Class Update 1/25/15

Important Reminders:

Our field trip to Sheldon Concert Hall is on Tuesday. There are a few children who still need to return the permission slip and $7.00 fee. Please make sure to turn these items in by Tuesday morning so your child can attend. Thank you!

For students who have elected to participate in PRISM, completed projects need to be at school by Monday, February 9th.  Volunteers will check the projects to make sure they have all of the required components. Projects will be ready for display on Thursday, February 19th.

Some families have been inquiring about the classroom Valentine's Day party. Children may bring in Valentines for the class if they wish. Please know that it is optional. If your child does opt to bring Valentines, please make sure they bring one for every student in the class. We have 22 students, and I will be sending home a class list soon to help with filling them out.  If any type of candy or treats are attached to the Valentines they must be free of nuts or latex due to allergies.

Six Flags Read to Succeed Reading Logs have been sent home with all children. If students are wanting to participate, they need to read six hours at home in addition to their class reading log minutes. As a reward, they will receive a free admission ticket to Six Flags theme park at the end of the school year! A few students have already turned in their completed forms - way to go!

Class Updates:

Congratulations to Spencer and Katelyn on a job well done in the school spelling bee! Both students did an amazing job! Spencer made it to the final round with only four students left, and Katelyn was the school bee winner. I am so proud of them both!

The students have began 2015 with the end in mind! Each child wrote their school goals under the flaps and we have displayed them as reminders on how we can have a successful second half of the school year.

In math, we are close to finishing up Chapter 6 on decimals. The students have been practicing dividing decimals by whole numbers and decimals by other decimals. In addition, we are working on multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of ten. Our next unit will cover fractions.

In both reading and writing we have been learning about poetry. We have been sharpening our close reading skills and digger deeper into poems to understand the author's point of view, the theme, imagery, and emotions evoked by the poems, as well as the use of figurative language.  Students have also been reading a variety of poetry book looking for examples of figurative language, such as alliteration.  The kids are also writing their own figurative language and poems. We will have a quiz on figurative language on Tuesday.

So far, they have written acrostic, haiku, and simile and metaphor poems.  Looking ahead students will try out limericks, free verse, and concrete poems.  Eventually the children will be compiling their best work into poetry anthologies. Here are a few completed text feature posters. The students worked hard to find as many examples as they could!

In social studies, we have finished Chapter 4. We will now begin working on an explorer project. Each student will conduct research on an explorer. Then, using the facts they discover, students will create a variety of ways to display the information, including journal entries, time lines, posters, trading cards, and bio-poems.

Class Update 1/11/15

Important Reminders:

Wednesday, January 14 is an Early Release Day with a 1:40 dismissal. Please make sure your child knows how they are going home that day if it will be different from their normal routine.

Friday, January 16 is our school spelling bee. We are excited to have Spencer and Katelyn participating to represent our class! The bee will take place at 2:00 PM in the gym.

Monday, January 19, school is closed for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Field trip forms will be coming home in Tuesday's mail folders for our next field trip to Sheldon Hall, which will take place on January 27. Please sign and return the forms along with $7.00 to cover the cost of the trip.  Thank you!

This year, Lindbergh has decided to make PRISM optional for fifth grade students.  If your child is interested in participating in PRISM, please click here for information.  Please let me know if you would like to receive a copy of the PRISM booklet for your child.

Class Updates:

In math, we are learning how to multiply decimals. Students are using both models and standard algorithms to compute products. Coming up, students will also be dividing decimals and reviewing the properties of multiplication. It may be beneficial for students to brush up on multiplication and division basic facts for success in this unit.

In reading, we are exploring non-fiction text features, including headings, photographs, captions, maps, diagrams, and text boxes. Students completed a text feature scavenger hunt using newspapers and magazines and made posters of what they found. The children are applying what they learned to the final drafts of their focused research reports by adding in text features that help expand upon their main ideas. Published reports will be completed this week. Some students may need to work on this at home if they are behind. The final due date is Thursday.

Our next unit in writing will be poetry. Students will be learning to write a variety of poems and will create an anthology of their work. Figurative language will also be a focus of this unit.

In social studies, we are continuing to learn about world explorers. In Chapter 4, we have studied explorers from England and France. Currently, the children are comparing and contrasting the early English settlements of Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth. We will be finishing up Chapter 4 this week, with a test early next week. Make sure to check the classroom calendar for quiz and test dates.

Here are a few pictures from our winter holiday party before break. Special thanks goes to Mrs. Penrod for organizing the party. Thank you to all parent volunteers to helped donate items and assist with the party activities.