12/15/11

It is good to be back to school after two days of meetings.

Language Arts:
This week we jumped back into our basal to read a nonfiction story. We will do the same again next week so that we are ready to start another novel study right after break. This week in grammar, we are focusing on verbs. This skill will be tested tomorrow. Be sure to study spelling for the week.

Homework:
***Reading projects are due tomorrow!
***Questions from the basal story with parent signature
***Be prepared to present your project orally.

**************************************************************************************
Math:
Today was our Unit 6 Post test.

Homework:
***Friday Skill Packet
***Math Box 7.6

*************************************************************************************
We did not have content today. We had Art Smart instead. A big "Thank you" to Mrs. Adams, Mrs. Coughlin, Mrs. Sohrab, and Mrs. Adawi for helping today.

***Remember that your Science Expo project question is due to your science teacher.

Until tomorrow...

12/7/11

Language Arts:
Today we continued working on both plural and possessive nouns as well as finishing up our novel study. We will be having our last vocabulary quiz tomorrow as well as the End of the Book test.

Homework:
***Maniac test tomorrow
***Complete the last set of comprehension questions and study your 5 vocabulary words
***Reading projects are due on December 16th

***************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we spent the entire class period working on algebraic equations. The students were then given 8 equations to work through on their own as homework. (I realize that these equations might still be a bit difficult for some students. We will continue with more practice tomorrow.) They should attempt every problem, though, showing all steps of their work.

Homework:
***8 problems(algebra)

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Mr. Kistler finished up chapter 6 today by completing the Reading Further section. They also had a great discussion.

Homework:
***Interactive Student notebook-P. 38- due Friday
***Chapter 6 test- Friday- Did you look over your study guide?

Reminders:
***Both Social Studies classes have a test this week.(Mrs. Doms' class is on Thursday. My homeroom class has theirs on Friday. Both classes have their ISNB page due on the day of their test.)
***Packets for the Science Fair were passed out last week. Did you see it?
***Mini mall applications are due next week.

Until tomorrow...

12/6/11

Language Arts:
Today we took our vocabulary quiz and a short quiz over the last few chapters. Then we had a special presentation from Mr. Glassman.

Homework:
***None for our novel study
***Reading projects are due on Dec. 16

*************************************************************************************
Math:
We completed our minute, worked on mental math, reviewed computation on white boards, and practiced with pan balances.

Homework:
***Study Links 6.4, 6.5, 6.9

**************************************************************************************
Social Studies:
Today Mr. Kistler read and discussed the Reading Further section and completed a cause and effect sheet in their Interactive Student Notebook.

Homework:
***Study for the test
***Complete p. 38

Until tomorrow...

12/5/11

It sure is getting cold outside. Please remember your coats and gloves for recess.

Language Arts:
Today in class we jumped right to business after double specials. We took our spelling pretest, reviewed both plural and possessive nouns, and spent the remainder of our class time working on our novel study. Today in class we read chapters 39-42.

Homework:
***Comprehension questions and journal entry
***Study spelling and vocabulary
***Reading projects are due on December 16th. We will start presenting them that day!

**************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we took our second Acuity test on the computers.

Homework:
***Math Boxes- 6.9, 6.11

***************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Mr. Kistler continued with chapter 6 today while he discussed the settlements of Roanoke and Jamestown. The students filled in a Venn Diagram that will be helpful to study.

Reminders:
***Study guides were passed out last week. The chapter 6 test will be given on Thursday and Friday of this week. Please review the study guide.


Just so you know...
***Mr. Kistler will be leaving us this Friday. Several students asked if they could bring in a small gift, school supply, or book to put into our basket as a going away gift from his classes. This is not expected, of course, but if you would like to send in a small trinket, I will be collecting items and cards to present to Mr. Kistler at the end of the day on Friday. He will be missed!

Until tomorrow...

12/1/11

Welcome December!

Today was a great day! Our D.A.R.E. graduation went well and our students were happy to sport their new shirts.

Language Arts:
We continued on with our novel study and we are starting to be able to make predictions about how this story might end. Mr. Kistler spent quite a bit of time reviewing the questions and pointing out examples within the text of figurative language.

Homework:
***Comprehension questions and journal writing
***Figurative Language sheet
***Study the 5 vocabulary words
***Reading projects are due in two weeks. Has your child started yet?
***Tomorrow will be our assessments. Please be sure to study spelling and review the grammar skill.

*************************************************************************************
Math:
We did not have a regular math class today due to D.A.R.E. Our math time was spent in the lab working on Odyssey. Please be sure that your child is working on this at home as well. Odyssey is an excellent way to prepare for MAP testing since it is directly linked to the NWEA.

Homework:
***Math Boxes 6.8 and 6.9
***Friday Skills Packet

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:
We continued on today talking about the settlements of Roanoke and Jamestown. We ended a bit early so that we could gather all our 5th graders to discuss the Science Expo. Be looking for three important papers that were sent home today regarding the Expo. They include directions, instructions, and important dates.

Until tomorrow...

11/29/11

It is getting cold outside! Please be sure to wear coats to school.

Language Arts:
Today we continued on with our novel study. We read and discussed chapters 25-28. The topic of our conversation was how the author used personification in order to paint a picture of the story as well as the connection(allusion) between Grayson and The Little Engine that Could.

In grammar we continued with plural possessive nouns and completed a page in our workbook.

Homework:
*** Comprehension questions and writing
***Study the vocabulary

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we discussed the order of operations and spent quite a bit of time working on equations.

Homework:
Math Box and Study Link 6.6
***Friday Skill Packet

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we went over our Chapter 5 tests together and then jumped into Chapter 6. This chapter we are talking about settlements and colonies in the New World.

Homework:
***None

Reminders:
***D.A.R.E. Graduation is on Thursday at 9:00.

Until tomorrow...

11/28/11

I hope that everyone is happy to back to school after our four day break. It was nice sharing time with family and friends,but we have work to do before our next break.

Language Arts:
Today we read chapters 22-24 in Maniac and discussed the questions that we will be answering on our own tonight.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words
***Complete chapter questions/journal entry
***Book project is due on Dec. 16

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today many of us took our Acuity test. The remainder of the time was spent on white board practice.

Homework:
***None

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies;(Doms)
Today we introduced the first settlements in America, reviewed the chapter vocabulary for chapter 6, discussed the hardships that the settlers would have in the New World. We also linked the idea to how it would feel to be a settler compared to the feeling of going to a new school in a different country.

Homework:
***None

Reminders:
***D.A.R.E. Graduation is this Thursday, December 1 at 9:00. Parents are welcome to attend.

Until tomorrow...

11/16/11

It is starting to get cold out at recess! Please make sure that everyone is wearing coats!

Language Arts:
Today in class Mr. Kistler started out by reviewing our grammar concept for the week which was plural nouns. What made this so interesting for the students was he tied the practice into Social Studies by relating it to the chapter that we are currently working on. They did a fine job with even the tricky plurals!

In reading we discussed our comprehension questions from chapters 3-6 together and read and discussed chapters 7-9. So far, I feel that this novel is really capturing their attention. I've heard many remarks about the authors use of figurative language throughout the novel. (They are noticing!)

Homework:
*** Comprehension questions from chapters 7-9 and writing activity
***Don't forget that we will be having our spelling test on Friday. Keep reviewing your RIT words too!
***Reading projects are due on December 16th.

