Better late than never!

Sorry it’s late getting these words up but here are the spelling words for this week:

 Mrs. French’s class: somebody, himself, everything, anyone, without, inside, something, itself, everyone, outside, anything, beside, sometime, yourself, throughout, sideways, herself, somewhere, nothing, somehow, someone, myself, themselves

Ms. Stanger’s Class:

Frighten, capitalize, classify, civilize, straighten, analyze, diversify, symbolize, dampen, sweeten, falsify, idolize, visualize, lengthen, beautify, simplify, energize, purify, harmonize, forbidden, memorize, summarize, apologize, mistaken

Spelling tests will take place Thursday because of the many holiday activities that are planned for Friday.

Thanks to the 5^th graders generosity and hard work they have collected over 150 pounds of food to donate to the Utah Food Bank and have earned 30 extra minutes of recess on Friday! We also have our school holiday sing-a-long that day as well. The kids are also so close to earning a class party with a movie and popcorn that day too; in a nutshell it should be a great fun filled day!

I hope you have had a great week. Here are a few updates from class…

·      A note went home with updated information on our president’s wax museum. The date has been changed to January 13, 2012. All of the requirements are also listed on the note as well. If you have any questions please feel free to ask,

·      Science fair is the first week of February so you should be into your experiments. Remember to keep track of everything you do for the presentation part.

·      Some of you have mentioned our state fair. That will not be until the spring (after science fair) so we will give out more information later on as to not overwhelm everyone.

In light of the bullying and respect issues that have been going on this year, 5^th grade had a visit from the school district today to discuss tolerance and respect.  I think a lot was taken from it not only about consequences of bullying (in all forms) but also how choices affect those around us and their safety. We hope to see a great improvement in our level of respect for each other.

Have a fabulous weekend and I look forward to our last week of school in 2011!

Hello Everyone!

 

Here are a few reminders from 5^th grade…

This coming week my math class will be taking all the timed tests (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). Please, please, please, be practicing at home, I would love to see the majority of the class (if not at all) passed off before we leave for break.

You should be plugging along on science fair. Don’t forget to be documenting everything! This will make putting your display board together that much easier.

Spelling words for Mrs. French’s class this coming week:

Bookcase, lighthouse, snowman, headache, downhill, headphones, downstairs, headfirst, bookmark, snowflake, downtown, daylight, flashlight, bookwork, downpour, snowstorm, headlight, cookbook, scrapbook, sunlight, countdown, snowplow, headstrong, lightweight

Ms. Stanger’s class: delightful, dangerous, envious, humorous, successful, poisonous, studious, rebellious, wasteful, stressful, mountainous, famous, vigorous, wonderful, nervous, glorious, marvelous, shameful, cheerful, scandalous, furious, boastful, outrageous, beautiful

 Finally, the 5^th and 6^th grade classes will be collecting food (non-perishable) for the Utah food bank. Any class that collects 150 lbs. by Dec. 15 will earn 30 extra minutes of recess that Friday before break. It’s a great incentive to remember what really matters this holiday season J Have a fantastic weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

With only a day and a half this week there isn’t much to update you on, however, over Thanksgiving break their only assignment is to keep reading! I also must correct myself and apologize for the misinformation given when I said the read-a-thon was to be Nov 29, we actually did it today! It was a blast; we “buddy read” with second graders, I read some of my favorites and they had time to silent read some of their favorites…a great way to show gratitude for books!

I still need a volunteer for this coming Tuesday, the 29^th (for sure this time!) for a Meet the Master’s volunteer, if you can, please let me know ASAP.

This season I am thankful to be a 5^th grade teacher at Butler and especially thankful to have such a wonderful class. Enjoy the break!

This week...

We had a great week in 5^th grade, here is what is happening!

Language arts-- At this point quite a few of the students are reading above grade level and I would highly suggest that they start reading books that challenge them. For example, we all know and love Junie B. Jones books but it’s not challenging enough for kids who are reading far above their grade level! There is a great list at public libraries for recommended 5^th grade books.

As a class we only had 50% of everyone turn in their Road To Success reading logs this past week…I know we can do better this week!

Spelling words for this week:

Mrs. French’s class-wife, wives, sheep, foot, lives, leaf, mouse, wolves, knives, tooth, feet, women, geese, loaves, mice, knife, deer, loaf, leaves, woman, life, goose, wolf, teeth

Ms. Stanger’s class-active, safety, novelty, specialty, casual, humid, certain, minority, activity, festive, tranquil, novel, royalty, minor, casualty, sensitivity, safe, special, festivity, royal, tranquility, humidity, sensitive, certainty

Math- I can’t stress enough how important it is to know math facts at this point. As a reminder if you haven’t passed off math facts that is homework every night! (Even if you have it is still good practice!)

