The Week of November 28th, 2011

Dear Parents,

Important Reminders:
This week is parent/teacher conference week.
I will have a copy of your child's report card and test scores to discuss.

BOWLING permission slips will be given to your student Monday and need to be returned on or before Thursday.

NO SCHOOL on FRIDAY!

HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE CLASSROOM:

Spelling: The children will receive their second trimester CHALLENGE list activities for when they pass the pretest and are on the alternate spelling words. This should be kept in their spelling pocket in their binder.
We continue with Word of the Week second trimester.
This week is a REVIEW list which contains 30 words. Fifteen words will be given on the pretest. Fifteen words will be given on the final test, but not necessarily the same fifteen words.....study the entire list!

READING: NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS story pyramids are due on Monday.
We will be using prior knowledge and setting a purpose for reading while using a variety of materials with short stories and exerts. We will also be looking at the author's purpose of different written pieces...to entertain, to inform, or to persuade.

SCOOPer READING: Your child will be setting their Trimester 2 goal and bringing the sheet home for a parent signature. A packet of new book activities will be given to your child. We are following the same procedure on how theprogram works!

I am passing out SCHOLASTIC Book orders this week too.....many good choices that can be used for SCOOPer READING!

SCIENCE: We will be doing a project with the information we have learned about the ocean's floor. Next, we learn how ocean water moves and currents.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Colonial Games.... your child is responsible for making a game and teaching their group how to play it....due Tuesday!
Next, we will be interpreting famous sayings from Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac.

MATH: We are doing one more lesson with Mean, Median, and Mode.
Tuesday = Quiz
Wednesday = Trimester 1 Target Test which assesses your student's understanding of math concepts learned during the first trimester. This is NOT a grade in the grade book.
Thursday = Fun Day!!!
Friday = No school!!

The Week of November 14th and 21st, 2011

Dear Parents,

Some reminders....
Monday 11/14/11 - Robert Crown Parent Night 7-8:30 at Prairieview
Wednesday 11/16/11 Magic Story Teller Assembly 9:30 am (Parents are always welcome.)
Friday 11/18/11 - End of 1st Trimester

Tuesday 11/22/11 - ROBERT CROWN Fieldtrip
*Students need to bring a sack lunch. Milk will be available.

Wednesday11/23 - Friday11/25 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Holiday

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

SPELLING: Lesson 11 - The week of November 14th. No Spelling the week of November21st.

ENGLISH: Introduction to the Traits of Writing....

READING: Night of the Twisters.... We are finishing the book and will be doing an end of the book activity. We will also be watching the movie and doing a book/movie comparison.

SCOOPer Reading: 1st Trimester goals are due MONDAY, November 14th.
Many students have reached their goal already! I have given many reminders about reaching their goal throughout the trimester. Students are allowed to turn in one book activity at a time.
This is not a problem if they have read the book and did the activity upon completing the book.
This allows time for me to meet with them as they have started a new book.
We will be planning our SCOOPer READING CELEBRATION for all who met their goal.
STAY tuned for the date......
The students will be choosing a "theme" to our celebration and we will watch a movie.

2nd Trimester goals and book activities.....The week of Nov. 28th!

SCIENCE: Many students wanted to share their weather projects so we have not yet started Chapter 12 Oceans. The students sure have learned a lot about weather!
We will begin Chapter 12 by investigating the difference in temperature of salt water and regular water.

SOCIAL STUDIES: TRADE FAIR is TUESDAY, 11/15!
Chapter 6 Lesson 2 Colonial Cities, Towns and Farms and Lesson 3 Everyday Life in the Colonies
The students will be learning about colonial games that children played.
Each student will be creating one of these games for a group to play. They will get these instructions on Monday, 11/21 and it will be due Monday, 11/28.

MATH:
Monday 11/14 = Chapter 6 review
Tuesday 11/15 = Chapter 6 test
Next, we will be doing some lessons from Chapter 9 that go over MEAN, MEDIAN, MODE, and RANGE. Also, we will be doing some problem solving as extended responses to prepare for ISAT tests.

The Week of November 7, 2011

Dear Parents,

Monday, November 7th = Roller Skating Party
Tuesday, November 11th = Veteran's Day - NO SCHOOL

**Parent/teacher conference reminders will be sent home to confirm your appointment.
Please send your reply back as soon as possible, thanks!

THIS WEEK IN OUR CLASSROOM:

SPELLING: Lesson 10 Work will be due on Thursday and test on Thursday this week!
Word of the Week and definition = bonus point!

ENGLISH: We are learning about the traits of writing...Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions!

READING: We are continuing our novel NIGHT OF THE TWISTERS.
The students are learning new vocabulary words. The students are using the reading comprehension skills of visualizing, drawing conclusions, summarizing, predicting, questioning, and summarizing.

SCIENCE: WEATHER projects are due on Monday. The students have been working hard in class on this assessment! Some students are creating flap books, posters, mimeo computer presentations, and some other original projects. I can't wait to see the finished products!
Next, Chapter 12 "Oceans"! We will be investigating the difference in temperature of salt water and regular water.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We have been discussing the importance of having a skill in the colonies and how trading was the means to getting goods.
The students will be getting directions for our classroom TRADE FAIR on Monday.
Please read and discuss the directions thoroughly with your child.
TRADE FAIR = TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15th!!!
This week we will also be learning what life was like in colonial cities, towns, and farms.

JR. ACHIEVEMENT: = Week 4!! The students will be learning the importance of interviews and will be getting some "business" experience! Mr. and Ms. Paleka sure make this interesting for the students!

MATH: Chapter 6 Decimals
Monday = Lesson 1 "Rounding Decimals"
Tuesday = Lesson 2 "Adding and Subtracting with Decimals"
Wednesday = Lesson 3 "Estimate Sums"
Thursday = HOMEWORK SHEET and review!
Friday = NO SCHOOL