*************************************************************************************
Math:
We have jumped into Unit 6 after taking a pretest covering those skills. We will work our way quickly through this unit although we will be devoting extra time to those lessons that were weak on the pretest.

Homework:
Math Box 6.2 and Study Links 6.2 and 6.3

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we presented our explorers to the rest of the class and filled out our matrix that spread across the board. This matrix listed all of the explorers as well as who sponsored their journey, their motives, route of exploration, and personal background. Study guides were passed back today. Mrs. Doms' homeroom will have their test next Tuesday.

Homework:
***Interactive Student Notebook-Page 30
***Study for the test

***My homeroom will have heir test on Wednesday of next week. They also received their study guide today.

Reminders/Information:
Thank you to all the families that brought in food for our "Stuff a Trailer." I know it felt good to help those in need.

Until tomorrow...

11/15/11

Language Arts:
***Study 5 vocabulary words
***Complete chapter question packet and writing

___________________________________________________________________
Math:
***Page 209 in the Journal and P. 209

___________________________________________________________________
Social Studies:
***No homework- Chapter 5 test will be next week. A study guide will be passed out tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

11/14/11

Language Arts:
Today was not a usual Monday around here. Right after double specials we put away our basal and started an intense novel study on the novel Maniac Magee. The kids were very excited about it. This novel study will tie in with the figurative language that we have studied, introduce new vocabulary daily, incorporate writing and reflection each day, and open up our room to a discussion on topics such as internal and external conflict and discrimination. Today we read the prologue and chapters 1 and 2. Our new friend Jeffery is quite the character so far!

Grammar- Our grammar skill of the week is plural nouns.Mr. Kistler will use this skill to incorporate Social Studies concepts as well.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words for the quiz tomorrow.
***Complete the questions and journal reflection. These should be in complete sentences with details.
***Study your spelling for the test on Friday.

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today in math we finished up our unit 5 test and worked on a pretest for unit 6. The scores on the unit 6 pretest will determine what skills we will need to focus on during this unit.

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 6.1- The Math Box is found in your Journal 2.

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today in class we were divided up into groups and given an explorer to learn about. We investigated who sponsored their journey, their motive, the dates of their exploration, the routes they took, and the impact that it made. We will share our findings in front of the class to "teach" others about our particular explorer.

Reminders:
***We need canned food please! We our stuffing our trailer and so far there is very little to carry to the trailer. Thanks!

Until tomorrow...

11/10/11

Sorry about not blogging these past two days. I had some computer issues at home.

Language Arts:
Today in class we worked on possessives during our grammar time. This is still a skill that is a bit confusing to some! During reading, we discussed personification while reading a legend. This went really well. Next, Mr. Kistler played a vocabulary and RIT review game with the students to get them ready for their RIT quiz tomorrow. I guess I never really knew how competitive our class was. Wow! Finally, we were off to reading buddies and then to Vocabulary Vine.

Homework:
*** Weekly homework packet is due tomorrow.
***Creative Writing is due
***Keep plugging away on your reading project. It is due on Dec. 16th and should show nine weeks worth of effort.
***Study for your RIT words.

___________________________________________________________________

Math:
Today we worked in the computer lab doing Odyssey and then came back to class to work on a practice test for our upcoming Unit 5 test tomorrow. We will go over the practice test tomorrow before starting the actual test.

Homework:
***Unit 5 test is tomorrow. Complete the practice test.
***Anytime that you have a minute, please work on Odyssey at home. It helps!

___________________________________________________________________
Social Studies: We had D.A.R.E. today. We are just about finished with this great program. Our graduation date is tentatively set for December 1 at 9:00. More details to come.

Reminders:
Our school is collecting non-perishable foods to "Stuff a Trailer". Please send in whatever you can to help out this great cause. Thank you!

Until tomorrow...

11/7/11

Language Arts:
Today was a busy Monday. Right after double specials ,Mr. Kistler got right into the spelling pretest and introduced both the story vocabulary and the 10 new RIT words. The story vocabulary is as follows: vibrates, alert, surroundings, prey, predators, lunging, species, and survive. Be sure to discuss these as you read the story together.

Our new RIT words this week are as follows: fiction, parallelism, structure, synedoche, aphorism, archetype, paradox, quip, theme, and antithesis. These words and definitions are in their binder and they should be reviewed each night.

Our grammar skill for the week focuses on plural nouns. They need to practice the irregulars too!

*****************************************************************************************
Math:
After completing our minute, working on computation practice, and working on mental math, we jumped into copying angles and triangles by only using a straight edge and a compass.

Homework:
***None
***We will work on a practice test on Thursday. Friday will be our Unit 5 test.

*****************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
We completed our Chapter 4 test today.

Until tomorrow...

11/1/11

It is hard to believe that it is November already!

Language Arts:
Today in class Mr. Kisler started by giving the spelling pre-test. From there, he discussed 10 new RIT vocabulary words and the story vocabulary for the week. This week we are reading Shiloh. Be sure to review the vocabulary words and their meanings as you read the story together.

In grammar, we took time to review the grammar skill for the week. This week we are focusing on both common and proper nouns.

Homework:
***Weekly homework packet-due Friday
***Don't forget about the reading project that is due on December 16th. This is a nine week project and should reflect nine weeks worth of effort. Keep reading!

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today in math we completed our minute and spent our computation time working on the trick of the day. (Ask your child how to mentally figure out what 107 squared is. They should be able to explain it to you without any computation.) Our lesson for the day worked on finding the degree sector of a circle and finding the coordinates of a coordinate grid.

Homework:
***Math boxes 5.3, 5.4, 5.5

************************************************************************************
Social Studies: Suddarth
Today Mr. Kisler met with the students on the floor and they read and discussed the summary of chapter 4 as well as the Reading Further section. They spent the remainder of the class working on their test over the Northeast region of the United States.

Homework:
***Interactive Student Notebook page 25-due Friday
***Chapter 4 Test- Everyone received a study guide. Are you studying yours?

Until tomorrow...

10/24/11

It is Red Ribbon Week here at Northpoint!


It was neat seeing everyone supporting Red Ribbon Week by wearing red. Don't forget that tomorrow is wear a hat to school day.

Reminders:
***Conferences are happening this week. Please check your time so that you do not miss yours!

***Picture retakes are this Wednesday.

Language Arts:
This is a short week this week and next but we are still plugging along. Be sure to practice the RIT words for the week, the spelling words, and the story vocabulary every night. Our words are getting tricky.

Today we read our story for the week which is a fantasy. The comprehension skill for the week is cause and effect relationships. We will work on this tomorrow as we fill out a graphic organizer related to our story.

Our grammar skill for the week is run- on sentences. Boy can we use some work on this!

Homework:
***Safety posters are due on Wednesday
***Weekly homework packet is due on Thursday this week. We will have all of assessments on that day too.

**********************************************************************************
Math:
Today was our last day to work in two separate groups. While some students retook their Unit 4 test, the rest of us worked on computation skills and mental math that dealt with algebra, math vocabulary, ratios, fractions, and order of operations. We will start working on Unit 5 tomorrow.

Homework:
***Math Boxes 4.1 and 4.5

**********************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today our class went diving as underwater archaeologists looking for lost artifacts that Europeans may have left in their sunken ships during their voyage to the Americas. This stirred up quite a conversation as we discussed natural objects and artifacts and their purpose.

