5/4

Today's testing went well.  We have social studies tomorrow afternoon and will then be finished with state testing.

Please study social studies tonight!
Also study spelling and vocabulary.

4/25

ELA Milestones test is tomorrow morning!  Please go to bed early and eat a hearty, healthy breakfast.  We take the Writing portion Wednesday and Math on Thursday (in the mornings).

HW:
*Work on AM.
*SS WB p. 102 and study/review chapters 1-4.
*Sci WB p. 144-149 is due Wednesday.

NO SPELLING AND VOCAB THIS WEEK!

Milestones Testing Schedule

Here is the REVISED 5th grade Milestones testing schedule.  (I am reposting this for you; no changes from the last posting.)  I don't have exact times yet but this will give you a general idea.  Please do everything in your power to have your children here well rested and fed!  Thank you!  (Please note that our schedule matches the 8th grade schedule but is quite different from the other grades.  If you have children in multiple grades 3-8, you will want to note that we are not all testing the same subjects on the same days.)

Tues. 4/26 morning: English Language Arts
Wed. 4/27 morning: ELA Writing
Thurs. 4/28 morning: Math
Wed. 5/4 afternoon: Science
Thurs. 5/5 afternoon: Social Studies

Milestones Practice

Go to the GoFar website to take practice tests.  You must have the test pass code(s) to practice.

End-of-Grade Resource Guides

The Georgia Department of Education has added end-of-grade resource guides to their website.  "The Study/Resource Guides are intended to serve as a resource for parents and students. They contain practice questions and learning activities for each content area. The standards identified in the Study/Resource Guides address a sampling of the state-mandated content standards. "

You can access the guides HERE and on the "Test Prep" tab above.

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.)

4/23

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!

Milestones Practice Test Link

As promised in the April newsletter, here's a shortcut to the GA Milestones practice test:
Practice Test Link
Experience Online Testing