Thursday, September 30, 2010

The Week of October 4th, 2010

Dear Parents,
You should be checking "parent connect" to see how your child is doing in each subject. We are officially halfway finished with the first trimester. If your child is receiving a grade below a C, a progress report will be mailed to you. If you have concerns at any time regarding your child's progress, please contact me.
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER.......
~
Friday, October 1st = Bingo Night
~Monday, October 4th = Lunch in I.M.C. slips due
~Thursday, October 7th = Lunch in I.M.C. with Mrs. Walsh-Rock
~Monday, October 11th = Columbus Day - No School
~Friday, October 15th = Movie Night

Copy helpers this week = (Thanks so much!)
~Weds. 10/6 1:00 Mrs. Alvarez
~Fri. 10/8 8:00 Mrs. Smiles

Can you donate.....we are in need of:
~
microwave PopSecret popcorn
~apple juice drinks (individual serving)
~pencil grippers
~Halloween stickers
~Halloween theme prizes
THANKS!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING:
Lesson 6 Vowel Changes - Work due Thursday & Test on Friday.
Word of the Week spelled correctly and correct meaning = 1 bonus point!

ENGLISH: Lots of work with commas! We will be doing a creative activity based on the book:
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves at the end of the week.

READING (CORE) HOMEROOM: Homonyms/Homographs and multiple meaning words will be our focus.

READING (Skill group): We will be reading non-fiction text and concentrating on finding the main idea and supporting details in the selection.
We will be playing "I Have, Who has...." with what we have learned about main idea & details.
We will be doing a creative homonym activity using Fred Gwyne picture books!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are learning about the 13 English Colonies which is our last lesson in Chapter 5.
The students will be filling out a "How to Study Sheet" on Wednesday.
Chapter 5 Test = Wednesday, 10/13.

SCIENCE: Please remember that our science text can be accessed online at thinkcentral.com. Check out the Prairieview page of the district website for instructions on how to access, as well as a quick link to the site!

We are continuing to learn more about the Scientific Method.
We will be doing an investigation/experiment and applying the scientific method.

MATH: Chapter 3 continued.....
Lesson 3.5 Patterns in division
Tuesday = Quiz over Lessons 1-5
Lesson 3.6 Estimate with 2 digit divisors (This tends to be a difficult lesson)
Lesson 3.7 Divididng by 2 digit divisors (This tends to be a difficult lesson)
Friday = Homework sheet

Thursday, September 23, 2010

The Week of September 27, 2010

Dear Parents,
This Friday, October 1st we will be halfway through the first trimester. Any student who is receiving a grade lower than a C will receive a progress report notification by mail.
I suggest that everyone should check "parent connect" to look at your child's grades.

IMPORTANT REMINDER:
~
Thursday, September 30th = Picture Day.....SMILE!!!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN ROOM 205:


SPELLING: Review Lesson! Work due on Thursday. Final Test on Friday.

ENGLISH: We are skipping to Unit 5 "Capitalization & Punctuation".
This week we will be learning about proper nouns and adjectives, as well as, commas in a series.

READING CORE (HOMEROOM) : We will be understanding generalizations in text and recognizing the difference between fact and opinion.

.......SCOOPer READING.....I have met with almost every student to discuss at least one book they have read and their book activity. By the end of the week, each student should be halfway toward their goal!

READING SKILL GROUP: We will be reading a non-text selection Grizzly Bear Family Book while applying the skills of recognizing generalizations, and the difference between facts and opinions.
We will also be creating commercials which will apply our understanding of the above skills!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 Lesson 2 "New European Colonies" and Lesson 3 "The First Colonies"

SCIENCE: Using science tools open note/book quiz this week!
We will be doing a science activity that applies the tools and inquiry skills we have been learning.
Then, we will be discussing the scientific method.

MATH: Chapter 3 Division
L1 = Estimating with compatible numbers
L2= Dividing by 1 digit numbers with remainders
L3 = Interpreting remainders
L4 = Zeros in the quotient
Friday = Homework sheet!

Friday, September 17, 2010

The Week of September 20th

Dear Parents,
If any of you would like to donate to our classroom "goodies".......we could use fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, gushers, etc. I am sure your son/daughter can tell you what the class likes. Thank you in advance for your contributions.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
~Friday 9/24 = No school due to Teacher meetings
~Thursday 9/30 = Picture Day!
~Friday 10/1 = 1/2 way through the 1st Trimester!

*Highlights magazine subscription order slips will be sent home this week.
Our classroom gets FREE STUFF just by me advertising this.
In order to get the FREE STUFF, I need the slip with a parent signature returned, even if you are NOT ordering.......Thanks!

*Scholastic Book Orders are being sent home this week too! There is no obligation to order.
Scholastic does offer some great reading selections at great prices.
Please make sure you approve books from the TAB order since some of these selections have "mature" content.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS

SPELLING: Pretest on Monday. Work due on Thursday. Test on Thursday this week.
Word of the Week and definition = 1 bonus point!

ENGLISH: Unit 1 Test = Thursday

READING/CORE (in homeroom) : This week our core reading group will continue word work with prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
.........SCOOPer READING..... Most students have completed their first book activity. Everyone should have at least one completed by the end of this week!