Homework:
***Northeast region test is next Tuesday-Study!


Until tomorrow...

10/21/11

I am sorry about not blogging yesterday. It is report card time and things are hectic after school.

Language Arts:
Today we took our usual Friday assessments and started a "Round Robin Writing."We also had a fun program in the gym provided by Health Works.

Homework:
***Read for your reading project that is due on December 16.

**************************************************************************************
Math:
We completed our minute today with Mr. Kistler(our student teacher), graded our homework, completed computation on white boards. Next, I took over and we split into two groups. Some students worked with me on the floor while others worked independently at their seats on fraction and skill review. Even though it is a short week next week, we are jumping into Unit 5 and starting our Odyssey time on Thursday. We will be reviewing RIT words next week as well.

Homework:
***None

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today Chapter 3 tests were passed back and we started Chapter 4. We discussed how the Europeans came to the "New World" and what they intended to find when they got here.

Homework:
***None
***Don't forget to practice the states, capitals, and abbreviations for the Southeast region. This test will be the week we get back from fall break.

Have a great weekend!

10/19/11

Today is the last day of the first grading period. Hooray!

Language Arts:
Today in class we reviewed complex sentences, vocabulary, and then spent time working on using context clues. Before we knew it, it was time to switch for Vocabulary Vine.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet-due Friday
***Grammar page(If not completed in class.)
***Read for your reading project which is due on December 16th

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today was a mental math and review day. Then we jumped into working on a few pages from unit 4 dealing with fractions.

Homework:
***Study Links -pages 85,87, and 89

*************************************************************************************
Art Smart- Thank you to all our parent volunteers! The lesson today was a fun one!

Until tomorrow...

10/18/11

Language Arts:
Today in class we worked on our grammar minute which practiced finding the simple subject and complete subject of a sentence and reviewed writing complex sentences by using special conjunctions.

During our spelling portion of our day, we sorted our spelling words into their spelling patterns and worked on a definition and synonym page using our words.

In reading, we worked on reviewing our RIT and story vocabulary as well as used a graphic organizer to summarize our weekly story.

In writing, we spent some time working on our school wide Red Ribbon Week writing prompt. The final copy of this is due tomorrow.

Homework:
***Red Ribbon writing
***Weekly Homework Packet- due Friday

**********************************************************************************
Math:
Today was a review day and catch up day. Some students worked with me on white boards while others finished up their assessments.

Unit 3 tests were passed back today. The were awesome!

Homework:
***Get test signed
***Journal pages 122, 124, 125

************************************************************************************
Social Studies( Suddarth)
Today we started Chapter 4. We completed the preview and read only the first section in the chapter.

Homework:
***Study the Northeast region, the states, capitals, and abbreviations. The test will be on Nov. 1

I hope to see you at Culvers tonight!

Until tomorrow...

10/17/11

Language Arts:
Today was a busy Monday. Right after double specials we started with our spelling pretest then jumped into our story for the week. This week we have 8 vocabulary words. They are as follows: adjusted, function, disasters, environment, mission, maze, zone and gravity. These words are important to know and should be talked about as you read the story together this week.

Our RIT words for the week are climax, cliche, allegory, bias, and caricature. These words along with the other RIT vocabulary in their binder should be reviewed each week. We periodically have quizzes over all of the words learned.

Homework:
***Weekly homework packet

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we completed our minute, reviewed on white boards, and took our Unit 4 pretest.

Homework:
***None

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms')
Today we took our Chapter 3 test

Until tomorrow...

10/14/11

Happy Friday!

Language Arts:
Today was a busy day. We took all of the usual assessments, played a RIT review, worked on our writing which is due on Monday, and switched for Vocabulary Vine.

Homework:
***Brochure and Picture prompt tree writing is due on Monday
***Decide which book you would like to start reading for your flip book project. This book needs to be approved by me by Wednesday. It should not be a book that you have NOT read before. I will be looking at books to make certain that they fit your individual reading level.

*************************************************************************************
Math:
We took our Unit 3 test today.

Homework:
***None

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
We took our Chapter 3 test today. Mrs. Doms' homeroom will have their test on Monday. Their page 20 in their ISNB is also due on Monday.


Homework:
***None

Have a great weekend!
Until Monday...

10/13/11

Language Arts:
We are ready for our Friday assessments! We spent our time this morning reviewing all of the vocabulary and RIT words of the week, practicing creating compound sentences but joining two simple sentences with a comma and a conjunction. We also met with our reading buddies and worked on our brochure and weekly writing assignment.

Homework:
***Our second grading period reading project paper and instructions were passed out and discussed yesterday. Please make sure that you put the paper and guidelines in a safe spot. The actual project is due on December 16. The students will be presenting these to the class as part of their listening and speaking standard grade. The first thing that I told each student that they need to do is start reading the book that they would like to complete the project on. This book should be approved by me, on their independent reading level, and be a chapter book. Get reading!

***Weekly Homework Packets are due tomorrow- Remember all the signatures.
***Tree brochure and picture prompt writing are due on Monday.

***********************************************************************************
Math:
After completing our minute today, the students rotated through three stations where they completed two different assessments for a grade and worked with a partner on their practice test for our test tomorrow.

Homework:
***Complete the practice test. We will go over all of the problems prior to taking the test to clear up any existing problems.

************************************************************************************
We did not have content today. We had D.A.R.E. The students have quite a bit of stories to tell about what they learned today from Officer Redman. Ask them.

Until tomorrow...

10/12/11

Language Arts:
Today was a fun day in Language Arts! After we finished with reviewing and practicing our grammar skill of the week, we gathered by the rocking chair and worked on some research on the Ipad which involved different kinds of deciduous and coniferous trees for creating our brochures. The students really enjoyed viewing the different kinds of leaves of each tree and learning all the specific facts about where they are found and what particular things their wood is used for.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet- due Friday
***Picture prompt writing and brochure will be due on Monday.(These should be kept at school because the students will have time to work on them as they finish up other things in class.)

************************************************************************************
Math:Word Problem Wednesday
Today we worked on lesson 3.10 which continued to practice formulas, variables, and graphs.

Homework:
***Study Link 3.10 and Journal Page 121
***Our Unit test will be on Friday and our Unit 4 pretest will be on Monday of next week.

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms')
Today we finished up our chapter by reading and discussing the Reading Further section of our chapter. The students were given a handout about the four tribes that we read about today. This chart will be very useful in preparing for the test on Monday.

Homework:
***Test over chapter 3 is on Monday for Mrs. Doms' homeroom students. Use the study guide and both charts to help you prepare for the test.
***The letter from your Interactive Student Notebook page 20 is due on Monday as well. Please follow the guidelines found on page 20. This should be on regular notebook paper to be handed in prior to the test.

Until tomorrow...

10/11/11

Language Arts:
Today was a great day to get a lot accomplished! Here is what we did:

In grammar, we completed our minute which reviewed adding the correct punctuation to sentences. We also reviewed our weekly skill by practicing on white boards and completing a page in our grammar workbooks. This week our skill is creating compound sentences by adding a conjunction and a comma to combine two complete thoughts.

In spelling, we completed a word sort with our different spelling words. (This is definitely a tricky list!) We also completed a definition and synonym page related to our words of the week.

