Covered Wagon, problem based learning...

Ask your child to tell you about our "Pack Your Wagon" project. Here they are measuring out their wagons for their journey west...

Updates

Friday Folders and choice cards went home today.  Please check them carefully, and remember to return them Monday 12/2.  Reading Logs are also due Monday.  There is a VERY important letter in each Friday Folder regarding their UGA scored papers. Their scores for fourth and fifth grade are listed on this letter along with the scoring rubric.  Please go over this carefully with your child.

Grades are being posted often.  If you see an NTI with a zero value, that means Not Turned In.  In most cases this is because your child failed to put their name on their paper.  My "No Name" clip is full of papers.  If your child has an NTI, please remind them to check the clip.

Gingerbread activity:  Please have your child bring one large grocery store paper bag to school with them on Monday 12/2.  We will be making large gingerbread men with them.  Some children are coming home with a green slip asking for special supply donations.  Please ask your child if they have a GREEN slip asking for a donation.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving week.  I am so thankful for all your support, and  I am thankful I get to spend my days with such wonderful children. Enjoy your holiday!

Holiday Heads-Up!

We'll be having a Secret Santa Stocking Stuffer the week of December 16.  To participate, your child will need to bring a stocking with their name on it no later than Friday, December 13.  In addition, the children will be assigned a day to be "Secret Santa" and we are asking that on their day each child fill the stockings of each person in our class (25) with some sort of trinket - erasers, gel pens, notepads, etc. The children will get to take their stocking full of goodies home with them on Friday, December 20.  I will send more information after Thanksgiving, but wanted to mention it early so you could begin planning!

SS Updates

Invention Flip Books are due Tuesday, December 3.

Chapter test 3 and 4 is on Thursday, December 5. 

Updates

Grammar HW: page 43
Social Studies: Lesson 1

Every student will need one large paper grocery store bag on Monday, December 2.  If you have any buttons laying around the house we would love for you to send those.  Any amount or any kind would be appreciated.  Just send them in a ziploc bag.  Thank you so much!

Having a little fun with a "close" read!

New SS group sequencing events!

Their Favorite Reading Spot!

Writing Score Update

Good news!  I have re-scored the UGA writing papers, and the new grades are in the parent portal.  After much thought, I realized that the scoring wasn't fair.  What I initially did was to divide the points earned on the paper by the maximum number of points.  For example, if a student earned 30 points out of 50, I divided 30 by 50 and the student received a 60%.  After talking to some other teachers, I decided to go back to the normal rubric we always use and award points accordingly.  So now, the student who scored 30 points, would end up with an 80%.  Of course, ideas count double so that has to be taken into consideration.  All that to say, everyone's score went up!
We are working hard and I know they will EXCEED come March!  Thank you for your support!

Updates

Midterm reports are in Friday Folders today. Please go over them carefully with your child. 

Author visit today...ask your child about drawing with Michael P. White. He was amazing!

UGA writing scores are back, and are on the progress reports. The good news is that most students have made huge gains since their May score. On the flip side, most didn't write as well as they have been. I think they froze! We have discussed it and have some strategies to help them write without fear!

Enjoy your weekend!

Homework 11/13

Homework:  Reading:  finish Venn diagram comparing and contrasting two authors.  Visit website www.diterlizzi.com   On a sheet of notebook paper, write your favorite thing you found on the website and write three facts you found about Tony that were NOT on your written biography.

Spelling within writing

As your children become better and better writers, the only thing I am noticing as a weakness is that a few students have a very hard time spelling even the most basic words.  I am attaching a link to the Fry Word list. This is the 1,000 most frequently used words in our language.  If your child struggles with spelling, please take some time to make sure they have mastered these words.  Print the list and work on a few at a time.   Every fifth grader should be able to spell these words. Thank you for your help with this!  Their writing is really developing beautifully!

http://www.k12reader.com/worksheet/fry-words-complete-list/

Updates

Grammar Homework:  In your reading book, please find two compound/complex sentences. Write the title of your book and the page numbers where you found the sentences on your notebook paper along with your sentences.

Social Studies:  Finish your cause and effect relationships from Chapter 6 Lesson 1.  Complete Lesson 1 quick study sheet.

Study guide for math due tomorrow.

Social Study Test for chapter 5 and lessons 6.1 and 6.2 is Tuesday, November 12.

Working on descriptive writing...

They worked in pairs and then in larger groups to collaborate on descriptive writing. 

Learning to write dialogue...

Updates

Grammar Homework for Tuesday:  Students must find two compound-complex sentences in their evening reading book.  A compound-complex sentence has two independent clauses and one dependent clause.  Write your two sentences on a sheet of notebook paper.  Make sure to include the book title and the page numbers.

Updates

Choice Cards are coming home today.  Please sign under week 3.  I was out of town on Friday, so I was unable to sign Choice Cards.  Thank you for your understanding!

Social Studies:  Vocabulary Test on Chapter 5 is tomorrow.  Also, complete Quick Study sheet for Lesson 4.

We have been studying character development and the use of dialogue in writing.  Ask your child about Marcel the Shell and the Good Morning Eastside Marcel videos.  They are great!