READING/SKILL BASED GROUP: Tall Tales continued.... We will be learning about similies and how they are an important element in Tall Tales
Next, each student will be planning, writing, and completing a final copy of an original tall tale!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 continued. This week we will learn about Jamestown.
Ask your child what happened to Roanoke Colony?

SCIENCE: Inquiry tools and Skills.

MATH: Multiplication Timed Tests = Thursday is the last day. This counts for a grade.
Quiz over Lessons 4-6 = Tuesday.
Homework Sheet = Wednesday.
Chapter 2 Test = Thursday.

Friday, September 10, 2010

The Week of Sept. 13th

Dear Parents,
It was great seeing so many of you at Curriculum Night. I have received all 5th grade policy sheets with student and parent signatures. Please refer to this information as needed.
Remember in 5th grade our "late policy", "extra credit policy", and "not bringing tests home" might be different than in previous years. However, they all align with Lakeview's policies.

We are collecting BOX TOPS this year which is a great fund raiser for our school. The class, per grade level, that brings in the most wins a pizza party and an extra recess.
Will our class be the winning 5th grade class?

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Monday, Septemeber 13th - Magazine Drive begins!
Thursday, September 16th - Lakeview band performs for Prairieview @ 12:45
Friday, September 24th - No School due to teacher meetings

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

SPELLING: Pretest and work assigned Monday. Final test = Friday.

ENGLISH: We will be finishing Unit 1 this week. The final lessons cover conjunctions, writing good sentences, and run-on sentences. Your child has graded assignments that reflect how well they are understanding the concepts in this unit. Please review their progress to determine if they need to be reviewing any of the concepts. At the bottom of the workbook page, it gives the textbook page where the material is explained. This is an excellent on going review.
The test will be the week of Sept. 20th.

SCOOPer Reading: Four students have completed a book, the activity, and shared with Miss Trefonas which means they have a scoop displayed on the bulletin board!

READING:
This week, our core reading group will focus on the skill of affixes and roots. An affix is a small word part that can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a root word. Students will learn the meaning of various affixes and how to put them together with a root word. They will then apply this skill to find the definition of both familiar and unfamiliar words in context.
Our skill - based reading groups will begin on Monday. Students will find out Monday morning who their skill - based reading teacher is.

During skill based reading, we will be using Tall Tales to practice visualization and to look at story structure.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We are finished with Chapter 4! The students know that their test (a.k.a. "celebration of knowledge") is Wednesday, Sept. 15th. They were encouraged to bring home their textbooks over the weekend to reread the chapter. They can also review their notes which should be in their binder. Monday, we will be highlighting our note sheets and filling out a "How to Study" sheet. This sheet is worth 2 bonus points if it's returned and filled out on the test day with a parent signature!
We will begin Chapter 5. The first lesson talks about Roanoke Island and the hard times in Virginia.

SCIENCE: Science Inquiry Tools continued! We will specifically looking at the use of a microscope.

MATH: Chapter 2 Multiplication....
Quiz = Wednesday... covering lessons 1 -3.
Lesson 4 = multiplying by 2 digit numbers.
Homework sheet = Friday. It will have 10 problems chosen from the week's homework assignments,
Multiplication Timed Tests.....ask your child what fact test they are taking Monday.
They need to have a completed practice sheet daily in order to take the timed test(s).




Friday, September 3, 2010

The Week of September 6th

Dear Parents,
We have successfully completed our second week of 5th grade!
Curriculum night = Tuesday, September 7th - 6:30-7:30.
*Presentation begins in the multipurpose room with Mrs. Schultz.
*Sign up for 1st Trimester conferences with homeroom teacher.

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO THIS WEEK:

SPELLING: Word of the Week will begin this week!
Pretest and work assigned on Tuesday.
Work due Thursday.
Test = Friday.

READING: This week in reading we will be focusing on context clues.
The students will learn how to identify words within the context of a story.

SCOOPer READING: This is our classroom reading incentive program.
Your child hopefullyexplained the program to you and showed you their folder.
They have to set a 1st Trimester goal and have a parent signature.
If you have any questions about how this works, ask your child to show you the sheet in their folder that explains SCOOPer Reading!

ENGLISH: Unit 1 - Sentences
This week we will be reviewing simple subjects and simple predicates.
Project Challenge students will receive enrichment assignments in lieu of the workbook assignment.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 4 - Lesson 2 "Different Worlds Collide" & Lesson 3 "Life in New
Spain" The students are taking notes which should be kept in their binder.
These notes will become study materials for the test. Also, graded
assignments need to be kept in their binder for the same reason.

SCIENCE: Introductory chapter on the inquiry tools scientists use.

MATH: The students were given a homework sheet on Friday which will be graded and returned to them on Tuesday. Please make sure you ask to see this. I give students the opportunity to correct any homework we graded together in class prior to giving the homework sheet. Homework sheets are usually given on Friday, unless I announce a different day to the class. I typically give one homework sheet worth 10 points a week.
Chapter 1 Test = Wednesday.
Next, we begin multiplication timed tests. A parent letter will be coming home next week regarding our timed tests.
Chapter 2 = Multiplication.