In reading, we reviewed our story vocabulary, all of our RIT vocabulary, and created a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting both deciduous and coniferous trees.(This relates to our weekly nonfiction article that we read in class.)

In writing, we will be working on creating a story this week based on a picture prompt. This story should be loaded with facts about what it would be like if we did not have trees.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet- due Friday
***Writing- due Monday

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today's lesson focused on mystery graphs. The students also worked on completing a standard assessment on data and probability as well as problem solving.

Homework:
***Study Link 3.9
***Our test will be this Friday.

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we completed our chart of the seven regions where American Indians lived. We also read and discussed the Reading Further section in our books. In this section, we learned about the lives and jobs of four different American Indians and their duties within their tribes.

Homework:
***Chapter 3 test is on Friday. Please study the chart that we completed as a class, the chart that was passed out today, as well as the study guide that was passed out yesterday.
***Page 20(Interactive Student Notebook is due on Friday before the start of the test.)
This should be completed on lined paper and not in the journal.

Reminders:
***Tomorrow is Super Hero day!

Until tomorrow...
*

10/10/11

Language Arts:
Today was a busy one! Right after double specials we jumped right into our spelling pretest, new story for the week, RIT vocabulary, and our new grammar skill.

This week we are reading a short nonfiction article. The vocabulary words are as follows: major, quest, settings, reduce and buffet. Please discuss these definitions as you read the story together this week.

Our RIT vocabulary words this week are as follows: anecdote, idiom, mood, connotation, and denotation. The students have these words in their binders. They should be studying them each week for cumulative quizzes.

In grammar, we started working on simple and compound sentences with conjunctions. This was a little confusing at first ,but the more we practiced on white boards, the better it was.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet is due every Friday.

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we worked on lessons 3.7 and 3.8. Both of these lesson discussed working with spreadsheets. We discussed the following vocabulary: row, column, and cell name. This lesson ran very smoothly.

During our computation time, we focused on finding out how many possible combinations could be made from certain situations. This gave us practice with drawing tree diagrams.

Homework:
***Study Links 3.7 and 3.8
***Our test over Unit 3 will be this Friday.

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:( Monday)
Today we read and discussed the section dealing with the American Indians of the Southeast, read the summary, and worked in small groups filling out informational charts that summarize all seven regions and their specific characteristics. This will be an excellent resource to study off of for our upcoming test on Monday for Mrs. Doms' class. Study guides were passed out today.

Homework:
***Start studying for the test which will be on Monday for Mrs. Doms' homeroom.

***My homeroom will have their Social Studies test this Friday. They have their study guides as well.

Until tomorrow..

10/7/11

Another beautiful day!

Language Arts:
Today in Language Arts we took all of the usual Friday assessments, reviewed RIT vocabulary, and completed a "Round Robin" writing activity. This was a fun process to watch and after we were finished, we got quite a few chuckles out of how well we write!

Homework:
***Hero writing-due Monday(Many students handed it in already.)

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we reviewed relative frequency tables, fractions, and finding the cost per unit of various items. By now, your child should be able to pick out the "Best Buy".

Homework:
***None

************************************************************************************
Social Studies: (Suddarth)
Today we completed our last section on the American Indians from the Southeast region, read and discussed the summary, and worked with a partner filling our information charts on the seven regions and tribes.

Homework:
***None

Have a great weekend!

10/6/11

Language Arts:
Today we finished up with our skills for the week and reviewed for our assessments. We also took some time to continue working on our weekly writing prompt and practiced RIT vocabulary. (I was very surprised at how well they are learning our new terms!)

Homework:
***Weekly Homework packet is due tomorrow. Please remember all the signatures showing that you read the story with a parent and nightly initials with number of reading minutes.
***Hero writing is due on Monday

*************************************************************************************
Math:Thinking Thursday
Since today was Thinking Thursday we worked on two individual skills. We learned how to create and read a Box-And-Whisker Plot and all the vocabulary that goes with it. We also learned how to create a Frequency Chart as well as what the terms mean. These two skills are ways to show data that are not typical. You should be able to ask your child the following terms and they should know their definitions and how they are used to display data:median, lower extreme, upper extreme, lower quartile, upper quartile, intervals, frequency, relative frequency, and cumulative frequency.

Homework:
***None
*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:
We had D.A.R.E. today!

Until tomorrow...

10/5/11

What a beautiful day!

Language Arts:
We spent our morning working on commas in a series, subjects and predicates, and reviewing the plot and vocabulary of our weekly story. We also spent time working on our weekly writing prompt which deals with writing about a hero. This is a personal narrative and should include "voice." The final draft for this writing is due on Monday.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet is due on Friday. Parents- Please sign the top portion of the first page and write in reading minutes each night along with an initial. These minutes will be recorded each week.
***Hero writing- due Monday

************************************************************************************
Math: Word Problem Wednesday

After completing our minute, we worked on several word problems of the day. It is my goal to have the students draw small pictures or sketches while trying to solve word problems as well as to show all of their work. So far, it is starting to work.
Our lesson today focused on a science experiment and the rate in which an object falls to the ground. Interesting!

Homework:
***Math Boxes 3.5 and #.6
***Friday Skill Sheet

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we continued on with our discussion of the American Indians of the Southwest, Great Plains, Plateau, and Eastern Woodlands. We learned about their environment, their types of clothing, homes, and artifacts that they used. We also filled out our workbooks which will be an excellent study tool while preparing for our next test.



Until tomorrow...

10/4/11

Language Arts:
Today was a day filled with progress. We were able to get so much accomplished during our Language Arts block of time. During grammar, we worked on finding the compound subjects and compound predicates in sentences, completed our minute, and practiced on white boards.

In reading, we reviewed our story and RIT vocabulary and filled out a Plot/Setting chart based on our weekly story.

During our spelling time, we completed a word sort of our spelling words for the week, and worked on multiple meaning words. We ended right before Vocabulary Vine by brainstorming a web for our next writing assignment.

This week we are learning how to brainstorm for a writing prompt, balance our time requirement, create a web along with a word choice box and formulate a topic sentence. Now we are ready to begin our rough drafts during class time.

Homework:
***Writing About a Hero- due Monday
***Weekly Homework Packet- due Friday

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today our lesson focused on formulas and graphs. This was not a new concept and the students seemed to be able to "plug in" the numbers quite easily into the various formulas.

Homework:
***Finish pages 100 and 101
***Study Links 3.4 and 3.5

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we continued our discussion of four more different regions and the American Indians that lived there. Today we looked at the Southwest region, the Great Plains, the Plateau and one other region. We discussed the tribes that lived in each region, their homes, and possible artifacts that could have left behind.

Homework:
***None

Until tomorrow...

10/3/11

It is hard to believe that it is October already. This first grading period is flying by!

Language Arts:
Today in Language Arts we started our second story in our basal. This week we are reading a Tall Tale and having quite a few discussions about the element of exaggeration in this type of genre! We reviewed the vocabulary and this weeks RIT words as well as worked on both simple and complete subjects and predicates in grammar.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet-due Friday
(Please remember to sign the top portion of the homework packet verifying that you read the story together, practiced the RIT and story vocabulary, and practiced the spelling words for the week. Also, each night a parent should be logging reading minutes and putting initials by the day. Thank you!)
***The weekly reading assessment, spelling and selection test were passed back today. Please be looking for them in blue folders tonight.