Science fair—You are on your own for science fair at this point. If you have specific questions about your project please contact me. We are no longer having you turn in pieces of the science fair packet but continue to use it as a guideline.

We are still going out to recess everyday, please remember to wear proper winter gear!

Finally, on November 29 at 1:00pm we will be doing out monthly Meet The Master’s art project. However, this one is a bit more involved and I am asking for one parent volunteer to come in and be able to help. If you could email me and let me know I would appreciate it.  I know there are several of you who have offered to help and will definitely be on the lookout for more needed volunteers in the future. (My previous post also has some ideas for classroom volunteers as well.)

Thank you for all your support and for allowing me to work with such wonderful 5^th graders!

November 7, 2011

Sorry I am late in getting this up but here are some 5^th grade updates!

First off, thank you for a great set of parent teacher conferences! It was wonderful to meet with all of you!

Language Arts--Here are spelling words for the week

Ms. Stanger’s class: imaginary, bravery, category, stationery, library, machinery, lavatory, stationary, mystery, inventory, military, ordinary, scenery, dormitory, victory, history, necessary, century, delivery, February, directory, secretary, January, grocery

Mrs. French’s class: thrown, stole, clue, dew, choose, rule, boast, cruise, stroll, route, mood, loaf, growth, youth, slope, bruise, loose, rude, flow, flute

(The test for both classes will be on Friday!)

Math: I am seeing some great progress in math but the more you practice at home the easier it will get. From here on out we will start to build on what we know so knowing those math facts is crucial!  For those in Ms. Stanger’s class we will have our chapter 4 test on Friday.

 Science: At this time we are moving forward in science, which means you are now on your own for science fair projects. Of course, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me!

Just a friendly reminder…it’s getting colder outside, please remember to wear a coat to school, we are still going out to recess everyday!

Finally, several of you mentioned that you would be willing to volunteer in class, which I am thrilled about! There are a few times that would be helpful but if you have a specific skill or talent you would like to share please let me know!

1. Teaching an art class other than Meet the Masters (Tuesdays at 1)
2. Teaching a PE lesson (Thursday at 1)
3.  Teaching a music lesson (also Tuesday at 1)

Thank you for all you do!

October 27, 2011

Hope you are all having a fabulous week and enjoying the fall weather! Here are a few updates from 5^th grade:

·      Language arts: We have begun to mix it up between the two fifth grade classes and things are going great. This has been a great benefit for the students because they are able to receive instructions at a pacing that is more geared toward their level.  I know great progress will be made!

·      Math: We are still working on our division skills. It is a tricky concept for some so remember to be practicing those math facts at home.

·      Science: My previous post was all about the science fair projects so I encourage you to look at that. If you have questions please feel free to email me or we can discuss it at parent teacher conferences. Speaking of…

Parent teacher conferences are this coming week already! I sent home a reminder note with your child today so be looking for that. I look forward to meeting with each of you. Please remember the time slots are only 15 minutes; if you feel you need longer we can always schedule an additional time.

Halloween is already here! We will have the Halloween carnival on Monday and students are welcome to wear their costumes. However, no masks or weapons of any kind are allowed; we want to keep school a safe place for all!

Finally, some exciting news! As most of you heard when school started I was with Butler as a long-term substitute. As of this week I am officially a full-time teacher here and I couldn’t be more excited and am especially thrilled I get to stay with these fabulous 5^th graders! Have a great weekend!

Science Fair Help

In science yesterday we went through the proposals.  Just a couple of things to think about as you look at the changes that were made.

1. Our goal is to have the questions worded in such a way that there is a clear, measurable outcome.

For example: Which paper towel is best?  Best needs to be defined by some quantifiable measure ie. ability to absorb water, strength, or durability.  Then you need to decide what factor you are judging the paper towels on ie. cost, thickness, brand.  This question would then be reworded, What brand of paper towels absorbs the most water?  We need to avoid questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no".

2. Once you have a focus, you need to look at different sources for information related to paper towels, water absorbency, etc.  Students need to find out as much as they can then write a brief research paper explaining the science behind the project.

3. The wording of the question leads naturally into the hypothesis; I think that Brawny paper towels will absorb the most water.

4.  From this point you begin experimenting by changing only the brand of the paper towel.  Each test must be repeated several times and all tests must be documented in word and picture.

My goal is to keep this as basic as possible so that students become comfortable with the scientific method and they have a successful experience.

Some things to remember, we can't do projects that expose any living creatures (including humans) to pain, danger, or suffering!

Make sure that you are keeping a file, notebook, or folder documenting everything you do.  Pictures are a big help when you go to put your display board together. Good Luck!