Happy Winter Break!

I'm hoping everyone is enjoying the start to their winter break! I want to thank everyone for the sweet and thoughtful gifts I received- I am one lucky teacher! I also want to thank Mrs. Gassel and Mrs. Schnittker for putting together the kids' winter party on Friday! Everyone had so much fun and the cookie cake was adorable! (See pictures below!) Thank you to all the parents who contributed to the winter party goodies and for attending the party! Lastly, thank you to Mr. Johnson for putting together the awesome slide show the kids got to watch during the party- they LOVED it (and so did I)! We have such a special and fun group of kids and I am so very thankful for each and every one of them!

Here are pictures from Friday and also pictures of them reading holiday books with their 2nd grade buddies! Enjoy!

We did our very own version of the "white elephant" tradition!

It was so nice of the kids to secretly make a sign for me for the reindeer relay!

A big thank you to Ella for making a rainbow loom of each student's letter of their first name. We missed you and hope you are feeling better!!!

Caroling!

Google Drive

In writing we wrote on google drive. Mrs.Schaefer helped us when we shared our writing with her on google.

 

This Week in Room 33! Dec. 16-20

Here's what to expect this LAST week of 2013!

Math- Our ch. 20-21 test is on Thursday! Students can study using their notebooks, homework sheets, and/or textbook.

Science- We are researching in class this week for our PRISM projects. We are researching background information that may help us form a hypothesis. For example, if I were doing my project on which paper towel brand will absorb the most, I would research Bounty paper towels, Viva paper towels, and Sparkle paper towels. I would also define the word absorb using a dictionary website.
When we come back from break, our first weekly check will be on Friday, Jan. 10. Please see the below timeline for when each part is due to be checked by me.

Reading- Literature circles will meet this Wednesday. It is our LAST meeting! We will start new literature circles after break. Students should be planning what they will be reading independently over break. For me, my FAVORITE time to read is when I have some time off from school/work! :)

Writing- We will be publishing our final research report this week using the Google drive. ALL students have access to their own google accounts and can see their work from any computer with Internet! These informational books will be due Thursday for our writer's celebration!

Reminders:

• Tomorrow (Tuesday), 5th grade will be going on their caroling field trip! Please wear holiday colors! A pizza lunch will be provided. Students should bring a drink.
• Our winter party is this Friday at 2:00. Hope to see you there!!!

Have a WONDERFUL holiday break! Enjoy your time with family and friends! :)

Transformation project!

Today we learned about transformations! They are....... Translation, Reflection, and rotation. We also made a transformation project. First we got into groups, the we picked a Christmas object, and then we decided which person did which transformation. And they all turned out great.!

Tonight's Math Video on Quadrilaterals!

What is a text feature you are adding to your writing?

CLICK HERE TO RESPOND!
Don't put any spaces in between words! for example- boldwords

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

CLICK HERE TO RESPOND!

This Week in Room 33! Dec. 9-13

I hope everyone enjoyed their snow day and weekend! 

Here's what to expect this week in 5th grade:

Math- We are completing our geometry unit this week working with polygons, regular polygons, congruent & similar figures, symmetric figures (line & rotational symmetry), types of triangles and quadrilaterals, transformations, and solid 3-dimensional figures! Whew! We are busy in math! Stay tuned for pictures of our work this week!

Our Unit 7 test on geometry (chapters 20-21) will be next Thurs., 12/19.

Science- We are continuing our unit on plants and animals specifically discussing the classes of animal vertebrates and invertebrates. PRISM proposal sheets are due this Tuesday. We will be researching in class next week for our PRISM projects! A timeline will be handed out to students with due dates for each part of the project later this week.

Reading- We are continuing to apply the reading skill of cause and effect in addition to sequencing. Literature circles will meet this Thursday. Please check with your student to make sure they are reading at least 20 minutes a night! Check out  THIS article for some ways to encourage reading at home. I especially love #s 5, 7, 11, and 13! :)

Writing- We are in the midst of writing our 2nd research report! Ask your student what his/her topic and subtopics are. Our research should be completed by Tuesday so we can work on drafting and revising for the remainder of the week. We will be using mentor texts to get inspiration on how to make our writing EVEN BETTER! We are finding a structure that encourages more creativity, adding text features, and citing our sources in a bibliography. We will be publishing next week and celebrating before winter break! Check out THIS POST to see the checklist we are using in class.

Spelling tests are this Friday.

Reminders:

*Early dismissal is this Wed. 12/11!

*Our caroling field trip is next Tuesday, 12/17

*Our winter party is next Friday, 12/20 at 2:00

*No School 12/23-1/3- Winter Break!

Information Writing Checklist

Below is the checklist we are using to assess student's information writing. Students have seen and interacted with this checklist since the start of our research report unit. We have used it to reflect on our writing and make goals for this 2nd piece. Ask your student what their goal is and if they are working to achieve it on their 2nd research report. Click on the arrow on top left corner to minimize the left margin and show the whole checklist.

Tonight's Math Video!

Tomorrow we will be using a tool called a PROTRACTOR to measure angles! Tonight's homework is to watch this video as a preview! What are some tips you learned from the video on how to use a protractor?

Popping to classrooms to celebrate our writing!

Today we popped into classrooms to read each other's writing. We ate pop corn while reading and posting comments about it. I wish we can do it again with another class it was really fun!

Bye

Classifying Living Things Power Point

Chap2 classifying living things from Nicole Schaefer

This Week in Room 33! Dec. 2-6

What to expect this week in 5th grade:

Math- Our chapter 12 and 13 test will be on Tuesday! Students can study with the review video and other videos on the blog, the homework sheets in their binder, and the online textbook or the one they keep at home. We will be starting geometry (chapter 20-21) on Wednesday! 

Science- We are beginning a new chapter on plants and animals this week! We will learn how scientists classify organisms.

It's also time to start thinking about PRISM! Investigation Proposal Sheets will be due Tuesday, Dec. 10. These will go home with students tomorrow (Tuesday).

Reading- Our reading focus this week will be on cause and effect. We will be reading a mentor text called A River Ran Wild which will connect nicely with our writing research reports on Native Americans! Literature Circles are on Wednesday.

Writing- We will be celebrating our first Native American research report on Tuesday! This means our clean draft should be completed by Tuesday. (LEAP students can work on it during morning work if necessary.) We will begin our 2nd research report on Wednesday! This time, students will choose a more specific topic that they are interested in within the broad topic of Native Americans (i.e. Sequoyah, the Cherokee, etc.)

New words will be handed out this week. Our next words test and words contract due date will be Friday, Dec. 13.

Reminders:

*Don't forget to pick up your cookie dough THIS Wednesday, Dec. 4th from 3:30-6:30 in the gym. They MUST be picked up at this time!

*Book Fair is this week! Our preview day is Wednesday and our buy day is Friday! 

*The PTG Winter Festival is this Saturday from 9-12.

*Winter Musicals for Kindergarten, 2nd grade, 4th grade, and choir are this Sunday at the LHS auditorium!