************************************************************************************
Math:Mental Math Monday
Today in math we worked on multiple step problems mentally, completed our minute, worked on computation, and jumped into our daily lesson which dealt with writing formulas.

Homework:
***Writing equations worksheet
***Math Boxes 3.4 and 3.5
*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we started chapter 3, discussed the new vocabulary, discussed the introduction, read and discussed sections 3.2 and 3.3. In these sections we learned that there are seven different regions that the American Indians came from. In this lesson we will focus on the regions, the tribes that came from each region and specific artifacts that may have been left behind that would help us in learning about their culture. We filled in two charts together in their Interactive Student Notebooks that dealt with the American Indians from the Northwest Coast and the California-InterMountain Indians.

Until tomorrow...

9/28/11

Language Arts:
Today in class we presented our skits over a scene from our novel study, worked on different kinds of punctuation and types of sentences, reviewed our weekly story and its vocabulary, and started working on our first writing piece. This week we are working on a personal narrative. Time in class will be given to work on this, but they will be due on Monday.

Homework:
***Weekly Homework Packet

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we worked on lesson 1 in chapter 3. The lesson dealt with general patterns and special cases. This was an introduction to variables and algebra.

So far, the Unit 2 tests that I have graded and charted look so much better than the pretests. The actual tests will be sent home before the end of the week along with their pretest. Please sign and return these to school when you get them.(Thank you!)

Homework:
***Math Box 3.1

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Both Chapter 2 test and the test over the Southwest region were passed back today. Please be looking for them in folders.

Today we started chapter 3. We discussed American Indians from the Northwest and the California Inter-Mountains. We started to fill in charts in our ISNB that listed the region, the tribes, and the possible artifacts that archaeologists may be able to find from these two groups.

Until tomorrow...

9/27/11

Language Arts:
Today was a busy one in room 24. We started right away after specials with our first grammar minute that practiced the skill of identifying complete and incomplete sentences. From there we moved on to practice on white boards and completing a page in our grammar workbook that dealt with the same concept.

Next, we reviewed our vocabulary for this week and completed a character and plot chart together. This is a great resources to use as a review of our story. We ended this time with RIT vocabulary review.

In spelling, we completed two sheets that focused on our spelling skill for the week which is short vowel sounds. Please be sure that you are practicing at home. A few of our words were a little tricky today. And then we were off to Vocabulary Vine...

Homework:
***Skits will be tomorrow. You may bring in props
***Weekly Homework Packet(WHP) is due on Friday. Parents please sign the top and initial reading minutes each night.

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today was our Unit 2 test.

Homework:
***None

************************************************************************************
Social Studies(Doms)
Today was our test over Chapter 2 and the states of the Southwest region.

Homework:
***None

Until tomorrow...

9/26/11

Language Arts:
Today was a big change for us. Right after double specials, we jumped into our basal for the first time. This week we are reading a story called Miss Alaineus. We will be discussing characters and how they affect the plot.

Our vocabulary words for the week are as follows:categories, gigantic, capable, slumped, soggy, strands, luminous, and credit.
***These words will be tested on Friday so please make sure that you discuss their meanings when you read the story together this week.

Our RIT vocabulary words are as follows: similes, onomatopoeia, genre, alliteration, and setting. These definitions can be found in your childs' binder. We will add new words each week. They should practice them each night so that they know their meanings and are able to give an example of each. We will have a short quiz each Friday.

Today we took our independent spelling test. Your child has a list that they should be studying for the end of the week test on Friday.

In grammar we will be studying complete sentences and using appropriate punctuation.

Homework:
***Our first Weekly Homework Packet was sent home tonight. It is due on Friday. Please take the time to read the story of the week with your child, record and initial their nightly reading minutes each day, and sign the top of the packet. Be sure that the Think and Compare section of the packet is answered in complete sentences with details from the story to support your answer.

**********************************************************************************
Math:
Today was another review day. We will be taking our Unit 2 test tomorrow.

Homework:
***Journal pages 69-71

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
We took our chapter 2 test today and our test over the Southwest region. Mrs. Doms' class will have their test with me tomorrow.

Reminders:
***Please remember to save your bottle caps to help The Ronald McDonald House.
***Friday is "Chew Gum at School Day"- Please bring in $1.00 to participate.

Until tomorrow...

9/23/11

Language Arts:
We finished our novel study today! We will be starting in our basal next week.

Math:
We are still plugging along in Unit 2. We will be having our test next Tuesday.

Social Studies:
Chapter 2 tests and Southwest region tests are next week. Suddarth-Monday
Doms' - Tuesday

Happy Weekend!

9/22/11

Language Arts:
We finished Percy today! The students were very excited to find out Percy's fate and now the hunt is on for the second book in the series!

We took our vocabulary quiz, discussed the questions from chapter 21 and read the last chapter. We had time before reading buddies to go over the study guide that was passed out in class . This is an excellent study tool. Please ask to see it!

Homework:
***Study for your last vocabulary quiz for our novel study. Let's end this with everyone getting 100%.
***Comprehension questions for chapter 22
***Percy test tomorrow

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we completed our minute, graded our homework, worked on computation on white boards, and plugged away on skills for unit 2.

Homework:
***Study Link 2.5 and 2.6
***Friday skill sheet is due
*************************************************************************************
We had D.A.R.E. today!

Reminders:
***Don't forget to wear your NP shirt tomorrow to school to show school spirit!
***My homeroom will have their chapter 2 Social Studies test on Monday along with their test over the Southwest region states, capitals, and abbreviations. Mrs. Doms' class homeroom class will have their tests on Tuesday. Look over the study guides. They are useful!

Until tomorrow...

9/21/11

What a beautiful day!

Language Arts:
Today was a great day! We took the usual vocabulary quiz, discussed the questions, and read our next to the last chapter in our book. We also spent some time working in small groups doing some script writing. The students will be writing and performing a scene from our novel in which they will graded on the Indiana Standards of Listening and Speaking for this first grading period. More information will be coming tomorrow.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words
***Pick 10 comprehension questions to complete
***Don't forget to study your study guide for Percy. This is an essential tool in preparing for the test which will be on Friday.

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we continued on with reviewing skills from Unit 2. We stressed multiplying by powers of 10 both positive and negative.

Homework:
***Pages 56-61- The students had class time to work on these pages and specific problems were chosen.

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
We played a review game in order to see how prepared we are for the upcoming chapter 2 test on Monday. Be sure to study the states, capitals, and abbreviations for the Southwest region. This will also be on Monday.

Homework:
***Review your study guide.

Until tomorrow...

9/20/11

Language Arts:
We knew right from the beginning that Percy did not steal the lightning bolt! We were sure surprised to find out who the master mind was behind it all though.

Today in class we took our vocabulary quiz, discussed our questions for chapter 19 and read chapter 20.(We only have two more chapters to go!) We also spent some time discussing different types of poetry and how we could incorporate the characters from our novel study into different types of poetry. Then we were off to Vocabulary Vine...

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words from chapter 20
***Comprehension questions-chapter 20
***Write three different kinds of poetry that have something to do with our novel or the characters.
***Start using your study guide to prepare for the test on Friday.

************************************************************************************
Math:
We had a shortened class today. The students spent time finishing up their Unit 2 test.

Homework:
***Study Link 2.2 and 2.3

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we discussed the summary and read and discussed the Reading Further section which talked about the American Indians and how they used pictographs and winter counts to keep a record of important events in their lives.

