The Week of October 3, 2011

Dear Parents,

Magazine Orders: School will accept late orders (both paper orders and online orders) through Wednesday, Oct 5. After that, the orders can still be accepted, but will not be eligible for prizes. Prizes will be delivered 2-3 weeks after we complete the drive. Online orders can be placed at www.gaschoolstore.com school code 236042. Thanks for supporting the District PTO’s. Questions? jjones@rixweb.com Note: You can actually order online throughout the year and the district will get 40%.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Project Challenge - 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, October 6th
DuPage Children's Museum program here at Prairieview "Farming for Fuel"
(Parent Helpers = Mr. and Mrs. Edwards and Mrs. Dziedzic)

This program is an inquiry-based learning lab that introduces the concepts connected with creating biofuels and the need to change to alternative energy sources for transportation. The ideas shared during the program will be explored in more detail in Science.

Friday, October 7th = 1st Trimester is 1/2 way completed!
Progress Reports will be sent home to any student who is earning a grade lower than a C.

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Work due Thursday and test(s) on Friday! Has your child earned a bonus point for Word of the Week?

ENGLISH: The Unit 1 tests will be graded and returned on Monday.
Next, we skip to Unit 5 "Capitalization and Punctuation"
We are learning about proper nouns and adjectives and the many uses of commas.

READING: This week we will be focusing on story structure. We will be reading a variety of stories. As we read each selection we will map out the the character, setting, problem, and solution of the story.
Thursday = Vocabulary quiz

SCOOPer Reading: Your child should be halfway to their Trimester 1 goal!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Chapter 5 "The Struggle to Found Colonies." The students have read about the first colony Roanoke, also known as the "Lost Colony". We will read about the battle that was taking place at this time in history known as the "Spanish Armada". Then, the students will learn about the first SUCCESSFUL colony - Jamestown.
Kirk will be sharing items from his trip to Jamestown this week!

SCIENCE: Weather Lesson 2 "What Conditions Affect the Water Cycle"
Your child should be able to answer that question by the end of the week.

MATH:
Multiplication timed tests deadline extended to Friday, October 14th
Monday = Chapter 3 Lesson 1 This lesson involves estimating quotients using compatible numbers to divide.
Tuesday = Lesson 2 - Dividing by one digit numbers
We will be using the steps D-M-S-C-B (Divide, Multiply, Subtract, Compare/check, Bring down)
Wednesday = practicing the above!!

YOUR CHILD WILL BE MUCH MORE SUCCESSFUL WITH HAVING THEIR MULTIPLICATION FACTS MEMORIZED!!!

The Week of September 26, 2011

Dear Parents,

Tuesday, September 27th = Magazine Turn in day

Thursday, September 29th = Magazine Turn in day and PICTURE DAY!!!

Friday, September 30th = Early Dismissal

Thanks to the parents who have sent in goodies for our classroom!!! Also, I know many of you responded that you will send something in soon. At any time it is GREATLY appreciated!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Review lesson.....15 words of all the review words will be given for the pretest on Monday. The final test on Friday will have 15 words but not necessarily the same 15 words.
Spelling assignment is due Thursday.
Both regular and challenge word tests are on Friday.
Word of the Week....worth 1 bonus point for spelling the word correctly and the definition!

ENGLISH: Unit 1 "Sentence" Test = Friday
There are great review pages at the end of the unit in the textbook!

READING: This week we will be continue drawing conclusions using a variety of materials. We will be playing a game "I Have...Who Has" to reinforce this skill.
We will also be differentiating between homonyms and homophones and other multi-meaning words. The students will create an original homonym/homophone phrase with an illustration that will show its "literal" meaning. This will be made into a classroom book!

SCOOPer Reading: The students are reading and completing activities to reach their trimester 1 goal. I am enjoying my book activity meetings with the students.

SCIENCE: We continue learning more about WEATHER.....Local and Prevailing Winds!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be filling out our HOW TO STUDY sheet on Monday. This sheet if filled out, signed by a parent, and returned on test day is worth 2 bonus points applied to the test! We will be highlighting our note sheets as well.
Tuesday = Review game
Wednesday = Chapter 4 Test and How to Study Sheet due (2 bonus points)

MATH:
MULTIPLICATION FACTS......PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!!
We are taking daily timed tests!!! Your child needs to have multiplication facts MEMORIZED.
Memorizing their facts will make the other skills so much easier to learn!!!

Chapter 2 test = Wednesday!

The Week of September 19, 2011

Dear Parents,

Tuesday = Magazine Turn in Day!

Your child needs to bring a picture for an assignment we are doing on Monday.
The picture can be of anything appropriate as long as they are in the picture and can explain the event or what was happening when the picture was taken. In other words, they have a recollection of this picture! (No baby pictures....!!!)
It can be on copy paper or an actual picture. It needs to be no larger than 4 x 6!

HERE'S WHAT WE ARE UP TO THIS WEEK:

SPELLING: Lesson 4 Work due on Thursday. Final test on Friday. Word of the Week spelled correctly and the definition worth 1 bonus point!

ENGLISH: Subjects in imperative sentences, conjunctions, and editing run on sentences is what we will be learning this week!
We will be listening to SCHOOL HOUSE ROCKS - "Mr. Morton" and "Conjunction Junction"!
We are also writing Pyramid Poems which will be based on the picture being brought to school.

READING: This week we will be focusing on drawing conclusions, doing vocabulary activities, and an extended response as we read a selection in our reading anthology - "A BOY CALLED SLOW".
A vocabulary quiz will be given on Wednesday.

