9/30

Study for tomorrow's unit 1 math test!

Study for social studies ch. 3-4 test (end of Civil War & Reconstruction).

Finish spelling singular to plural list.

9/29

Please sign & return the School-Parent-Student compact.

Study for math unit 1 test Thursday.
Finish vocabulary definitions if you didn't finish in class.
Write spelling in agenda in ABC order.
Finish CPA intro paragraph.

This Week's ELA: Rattlers!

1.8 Spelling and Vocabulary Lists      Story: Rattlers!

Spelling: Plural Nouns

*Copy words in agenda in ABC order (due Wednesday).

*For this week’s spelling homework, you are to write the singular and the plural form of each word.  (No spelling choice this week!)

*Study nightly (M-Th) for the sp. test on Friday.

1. rattlers                     8. reptiles                    15. identities              

2. thesauruses             9. nuclei                       16. losses       

3. countries                 10. beliefs                    17. possibilities

4. liberties                   11. difficulties             18. notches

5. potatoes                  12. batches                  19. zeroes

6. rodeos                     13. abilities                  20. eddies

7. taxes                        14. fungi                      *indices (plural of index)

                                   

Vocabulary:

*Use your glossary to find and write the part of speech and definition for each vocabulary word ON YOUR OWN PAPER.  Finish for HW if necessary (due Wednesday).

Study each night, Tuesday – Thursday, for your test on Friday.

1.     species                        5.  surroundings

2.     survive                                    6.  prey

3.     alert                             7.  predators

4.     vibrates                       8.  lunging

*Please re-read the Rattlers! story at home prior to the story test on Friday. 

Your CPA introduction is due Wednesday.  Be sure to begin this paragraph with a hook, then introduce yourself, and finish with your main points.

IRA: Cause/Effect Relationships

            Things happen in stories for a reason, and one thing leads to another.  A cause is why something happens.  An effect is what happens.  Find at least four different cause and effect relationships (or events) in your independent book.  (That could be one a night but doesn’t have to be.)  Describe each event in a complete sentence in your own words.  Remember the following key words and phrases that you can use: because, caused, since, so, and as a result.

TESTED READING SKILL: main idea and details

TESTED GRAMMAR SKILL:  Singular and plural nouns, prepositions

Poetry Practice:

Snake Mistake

One morning in my bedroom I was startled by a snake, so I picked him up and took him out and threw him in the lake. He returned a minute later, meaning, no, he didn't drown, so I put him on my bicycle and rode him out of town. It was hardly half an hour till he turned up in my room, so I packed him in a parcel and I shipped him to Khartoum. When I found him back again on the succeeding afternoon I went looking for a way that I could blast him to the moon. When I couldn't find a rocket it was then I knew that, dang, a snake is yours forever once he eats your boomerang. --Kenn Nesbitt, from the book The Tighty-Whitey Spider

9/24

Some students have AM HW (may need to make corrections).

FINISH WALK TWO MOONS PROJECT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY!

Study for spelling & vocabulary tests.

{Scroll down for pictures from yesterday's field trip.}

9/23

We had a great time on our field trip to the Georgia Mountain Research and Education Center!

9/22

Finish CPA outline: 3 main points with 3 details each.

Work on AM.

Wear sneakers for tomorrow's field trip!  Don't forget to bring a lunch if you did not select a school lunch.

9/17

AM: This week's AM goal is 22 objectives, which I knew would be a stretch.  NO ONE is close (although there are some 15s and 16s and several are ready to test tomorrow and will then have 18-20 objectives).  I have asked ALL the students to work on AM for homework.  Please note (as most of them realized) that I am asking them to work on their AM.  I did not say that they have to complete their AM, although of course that is great if they do.  AM provides valuable skill practice that reinforces what we're learning in class.  I know long division is hard, and it takes practice to remember all of the steps.  It also helps to know times tables fluently!

Practice reading your poem aloud.
Finish super sentences IF you had them.
Study spelling and vocabulary!  Tests tomorrow!

9/16

Finish math WB p. 31 (2 each row) & p. 32 (All).

Practice reading your poem aloud.  Study spelling and vocabulary.  (Don't forget that some students have a spelling choice and/or a vocabulary choice due tomorrow.  Some also have super sentences due Friday.)

*Picture day is tomorrow!

*Don't forget about the Fall Festival this Saturday (4:00-7:00)!

9/15

Math WB p. 31 (2 each row) & p. 32 (All) is due Thursday.
*Multiplication speed tests tomorrow for the remaining few students who need them!

Practice reading your poem aloud.  Study spelling and vocabulary.  (Don't forget that some students have a spelling choice and/or a vocabulary choice due Thursday.)

*Picture day is Thursday!

This Week's ELA: Soldier's Heart 2 + NEW Poetry Practice

Spelling & Vocabulary Lists: Soldier’s Heart #2                        

September 14-18, 2015

Spelling words:

Monday: Write your words in ABC order in your agenda (due Tuesday). 