Study guides were passed out today for chapter 2. The students will also need to study for the Southwest Region test on Tuesday as well. They will be expected to know the states, capitals, and abbreviations for the states of the Southwest Region only.
***Please see the link below that is a great help.

Until tomorrow...
Social Studies: Here is the link to a quiz for the Southwest states: Southwest states quiz

9/17/11

Language Arts:
We are wrapping things up with our novel. By the end of the week we will have taken the test and completed our last vocabulary quiz. We will still have a few writing activities and collaborative activities next week while we are jumping into the basal.

In class today we took our vocabulary test, discussed the questions from chapters 17 and 18 and read and discussed all that is happening in chapter 19. Boy does this book have some action! No sooner do we get through with one exciting thing then we are introduced to another character and something else is happening!

The students were given work time in class today to work on their homework. If they used their time wisely, they should have little to no homework other than studying for their vocabulary quiz tomorrow and their test on Friday.(Study guides were passed our today.)

Homework:
***Study 5 vocab. words
***Chapter 19 comprehension questions-You pick 10!
***Text-to-Self Connection
***Rewrite your myth on the special paper. Be sure to edit it with a parent.

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we spent our board work time reviewing skills from Unit 2. The students then started their pretest over Unit 2. We will complete this tomorrow.

Homework:
***None

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we worked in small groups and discussed the roles of different family members within the Inuit tribe. We also read and discussed the summary and we learned about making a pictograph and winter count to record important life events just like the Sioux. We ended our class with taking the test over the states and capitals of the Midwest Region of the United States.

Homework:
***ISNB page 13 due Wednesday
***Chapter 2 test will be next Monday, September 26 as well as the states and capitals test over the Southwest region of the United States. Study guides are being copied. Be looking for them tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

9/16/11

Language Arts:
Today in class we took our vocabulary quiz, discussed chapter 16 questions, typed our text-to- world connections, and read chapters 17 and 18.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words from each chapter
***Chapters 17 and 18 comprehension questions

**************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we reviewed skills from unit 2. The students were given their unit 1 tests back today. They were AMAZING!!!

Homework:
***None
*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we read sections 2.2-2.4 in chapter 2 which deals with American Indians, their migration routes, and the environments in which their chose to live. We also wrote summaries in our Interactive Student Notebook using highlighted vocabulary of the chapter.

Homework:
***Remember that next week(Monday or Tuesday) is our test over the states and capitals of the Midwest region and the great lakes.

Until Monday...Have a great weekend!

9/15/11

Language Arts:
Today in class we took our usual vocabulary quiz, discussed questions from chapter 15, and read the next chapter. (This was a very long one!) We also discussed what was expected when writing their own personal myths that matches their vases that are hanging in our hall. Next, it was off to reading buddies and Vocabulary Vine.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words
***Complete the Chapter 16 comprehension questions
***Write a one page(at least) myth on lined paper.

**************************************************************************************
Math: Thinking Thursday
Right after completing our minute, we worked on Thinking Thursday. The students were given their RIT vocabulary packets and we discussed the definitions and drew examples of each term. The students will be given an assessment over these terms each week as we build our new RIT vocabulary.

The lesson today consisted of writing small numbers by using negative powers of ten and decimals. The students caught on fast! They worked hard and they were amazing in class.

Homework:
***No additional homework-just the Friday skill sheet

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:
We did not have Social Studies. Instead, the students met for the first time with Officer Redman, our D.A.R.E. officer.

Reminders:
***Please support our P.T.O. Tomorrow is jammie day. Wear your p.j.s and bring $1.00.

Until tomorrow...

9/14/11

Today in Language Arts we took our vocabulary quiz over chapters 13 and 14. We also reviewed our comprehension questions and dove into chapter 15 together as a class.

HW: Study your 5 vocabulary words for tomorrow's quiz, finish your Greek Times newspaper article and your chapter 15 comprehension questions.

In math, we learned about writing larger numbers.

HW: Math boxes 1.3 and 2.1 are due tomorrow.

In Social Studies, we read sections 2.2-2.5 together as a class. After each section, we took time to write summaries over each section. These will come in handy when studying for the chapter 2 test.

HW: You have a quiz over the Midwest region on Monday. Check out the links below to test yourself.

midwest states quiz and midwest state capitals quiz

9/13/11

Language Arts:
We started off our morning in specials and then we had our safety drills. The students were very well behaved and I was proud of them!

Today we took our vocabulary quiz over chapter 12 and then moved to the floor to listen to and discuss two chapters. Before we switched for Vocabulary Vine, we discussed how to write a newspaper article and practiced the Who? Where? What? When? Why? and How? The students will use this lesson as a spring board for writing their own newspaper article tomorrow by filing out a graphic organizer.

Homework:
***Study 10 vocabulary words(chapter 13(5) and chapter 14(5))
***complete the comprehension questions for chapters 13 and 14

************************************************************************************
Math: Tricks Tuesday
Due to our math test, we did not have a chance to discuss the math trick of the day.
We took our first test today.

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 1.12

************************************************************************************
Social Studies(Doms)
Today we started chapter 2. This chapter deals with the American Indians.

Homework:
***The students will be having a quiz over just the states and their capitals of the Midwest region next Tuesday, September 20. They should also know the great lakes.

Until tomorrow...

9/12/11

Language Arts:
Right after double specials, we jumped right into our novel study. We took our vocabulary quiz, took a short ten question quiz over the story thus far, reviewed our comprehension questions, and listened to the next chapter. Whew!

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words
***Complete Ch. 12 comprehension questions
***In friendly letter format, write a letter to Zeus

*************************************************************************************
Math:Mental Math Monday
After completing our minute, working a computation review, and diving into mental math on white boards, we worked on a practice unit 1 test with our table groups.

Homework:
***Complete the practice test. Our first test over unit 1 will be tomorrow.
***Skill sheet is due on Friday

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we started chapter 2 which discussed the American Indians. We also spent some time reviewing the Midwest region, the states, and their capitals. We will be having a quiz over this region on September 19.

Until tomorrow...

9/9/11

Language Arts:
Today was a productive day in our classroom. We took our vocabulary quiz over chapter 10, reviewed the comprehension questions from chapter 10, read and discussed chapter 11, and filled in our time line with important events that added to the plot of our story. We were introduced to a new character today and she wasn't very nice!

We had some independent work time where the students completed a Venn diagram where they compared a character from our novel to another character from another book that they have read, worked on comprehension questions from chapter 11, and created a writing piece where they made a text-to-world connections. We accomplished all of this before moving on to Vocabulary Vine.

Homework:
***Although the students had a lot of work time in class, they still need to have their comprehension questions completed, the Venn diagram, and their test-to-world writing.
***Study 5 vocabulary words from chapter 11. I would love to have everyone receive a 100%.
***We will be having a quiz on Monday over the first half of our novel. Review your comprehension questions.

************************************************************************************
Math: Fraction Friday
Today we completed our minute, graded our homework, exercised our minds, then hit the floor for Fraction Friday review on white boards. This was a review over addition, subtraction, multiplying, and dividing fractions.

Our lesson of the day focused on persuasive graphs, samples, and surveys. We spent the second portion of our class playing Landmark Shark. This is an Everyday Math game that focuses on finding the mean, median, mode, and range of a set of data. It is great practice for their upcoming test.

