Volunteer Calendar

October 31-November 4

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone gets their sugar fix this week. I will be sending out a new volunteer calendar this weekend. I sent it to parents who wanted to help in October but did not get a chance first, then I will send it out to the rest of you.

Here is what you can expect this week.

MATH

Topic 4 has been about balancing and solving equations. So many students are so good at solving equations, they want to skip the balancing part! Balancing equations gets more difficult as algebra progresses, so make sure they show the steps when solving equations.

We will have a test on topic 4 on Thursday.

READING

We have enjoyed are mystery novels so far. This week the novels will get exciting as we reach the end. Much of the grade for novels comes from the packets we complete in class. Students who keep up on the work will have better comprehension grades. Make sure your student is caught up.

SPELLING

I had several students unsure of what to do on our skill test last week. Remember, the skill test always matches the Take Home Task. Use it as a study guide for our skill tests at the end of the week. This week's skill focuses on spelling patterns for the /k/ sound.

WRITING

Country Report Outlines are due on Wednesday. We have been working on these in class. I have asked students to use organize their outlines using a program we have at school called Inspiration. We have used the notes to serve as headings, (geography, history etc.) and a write a topic sentence for each paragraph they plan to write. The subheadings should serve as details that support the topic sentence. Because students are using Inspiration, if they need more time at school I will extend the due date.

We will also be working on a short descriptive piece of writing about Thanksgiving and fall.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will begin our study of Ancient Egypt this week. Students will have vocabulary words relating to this unit. They will also label and color a map of Ancient Egypt. After we finish our Mystery novels we will spend time on non-fiction of Ancient Egypt.

SCIENCE

Rotations in science have begun. My class rotates to Mrs. Shreeve where they are learning all about Monerans.

Don't forget that we have parent teacher conferences this Tuesday and Wednesday. Students brought home a note with the date and time you are signed up for. If you have any conflicts, please let me know!

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

October 10-14

I love the crisp, cool air! I think Fall is finally here.

Here is what you can expect this week!

Social Studies

We will learn how to take notes and create a bibliography this week. On the schedule, country report notes are due on the 19th. We will have plenty of time to work on them in class, but if your student feels like he/she needs the long Fall Recess Weekend, just let me know.

We will also learn about Hammurabi and his "eye for an eye" type of justice and finish up our study of Mesopotamia this week.

Spelling

This week's spelling skill focuses on the suffix rules for stressed and unstressed syllables. We will also look at different ways to spell the /k/ sound.

Writing

Students will work on taking notes for a research paper as well as finish up our unit on the writing trait of Ideas. Students will take a writing piece they completed and revise it for a final grade in this unit.

Reading

Because October is such a spooky month, we will read Mystery novels next. Students are required to keep a short journal and vocabulary list as we read. I collect these at the end of the unit. You can help by asking your student if they are caught up on reading and journal entries.

Home reading minutes are due on Monday mornings. I still have students who are not reading or getting their planner signed. Reading at home is one of the most important things you can do to become a better reader! Please encourage your student to read every day.

Math

We have spent a lot of time working on long division and division of decimals. One thing that I have noticed is that kids who don't know their multiplication facts really struggle with division. We have a timed multiplication test every week. Students who have not passed this off, need to be practicing at home.

Science

Students will learn all about protists this week. They are an interesting microorganism because the have plant and animal characteristics.

I will be out of the building on Thursday and Friday to attend a conference. I know I can count on students to be on their best behavior, but a reminder from home won't hurt either.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

October 3-7

Happy Monday! I spent the weekend in St. George and boy it was hot! I can't wait for the cooler weather to head our way! Here is what you can expect this week.

SOCIAL STUDIES

We will continue our study of Mesopotamia. Students will learn about King Hammurabi and his "eye for an eye" laws!

SPELLING

This week's Take Home Task focuses on different ways to spell the /s/ sound. We will also look at singular and plural nouns as well as consonant digraphs.

WRITING

Harris Burdick stories will be due this week. We will look at different ways to elaborate on details to make our writing more vivid!

MATH

Multiplying and dividing decimals is a tricky concept! How can you help at home? Check homework with a calculator. If the answer is incorrect have them check their work and find where they made the mistake!

SCIENCE

Microorganisms here we come! We will begin this unit by looking at how living organisms are classified, then we will focus on protists. (They don't fit in very well!)

I will be in a meeting on Tuesday which means your students will have a substitute. Take a minute and talk to them about expected behavior when there is a visitor in the room.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Here is a look at our Volunteer Calendar....