Wednesday-Thursday: IF YOU MADE BELOW 90% ON LAST WEEK’S TEST, divide your words into syllables.  Use the dictionary to help you if you need to!  Feel free to use color.  OR write this week's words 3x each (2x print/1x cursive).  Turn in Thursday.

Monday through Thursday please study your words nightly for your test on Friday.

1.     collide                                      11. truce

2.     crouched                                  12. fret

3.     fanfare                                     13. barrage

4.     residue                                      14. corrosion

5.     churning                                   15. soldier

6.     withdraw                                  16. foliage

7.     slogans                                     17. volley

8.     cowlick                                    18. sympathizer

9.     desert                                       19. rudimentary

10.  demoralized                             20. parried

*If you made below 90% on last week’s Super Sentence, you must write a super sentence with spelling words #1, 2, 9, and 20 (due FRIDAY).

Vocabulary:

Monday – Match the vocabulary words below with the correct definition on the right.  Write the letter of the definition on the line next to the vocabulary word. Think about how the words have been used in the novel being read in class. You may use a dictionary. Due Tuesday.

Tuesday-Wednesday: IF YOU MADE BELOW 90% ON LAST WEEK’S TEST, write sentences OR complete a Vocabulary Draw (due Thursday).

Tuesday – Thursday: Study vocabulary words and definitions each night for the test on Friday.

1.      appalling  ______                              A. noisy excitement or fuss

                     

2.      plummet  ______                              B. a person not on active military duty or not part of the

military

3.      unscathed ______                              C. a civilian who provides items to an army and has a

shop in the camp

4.      commandeer  ______                                    D. the process of cutting off or removing a limb from the body

5.      ravenous ______                               E. not hurt, damaged, or harmed in any way

6.      civilian ______                                 F. causing dismay or horror

7.      dysentery ______                              G. very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or gratification

8.      sutler ______                                                H.  to order or force into military service; to seize (private property) for

military or other public use

9.      hullaballoo ______                            I. a disease characterized by severe diarrhea and passing

blood, caused by infection

10.   amputation ______                           J.  to drop steeply and suddenly downward

Work on CPA research.  Outline (3 main points with at least 3 details each) is due 9/23.

Work on Walk Two Moons project (due NO LATER THAN 9/25).

**NEW** 
Poetry Practice!  Please practice reading aloud this poem fluently each night to someone at home (Mon.-Thurs.).

 

The Games in My Room

A Funny Videogame Poem for Kids

The video games that
I keep in my room,
like Tetris, Terraria,
Minecraft, and Doom,
and one about somebody
raiding a tomb,
and one with invaders from space...

They're up on the dresser
and down on the floor.
The Legend of Zelda
and Street Fighter IV,
Splatoon and Nintendogs,
Ms. Pac Man and more,
are scattered all over the place.

There's Sonic the Hedgehog
and Dragon Ball Z,
and Mario Party,
and Madden for Wii,
and FIFA 15 for the
Playstation 3.
They're littered and strewn all around.

There's Kidz Sports and Kirby
and Kingdom Hearts II,
Jurassic Park, Jeopardy,
Just Dance Wii U,
and don't forget Pokemon
Red, Green, and Blue,
all over my desk and the ground.

They're under my bed
in a battered old box.
They're tossed in the closet
with Legos and blocks.
They're stuffed in a drawer
with my undies and socks.
They're thrown around every which way.

It's kind a problem.
It's sort of a shame.
It's clearly my fault.
No one else is to blame.
The game I can't locate
is always the same...
it's the one that I'm wanting to play.

--Kenn Nesbitt

9/14

Some students have AM corrections and/or an AM exercise to finish for HW.

ALL students need to match their vocab words to definitions and write spelling words in ABC order in the agenda.  They also all need to read aloud this week's poem to practice fluency (read aloud nightly).

SOME students have spelling, vocabulary, and/or super sentence homework this week because they made less than 90% on the corresponding test(s).  They know who they are!  Sp. & vocab. are due Thurs. and super sentences are due Fri.

Finish SS WB p. 17 if you didn't finish in class.

*Thursday is picture day!  Smile!

9/10

Finish math WB p. 23 (even) & p. 24 (all).

Study for spelling and vocabulary tests!
Finish vocabulary sentences and 5x each IF you were required to do either/both.

*Walk Two Moons final project was assigned today and is due NO LATER THAN 9/25.

9/9

Speed tests will be tomorrow.  Time got away from us!

We finished the novel Walk Two Moons today, and some of the students along with me may or may not have cried at the end.  It was a great book!  Tomorrow I will be assigning some fun projects to extend their learning and challenge their thinking a bit.

Please sign & return the CPA timeline.  A few students still need to pick their CPA topic.