Homework:
***None
***We will be having a quiz over Unit 1 skills on Monday as well as a review of skills. The Unit 1 test will be on Tuesday.

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Mrs. Doms)
Today was our chapter 1 test

Homework:
***None

Have a great weekend!

9/8/11

Language Arts:
Today we continued on with chapter 10. Our story is really getting "action packed!" We added events to our story time line, took our daily vocabulary quiz, met with our third grade reading buddies, and switched for Vocabulary Vine.

Homework:
*** Study your chapter 10 vocabulary words.
***Complete the chapter 10 comprehension questions.
***Next Monday will be our half-way point in the novel. We will be having a short quiz over what has happened so far.

*************************************************************************************
Math: Thinking Thursday
After we completed our minute, we graded our homework and hit the floor for some skill review. The skills that we reviewed today were multiple step fractions word problems, adding absolute values, multiplying and dividing exponents, and exponential notation. Next, since it was Thinking Thursday, we reviewed RIT vocabulary.

Our lesson of the day involved using a graph to investigate perimeter and area. We are getting close to our first test. It will be sometime next week.

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 1.10
***Friday skill sheet is due

************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today was our first test over chapter 1. Mrs. Doms' class will have their test with me tomorrow.


Until tomorrow...

9/7/11

Language Arts:
We are really moving right along in our novel study. Today we took our daily vocabulary quiz, reviewed the comprehension questions from chapter 8, and read the next chapter. Things are really "heating up" for our main character, Percy. Did he really steal the lightning bolt? The students are excited to read on to find out what happens next! Tomorrow we will be adding to our time line, evaluating the characters, and writing to make a text -to- self connection.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words from chapter 9
***Complete 10 out of the 14 questions-You pick!

**************************************************************************************
Math: Word Problem Wednesday
Our lesson today dealt with circle graphs and percent circles. This is a fun skill but we still need some extra practice in order to measure within about 5 degrees. We ended the day with an exit card that covered explaining what the 5 different landmarks are. The scores were amazing!

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 1.9
***Skills Sheet-due Friday
*************************************************************************************
Social Studies: (Doms)
Today we played a Jeopardy game as a way to review for our chapter 1 test. The students were given a study guide last week that explains exactly what they need to know for the test. Please review it. They were given the opportunity to keep their Interactive Student Notebooks to study from so I will be collecting them on Friday to their journal entry on page 7.

Homework:
***Study for the chapter 1 test which will be on Friday for Mrs. Doms' homeroom students.


Until tomorrow...

9/6/11

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the long weekend. We shared some stories about our long weekends and jumped right back into our novel.

Language Arts: Today we took our vocabulary quiz over chapter 7, read and discussed chapter 8, and started creating Greek vases which will tell a story.The students are really making connections and I've heard a lot of conversations about this book outside of class. Many of the students are talking about what cabin they would be in if they were at Camp Half Blood. Have you heard where your child would be? If not, ask them!

During Vocabulary Vine they learned about the prefix per . Those students who had Triumphs with me reviewed story elements and started working on the skill of sequencing events.

Homework:
***Study 5 words from your chapter 8 vocabulary
***Complete the vase in colored pencil(tans, white, reds, and oranges)
***Complete the comprehension questions

************************************************************************************
Math: Tricks on Tuesday
After reviewing on white boards, we jumped into our lesson which dealt with step graphs. This type of graphs shows information over time so they can be a little tricky.

This week we are starting to focus on a different quick idea each day. Tuesdays will be Tricks on Tuesday. Today we learned a trick on how to multiply a number from 11 to 18 times 11 mentally. Ask them to explain!

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 1.8
*** Skill Sheet- due Friday

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we played a fun Jeopardy game as a way to review for our test over chapter 1 which will be on Thursday for my homeroom class. Please review the study guide that was passed out last week. I gave an extension on Interactive Workbook page 7. This will be collected on Thursday while the students are taking their test. This way, they can still have their notebook to study from if they need it.

Until tomorrow...

9/2/11

What a hot day!

Language Arts: Today was a busy one! We took our vocabulary quiz over Chapter 6, added to our time line of events, created our character chart, and read and discussed Chapter 7. The students had some extra time today to work on their homework which involved a bit of writing as well as the usual comprehension questions.

Homework:
***Study 5 words from chapter 7
***Complete the comprehension questions in detailed sentences
***Complete the "All About Me" pages from their packet
*************************************************************************************
Math:
We did not have math today. Instead we had extended language arts.
*************************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we went over the answers for our geographic features and read the summary and reading further section in our books. We learned how the Wilson family struggled through many geographic features as they made their way from Missouri to California during the Gold Rush. We also took some time to write a journal entry about what it would be like to travel back then.

Homework:
***Journal page 7-due Wednesday
***Study guides were passed out today. Their test will be Sept. 9

Have a great three day weekend!

9/1/11

Language Arts:
We made a lot of progress today in class. We took our vocabulary quiz and read and discussed the next chapter. We sure are finding a lot of examples of figurative language in our chapters! We also spent some time working on our comprehension questions right after we met with our 3rd grade Reading Buddies.

Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words from the chapter.
***Complete your comprehension questions in complete, detailed sentences.
***********************************************************************************
Math:
Today we completed our minute, worked on algebra during our board work time, and practiced with bar graphs during our daily lesson.

Homework:
***Friday skill sheet is due tomorrow.
***Math Box and Study Link 1.7
************************************************************************************
Social Studies:
Today we reviewed geographic terms, read and discussed the summary of chapter 1, and learned about a family and the hardships they faced traveling from Missouri during the Gold Rush.
Study guides were passed out today. My homeroom class will take their test on Thursday, September 8. Please use the study guide to help prepare you for the test.

Reminders:
***Please make sure that all emergency cards are returned to school
***Tomorrow is picture day.

Until tomorrow...

8/31/11

What a great day!

Reminders:
***All applications and letters for WSTAR are due tomorrow.
***Picture day is Friday.
***Please make sure that you have P. 3 in the student planner signed by a parent and returned to school.

Language Arts:
Today we took our vocabulary quiz over Chapter 4 and read chapter 5. We had quite a good conversation about what is happening in the book so far and the shaping of the characters. The students had time to start working on their homework which is Chapter 5 comprehension questions.


Homework:
***Study 5 vocabulary words for our quiz.
***Complete Chapter 5 comprehension questions in complete sentences with a lot of detail. Please use your book for help.

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today was filled with skill review on white boards and broken line graphs. This seemed to be quite easy for everyone.

Homework:
***Math Box and Study Link 1.6
***Skill Sheet is due on Friday
************************************************************************************
Social Studies:
Today we discussed the seven continents, the oceans, and the hemispheres. The students worked with a partner on geography challenge cards that dealt with geographic terms for water and landforms and physical features of the United States.

Homework:
***None

Until tomorrow...

8/30/11

Welcome Back to School! I finally have my blog up and running and we are ready to go!

Language Arts: Today in class we continued on with our novel study. In case you haven't heard, we are ready a fantastic book called Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief. So far the students are really into the book and asking a lot of great higher level questions. They were more than excited today to get their very own copy so that we could highlight figurative language, vocabulary, and changes in the plot.

You should be seeing this book every night in backpacks. They will have 5 vocabulary words to study each night and a set of comprehension questions that need to be answered in complete sentences with supporting details. They will have a vocabulary quiz each day.

