Weekly+Update

__** Wednesday, May 25 **__

I can't believe the year is almost over. We still have 2 weeks left!! Please talk to your child about behavior for the remaining part of the year. The kids are getting very antsy. I know they are getting excited, but I still have teaching to do. We only have two days next week and then camp! I love camp. I hope they will too.

The autobiographies are going to be so nice. We are doing them with Photo Story. Make sure your child has a flash drive to save the photo story of them. It will be a keepsake!!! Thanks for all of your help with this. I love the pictures.

Remember to send in the $49.00 for camp. __** Thursday, May12 **__
 * We have been working hard on the MAP testing. I am proud of all of the students!
 * The concert is behind us. That took up a lot of our time this week so, we did not have much homework.
 * We started discussing reading Fantasies this week. Many students have chosen one to read. We will be going to the library tomorrow to find one, if they have not done so already. I am reading aloud to the class, __Ben and Me__ by Robert Lawson. It is about the life of Benjamin Franklin, told by a mouse that lived with him! Fantasy and history all in one.
 * The students will be writing their own autobiography next week. They should be asking you many queations about their early years. Pictures are welcome. They will be making a photo story to share their life so far.
 * We will be continuing chapter 7 in math, multiplying and dividing decimals.

__** Thursday, May 5, 2011 **__ __** May 3, 2011 **__
 * The students are working hard on the MAP testing. Some have not put forth their best effort and I would like them to retake some. Tomorrow I will give them a chance to retake reading or language. Ask your child if they really tried their best. Many of the students did an awesome job. Ask your child how many points they increased on reading and language. I am very proud of them!!!
 * Hello, I'm back. For some reason I could not get into my wiki page. I got it fixed, so here is what is going on. The Mystery unit is finished. All Story Maps and journals should have been turned in. Some students have not and mid term grades are due Sunday, May7!!
 * Your child should have finished their reading of a Biography and presentations are this week. Seven students have completed their presentation and have done a very nice job. Encourage your child to show you what they have done.
 * I think we will write our autobiography and use a time line to present it.
 * Our next reading unit will be a Fantasy.
 * __** Math **__ - We finished our first book and the students were allowed to take it home. We plan on doing part of chapter 8, all of chapter7, then finishing chapter 8, by the end of the year. The books will be saved for next year and the students will begin 6th grade finishing up those books. We had chapter 6 test last Friday.
 * **__ Language __** - We continue to work with figurative language, simple, conplex and compound sentences in our writing. The district writing assessment is next week.
 * __**MAPS testing**__ is this week, tomorrow we will be doing reading. Have the kids get plenty or rest and a good breakfast. Wednesday we will do language and next week will be the math test.
 * **__ Spelling- __** We continue to practice vowel patterns, prefixes and suffixes, double consonant spellings, homophones and homographs; ask your child if they know the difference. Words went home today, test on Friday.

__** April 4, 2011 **__
 * This week the students will be finishing up the mystery unit. Story Maps, detective booklets are due on Wednesday, the 6th. The kids are working on a puzzle and vocabulary crossword puzzle to compliment the mystery book. I am thinking about reading biographies next.
 * The spelling words have been sent home. We are drillling words with double letters, appostrophies and prefixes. If you notice, many of the same words come up week after week.
 * **__Writing__**, we finished the writing assessment and are conferencing with the students. They will be doing a fun writing " The Day It Rained...", for April
 * We continue to discuss the use of figurative language of similies, metaphors, idioms, personification and imagery in our writing.
 * __ **Math**: __ Comparing fractions, decimals and percents. We should have a quiz on Thursday and the test on Monday. The test will be on chapter 5; adding and subtracting fractions with like and unlike denominators. Changing improper fractions to mixed numbers and mixrd numbers to improper fractions. The students will need to sort fractions and decimals from largest to smallest or smallest to largest. They will also need to compare fractions and decimals. WOW!!!
 * **__Social Studies__**- Continue studying the 13 original colonies. We will be comparing the New England, Middle and Southern Colonies. Using the computer, the students will make pamphlets telling about the colonies.
 * **__Science__**- We are continuing learning about the human body. Next is the Circulatory System, heart, blood, veins, arteries and capillaries. How exciting!
 * Human Growth and Development is April 14. Did you turn in the permission slip?
 * Look for Camp information coming home. Camp Whitcome is June 2 and 3. It is a blast!!!!

- JB Becker - Brianna Cieslak - Caden Evers - Jessica Fonte -Michaela Kaatz - Megan kading - Nick Price - Ian Reinke
 * March 28, 2011**
 * Congratulations to our classmates that were chosen to have their art displayed at the Barnes & Nobel Book Fair, in Brookfield Square. The display begins Friday, April1, from 6:30 until 8:00. Light refreshments will be served. The Art Exhibit will be on display for a whole week. Our blooming artists are:

Good Work! We are so proud of you!!!

- We will continue working with homophones ( words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings). Ex. except, accept - Comparing fractions, mixed numbers, improper fractions and decimals -Test will be next week, I hope! -Students will have a project to show what they learned about the colonies. -We will discuss as a class what that may be
 * This week we will be continuing our reading of mysteries. The students have "Detective" notebooks to keep track of their reading, vocabulary, summaries, predictions and questions.We will make a puzzle of their favorite setting from the book. Students will be writing clues for their group to follow, in order to find the puzzle pieces. After finding the pieces, they will put the puzzle together, to save as a souvenir of their reading.
 * In Spelling we will be concentrating on changing a base word by adding prefixes.
 * Math- continue adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators
 * Social Studies- Study the 13 original colonies; New England, Middle and Southern