SCIENCE: We just got started on Weather and the Water Cycle. We will be learning about the different layers of the atmosphere, uneven heating of the earth, and different types of winds.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will learn more about the conflicts between the Spanish Conquistadors and the Aztecs as Spain tries to establish colonies. The students will also learn about the Spanish Colony - "New Spain".

MATH:
We have started multiplication timed tests. Your child has a letter that you need to read, sign, and return to school. This letter informs you of the program we are doing in class which will count as a TEST GRADE. I strongly recommend a lot of drill and practice. Multiplication facts need to be MEMORIZED!

TIMED TESTS will be given daily!!! Students will have a yellow multiplication practice sheet for homework daily.

Monday = Chapter 2 - Lesson 2 Estimating Multiplication Products
Tuesday = Lesson 3 - Multiplying by 1 digit numbers
Wednesday = QUIZ over lessons 1- 3.
Thursday = HOMEWORK SHEET and we will be learning the Distributive Property of Multiplication.
Friday = Lesson 4 Multiplying by 2 digit numbers

The Week of September 12, 2011

Dear Parents,

On Monday, September 12, 2011 we will be having a School Spirit Day in Memory of 9/11. Let's adorn our school with our country's colors--red, white and blue!

Monday, September 12, 2011
Magazine Kick-Off - 1:15 p.m. gym

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS'S CLASS:

Spelling: Lesson 3! Pretest on Monday and work will be assigned. Workbook or challenge activities are due Thursday. Final test(s) are Friday.
Word of the week and the definition are worth one bonus point!

ENGLISH: Does your child know the 4 types of sentences and can they give an example of each? We will be doing a creative activity on Monday with the 4 types of sentences.
This week we will review subjects, predicates, simple subjects, and simple predicates/verb.
Project challenge students will be given enrichment activities.

READING: We continue our TALL TALE unit while incorporating reading skills. We will be doing activities with prefixes and suffixes, context clues, similes, and metaphors.
Various instructional materials will be used with different assignments being given for your child's ability.

SCOOPer Reading: Students should be reading every day! I have met with several students who have completed book activities and look forward to more meetings!

SCIENCE: We will be starting WEATHER!!! We will learn about the atmosphere, uneven heating, and different types of winds.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be applying what we know about Christopher Columbus to write a letter in first person. This letter will be about the expeditions to the new world.
Next, we will learn about Spain and the Aztec Indians as conflicts occur over acquiring Native American land in the new world.

MATH: The children took their first quiz. If they did not pass, they were retaught and were given some additional problems to complete to earn points and raise their quiz grade.
The students who needed extra help and were given this opportunity will get their original quiz and the additional problems with the points they earned returned to them on Monday. Otherwise, students who passed have their quizzes in their binders.

Monday = Chapter 1, Lesson 6 - Adding and Subtracting whole numbers
Tuesday = Chapter 1 Review
Wednesday = Chapter 1 Test
The end of the week we will be doing some problem solving and beginning MULTIPLICATION!

Please know that many opportunities are given for your child to ask questions and get help during math instructional time and homework time during math class.

Also, daily we correct homework together and the students have the opportunity to correct any problems they missed and have them rechecked! There is also time to get help on homework errors. It has been unfortunate that many students have NOT been doing this.
The first homework sheet will be graded and returned on Monday.
Realistically, if your child has taken the above mentioned responsibility they should receive an A or B easily on the homework sheet.

Please review your child's quiz and homework sheet grade with them.

The Week of September 5th, 2011

Dear Parents,

Thank you: To our PTO and parent volunteers for the wonderful luncheon and desserts that were provided on Thursday, September 1, 2011.

Monday, September 5, 2011
No School/Labor Day

Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Fourth and Fifth Grade Curriculum Night - 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
I highly recommend attending this informational evening about the 5th grade curriculum!
You will also sign up for Parent-Teacher Conferences with your HOMEROOM teacher.

THIS WEEK IN MISS TREFONAS's CLASS:

SPELLING: LESSON 2 - Students who miss one or less words on the pretest will be on Challenge words for this week's lesson. This means they will do Challenge word activities and be tested only on the Challenge words. Every student is receiving a pink sheet with Challenge list activities to keep in their binder. This Challenge word activity sheet is for the entire 1st Trimester.
Word of the Week: This is a BONUS word that by spelling the word and giving the definition on Friday's test earns a bonus point!

Spelling assignment - due Thursday
Spelling test for regular list OR challenge list - Friday

READING: We continue with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues.

SCOOPer READING: Your child should be reading a book for our classroom reading program.
Once they have read the book, they need to complete an activity and turn it in! I look forward to meeting with some students to discuss the book they read and the activity they completed.

ENGLISH: We have completed autobiographical poems that are displayed in the classroom that you can see at Curriculum Night. We also completed a descriptive writing activity about a summer memory that have been made into a classroom book.
This week we will begin Unit 1.
At the end of the week, your child should be able to identify the 4 types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory.
We will be doing a creative activity at the end of the week with the 4 types of sentences.
**Project Challenge students will be given enrichment assignments during this unit.

SCIENCE: We will be discussing the tools scientists use and your child's interpretation of a scientist. The students will be learning about SEWER MAGGOTS this week during an investigation. You will hear all about their interesting discovery, I am sure.....

SOCIAL STUDIES: In social studies we are beginning chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire." The students will learn how Columbus's voyages led to a European settlement of the Americas and an exchange of people , animals, goods, and ways of life between East and West.

MATH: We will be Comparing and Ordering Numbers and Rounding Whole Numbers.
Quiz on Wednesday will cover both of these concepts and place value which we already covered.
We will finish the week with Estimating Sums and Differences.