If you are looking for ways to help at home, it is always a good idea to have your child explain to you what happened in the chapter that we read in class. They can explain new characters, problems, plot changes, setting changes, and make predictions about what might happen next. (Thanks for helping at home!)

Homework:
***Study Chapter 4 vocabulary-Quiz tomorrow
***Chapter 4 comprehension questions

***********************************************************************************
Math: Today in math we graded our homework from last night, completed a minute for skill review, worked on white boards, and jumped into our lesson of the day which dealt with median and mode. This is such a great group of kids. We are able to cover a lot of material each day!

Homework:
***Skill sheet- due Friday
***Math Box and Study Link 1.4

*************************************************************************************
Social Studies: Today in class we filled in the map of the world and labeled various oceans as well as places found at specific lines of latitude and longitude. We read with partners lesson 1.4 and 1.5 and worked on geography cards that dealt with physical features of the world.

Homework:
***Geography cards were completed in class.

Until tomorrow...

5/31/11

Well... We made it!

It is hard to believe that this school year is over. Time flew by! I just wanted to say "Thank you" for all the cards and gifts that I received over the past couple of days. You are all very thoughtful.

I will miss all of my kids. Please keep them safe and push them to read each day. I look forward to starting in August right where everyone of them left off today.

Have a safe and enjoyable summer!

Mrs. Suddarth

5/16/11

Language Arts:
After double specials this morning, the students worked in groups sharing their jobs and reading the next chunk of chapters. We also took some time to divide into teams and start an ongoing game of RIT vocabulary review. My goal is to have a bank of words that the students already know so that we can add more to our list early next year.

Homework:
***Novel study job
***Day 10 Literature Log activity
***Our test over our novel will be on Wednesday
************************************************************************************
Math:
Believe it or not, but several students are still finishing up their End of the Year assessment. Hopefully, all the assessments will be finished tomorrow so that we can spend the remainder of our math classes reviewing, playing games, and getting ahead start on a few skills for next year.

Homework:
***None

***********************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we read the Reading Further section of chapter 13. We were then placed with a partner to work on a commercial advertising Portland . The chapter for Mrs. Doms' class will be on Wednesday. The students have had their study guides for over a week now. They should be ready.

Homework:
***Study for the test
***Interactive student Notebook commercial pages are due on Wednesday

Until tomorrow...

5/15/11

I am sorry that I am just blogging now. The blog site was down on Friday after school.

Language Arts:
We are in the process of finishing up our novel study. The students had time on Friday to work on their homework, but a few students still needed to finish it up.

Homework:
***Read chapters 36-38(They did this in class with their group.)
***Complete their independent literature circle job
***Create a list of events that have happened from chapters 1-38 in the book. Next, create a time line, putting the 10 events in the order in which they occurred.

************************************************************************************
Math:
The students are finishing up the end of the year 5th grade overall assessment. Hopefully, everyone will have this completed tomorrow.

Homework:
***None

***********************************************************************************
Social Studies:
We did not have Social Studies on Friday. We had Art Smart instead. That was our last one for the year. A huge "Thank you" to all of our parents who helped with that each month. My students always looked forward to those days.

Chapter 13 study guides were passed out early last week. Both classes will have their final test at the end of this week. Specific dates for testing will be announced during classes this week.
Study early!

Until tomorrow...

5/11/11

Yesterday was a fun day. Thank you to all our parents who were a huge help!

Language Arts:
Today in Language Arts we worked in our literature circle groups, read and discussed chapters 28-31, completed our individual jobs, and worked on a friendly letter from one character to another.

Homework:
***Novel study job
***Friendly letter(See Literature Log-Day 7)

*************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we completed a minute and worked on a review of skills from Unit 12. The students were able to copy the skills that will be tested along with sample problems.

Homework:
***No homework- Review the study guide and sample problems for the test tomorrow(Unit 12)
***Part 1 Unit 11 test was passed back today. Please get a parent signature

***********************************************************************************
Social Studies(Suddarth)
Today we finished up traveling through some famous cities in the West region. We visited and learned fun facts about Boise, Idaho, Las Vegas, Nevada, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle Washington. Study guides for this chapter will be passed our for both classed tomorrow. The final test of the year will be next week.

Reminders:
***Remember to bring in your field day lunch sheet. They are due on Friday.

Until tomorrow...

5/4/11

Language Arts:
*** Field day T-shirt order forms are due tomorrow.

We work in groups today and almost everyone was prepared with their job completed. This really makes our Literature Circles run smoothly. Today we read together chapters 9-13.

Homework:
Literature Log Day 3 activities- Write two paragraphs.(See the sheet for details.)
Complete your personal Literature Circle job.

************************************************************************************
Math:
Today we started Unit 12. This is our last unit! It covers things like prime factorization, finding the GCF and the LCM as well as probability. This will be a fast unit since we have covered these concepts throughout the year in detail during our board computation time. This will give me time to give the Unit test as well as the End-of-the Year test to assess where we ended the year.

Homework:
***Finish the probability page and complete Math Boxes 12.1 and 12.2

************************************************************************************
Social Studies(Suddarth)
We took our Unit 12 test today.

Homework:
***Brochures about The Pacific Crest Trail are due on Friday.

Until tomorrow...

5/2/11

It is finally May!

Language Arts:
Today in Language Arts we took our novel study test and started our next novel. We will be doing literature circles during this novel and each student will have a specific job to do for their small group. It is very important that they keep up with their job each night.

Homework:
***Read chapter 3 in our new novel
***All journal entries and Tic-Tac-Toe activities are due on Wednesday

***********************************************************************************
Math:
We worked on a practice test today in class with partners. Our Unit 11 test will be tomorrow.

Homework:
***Complete the practice test- We will go over it before our test tomorrow.

***********************************************************************************
Social Studies:(Suddarth)
Today we read all about The Pacific Crest Trail in the West region. We also started a brochure advertising it. The students will have time to complete the brochure on Wednesday after their Chapter 12 test.

Homework:
***Study the study guide-Your test is on Wednesday.
(Mrs. Doms' class- Your test is tomorrow. You will also have time to work on your brochure advertising The Pacific Crest Trail.)

Reminders:
***Field day T-shirt forms are due by Thursday.

Until tomorrow...

4/28/11

Well, we made it! ISTEP is over!

Language Arts:
Today we read chapters 23 and 24 in our novel study. We will finish our novel study tomorrow, write the last of our journal entries, complete a few activities, and finish up our Tic-Tac-Toe projects.(These are all due next Wednesday and the test is this coming Monday.)

Math:
Today we worked on finding the volume of a pyramid. The students took quite some time to figure out that a particular pyramid can have a volume of 85, 656,144 cubic feet. We will continue with this tomorrow and wrap up this unit. Our test will be early next week over Unit 11.

Social Studies:(Doms)
Today we read and discussed the Reading Further section in our chapter. This helped us learn about the Pacific Crest Trail that runs from California, through Oregon, and into Washington. We also spent some time creating travel brochures about this exciting place to visit!

Homework:
***Letters are due about the West on Monday(Both classes) Use the handout as a guide. You will need to hand in both the rough draft and the final copy.
***Chapter 12 test is on Tuesday for Mrs. Doms' class and Wednesday for my homeroom class. Remember- You have a study guide. Please study from it.

Until tomorrow...