Finish your color-coded spelling and your vocabulary draw.

Don't forget about the math WB p. 23 (even) & p. 24 (all) due Friday.

9/8

See you at the Title 1 meeting @ 6:00 followed by 5th grade open house @ 6:30 tonight!

Please sign & return signed papers and progress reports.

Students have received a CPA timeline today.  Please read, sign, & return tomorrow.  I will begin approving topics tomorrow.

Students may make corrections to their Module 1 and/or Mod 2 math assessments ON ANOTHER SHEET OF PAPER, with each problem clearly numbered and with their new thoughts on how to solve the problem, to earn back points toward their grade.

The reason I am not allowing corrections to the science ch. 1 test is because students could use their books for the last 10 minutes of the testing period to check anything they wanted.

HW: Write spelling in ABC order in your agenda if you didn't do it over the weekend.  (Scroll down for this week's words.)

4-H Officers

Congratulations to our class 4-H officers!

President Lexi
Vice President Jaylen
Secretary Avary
Reporter Devin

This Week's ELA: Soldier's Heart 1

Soldier's Heart (1)    

Week 1.4        

Spelling words:

Tuesday: Write your words in ABC order in your agenda (due Tuesday). 

Tuesday: Color-coded words: Write your words using a color-coded pattern.  Include a key.  (For example, consonants one color vowels another color; or you create a color code)  (Due Thursday.)

Tuesday - Wednesday: IF you made below an 90% on last week's test, you must write this week's words 5x each (3x print/2x cursive).  Turn in Friday.

Tuesday through Thursday please study your words nightly for your test on Friday.

1. appalling                     8.  wound                    15. tempt
2. fatigue                         9.  stream                    16. forage
3. slogan                          10.  bargain                  17. savage
4. faint                             11. collide                    18. morale      
5. doubtful                      12. survivor                 19. trench
6. regiment                      13. withdraw               20. mutiny
7. assemble                      14.  comrade               

*You test Friday will have 25 words so be sure to review past weeks’ words too.

                       

Vocabulary words:

Tuesday: Using a dictionary to write the definition for each vocabulary word listed below (due

            Wednesday). 

Tuesday:  Vocabulary Draw: Draw and label a picture of each vocabulary word (due Thursday).

Tuesday-Thursday: IF you made below 90% on last week's vocabulary test, you must use each of this week's words in a fabulous sentence with at least 10 words (due Friday).

Tuesday – Thursday: Study vocabulary words and definitions for the test on Friday.

1.     bayonet: (n) a long ____________________ or pointed blade that is attached to the end of a ____________________

2.     cavalry: (n) a group of soldiers who fight on ____________________

3.     flannel: (n) made of soft, brushed cotton or wool ____________________

4.     heaving: (adj) moving in and out or up and down ____________________

5.     trench: (n) a long, narrow ____________________, often used as protected position in warfare; a long, steep-sided valley on the floor of the ____________________

6.     incomprehensible: (adj) difficult to ____________________

7.     afflicted: (adj) mentally or physically ____________________

8.     conscious: (adj) ____________________ or perceiving; having awareness of surroundings and sensations and thoughts

9.     stationary: (adj) not capable of being ____________________

10.  residue: (n) ____________________ that remains after something has been removed

*No IRA this week.   

9/4

Happy Friday!  Thank you to everyone who helped with our bake sale!!!  We really appreciate your efforts at baking and buying.

Today we watched the movie version of Tuck Everlasting, which had some interesting changes.  Most kids voted the book as their favorite version.  It generated some great discussion.

I went ahead and gave the students their spelling and vocabulary for next week in case they wanted to get a jump start.  They should have added two spelling words: 7. assemble and 14. comrade.  (The blog post with the list is correct.)

Enjoy your long weekend!  I hope to see you all Tuesday at the Title I Meeting (6:00) and Open House (6:30).

9/3

Bake sale tomorrow!

Please finish vocabulary sentences and IRA (setting postcard).
Study for your spelling and vocabulary tests!

9/2

Finish math WB p. 19 (Even) & p. 20 (All).
Finish spelling choice.  (Vocab sentences are due Fri.)
Finish SS if you didn't finish in class (5 leaders of Civil War & who they are/why they're important + read p. 14).

*Orange communication folder (There are quite a few important flyers, bank applications, and community field trip applications.)

*Open house is next Tues. 9/8 @ 6:30!  Please also come to the 6:00 Title I meeting!

9/1

Today we had to "camp out" in the band room as our air conditioner was being repaired.  They were good "campers" as worked hard to stay on task in our home away from home.   Students will not have orange communication folders/signed papers today; instead they will be sent home tomorrow. 

Continue to work on weekly assignments.

Mark your calendars for 5th Grade Open House next Tuesday, 9/8!  Parents are invited to a Title I parent meeting at 6:00 followed by open house at 6:30.