thought of the upcoming Milestones testing have you in a funk?  Then check out the Milestones Funk!

4/13

Welcome back!  It sounds like everyone had nice spring breaks.  It is so hard to believe that we have 6 weeks left of school! 

Please take special note of when we take our Milestones tests (that replace the CRCT).  Students wrote them in their agendas today.  This schedule is for 5th & 8th grade only!  Students in 3rd & 6th and 4th & 7th have their own testing schedules.  If a student has to leave once he/she has started a test, he/she cannot finish or make up the test.  If you have appointments already scheduled, please reschedule them.  Thank you!

• Th. 4/23 ELA (AM- starting around 8:30?)
• Fri. 4/24 Writing (AM)
• Tues. 4/28 Math (PM- starting around 11:30?)
• Wed. 4/29 Science (PM)
• Th. 4/30 Social Studies (PM)

Today's homework:
Finish any "old" AM (work that was printed before the break).
Write spelling words in ABC order in your agenda.
Begin studying your spelling and vocabulary words and meanings.
Everyone except Emily H. has to complete a vocabulary choice this week (due Thurs.).  Congrats to Emily for earning the only 100 on the spelling vocabulary test!

This Week's ELA

4^th 9 Weeks, Week 4

Spelling: Greek/Latin Roots #12 tract and struct

*Spelling choice activity due Thursday (if you made below 100% on Friday’s test).

*Quizlet.com is a great online site to study the meanings of these words.

*You need to know the definitions of these words as well as how to spell them for the tests on FRIDAY.  Use the definitions to help you study.

tract = ________________________________     struct = ___________________________________

1.             distract (v.) to pull a person’s attention in another direction  

2.             abstract (adj.) pulled away from direct relation to anything; impersonal as in attitude or views

3.             contract (v.) to pull together to make smaller in size or bulk; to pull inward; opposite of “expand”  

4.             attract (v.) to pull into something; to pull into oneself

5.             extract (v.) to pull out by force

6.             traction (n.) a pull to the arm or leg muscles to bring a bone back into place when it is dislocated  

7.             protract (v.) to pull out; to make something take longer; to prolong

8.             retraction  (n.) a statement or promise that is pulled back or taken back  

9.             subtract (v.) to pull some out, therefore having less left over

10.         tractor (n.) a powerful vehicle that pulls farm machines and hauls heavy loads

11.         construction  (n.) what is built; buildings that are created or produced

12.         destruction (n.) the act of taking down or destroying something that was built

13.         obstruction (n.) something that blocks the way of things being created or built; something in the way

14.         instruct (v.) to build knowledge

15.         instructor (n.) a person who helps someone build knowledge

16.         reconstruct (v.) to build again

17.         infrastructure (n.) the parts of a city on which the rest of the city was built around: roads, communication, transportation, and schools

18.         substructure (n.) the base, support, or foundation of a building

19.         superstructure (n.) something built on top of something else; the part of the building that was built on top of the foundation or base

20.         misconstrue (v.) to build the wrong meaning; to misunderstand; to interpret the wrong way

Milestones English/                                            Name/#: _______________________________________________________

Language Arts Vocabulary                                                                 Test Friday, 4/17/15

1.              modifier: a word (adjective or adverb) or group of words (a phrase or clause) used with another word or group of words to limit its meaning or describe in more detail

2.              interjection: a word or cry expressing sudden or strong feeling (“Ouch!” or “Wow!”)

3.              preposition: begins phrases that show relationships (to, with, from, in, etc.)

4.              conjunction: a part of speech that connects words, sentences, phrases, or clauses

5.              correlative conjunction: connects equal grammatical items (either/or, neither/nor)

6.              perfect verb tense: the three verb tenses which show action already completed (I have seen it, I had seen it, I will have seen it.)

7.              antecedent: the word that a pronoun replaces (The dog is the antecedent for it.)

8.              appositive: the second of a pair of nouns or noun equivalents (The turtle, Franklin, is a storybook character.)

9.              theme: the main idea or underlying meaning; often implicit; the lesson(s) the reader should learn from the story

10.           characterization: the creation of characters (as in a book or play); the way the author reveals the different aspects of the characters to the reader

11.           explicit: so clear in statement that there is no doubt about the meaning

12.           implicit: understood though not put clearly into words (an implicit agreement); being without doubt (implicit trust)

13.           extraneous: not forming a necessary part; not necessary; extra; irrelevant

14.           relevant: having something to do with the matter being considered; pertinent

15.           chronological order: arranged in or according to the order of time

16.           suspense: pleasant excitement caused by wondering what will happen

17.           foreshadow: to give a hint or suggestions of beforehand

18.           almanac: a book containing a calendar of days, weeks, and months and usually facts about the rising and the setting of the sun and moon, changes in the tides, and information of general interest

19.           appendix: additional material attached at the end of a piece of writing

20.           bibliography (or bibliographic references): a list of writings about a subject or author or by an author; used to cite references in a work of non-fiction

YHC Storytelling Festival Is This Weekend!

Wanted!

We have a student working on a community based project and will use old crayons to create new crayons. If you have any old crayons that you can part with, just send them to the office.

Also, we need kleenex in our classroom.

Thank you!

4/1

Thank you for your help in making today fun and rewarding!  I am so proud of our boys and girls!

HW:
Finish spelling choice and vocabulary drawing.
Math WB p. 197-198 is due FRIDAY.