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!

Happy Fall Break!

It’s been a great short week here in 5^th grade. With such a short week there isn’t a whole lot to report but here are a few things to note:

Beginning Monday we will begin mixing up language arts with Mrs. French’s students just as we have been with math. As I’ve said before it’s worked out well in math and we are excited to see everyone progress in language arts that is more geared to their level of instruction.

All students have wrapped up multiplication and are on to division in math. In science Mrs. French is helping everyone with the scientific method to help expedite their science fair project idea. They should have turned in their project proposals by now, if not be sure to turn it in on Monday! This coming week is Red Ribbon week.

The week’s activities are as follows:

·      Monday: Craziest hairdo and most outrageous socks!

·      Tuesday: Wear clothes that represent your favorite team or sport!

·      Wednesday: Wear your most interesting hat!

·      Thursday: Wear your bobcat shirt to show school pride!

·      Friday: No school!

Finally, please remember to schedule a time for parent teacher conferences on either November 2^nd or 3^rd.  I look forward to meeting with each of you! Thank you again for all you do and for allowing me to work with your wonderful children!

Have a great fall break!

Recess

We are having some real issues in 5^th grade that are happening on the playground. Mrs. French and I have discussed it and feel some changes need to happen in order to ensure that school and more specifically recess stay a safe and comfortable place for all.  The real purpose of recess is fresh air and exercise and starting today and for this coming week that is what recess will be. Mrs. French and I will walk with the students around the field for recess. This way they still get fresh air and some time to walk around and stretch their legs but we will be able to monitor everyone at once. We understand this is not ideal but feel that this proactive approach  will keep everyone safe and comfortable. We hope this will solve some of the problems that have been happening. We did it today and it went quite well!  

Week of Oct. 10

We’ve had a fun and exciting week here in 5^th grade! Monday we wrapped up our explorer unit by completing maps of all kinds, as well as our science unit by a visit from Discovery Gateway for their “Reaction Time” presentation. Tuesday was our full day at BizTown and the students were fantastic! They were mature responsible adults for the day and successfully ran a business; I am so proud of all of their hard work!

Wednesday we jumped back into schoolwork, these are some highlights of what’s happening and coming up:

Science: By now you should have a parent packet as well as a student packet. This coming Wednesday they have a project proposal for their science fair project due.  We made this due date this early so we will have a chance to discuss any ideas during parent teacher conference. Please continue to check future deadlines!

Language Arts—Because this week was cut bit a short (due to explorer day and BizTown) and next week is a short week we have decided to give everyone the same spelling words and will give the test on Wednesday. We are starting in our reading texts and after UEA we will begin mixing students with Mrs. French’s class in order to give everyone the appropriate level of instruction and necessary support. It’s been working well in math and we feel will be of benefit for language arts as well.

Social Studies—We’ve started our unit on early colonial America. We plan on being up to the Revolutionary war by Thanksgiving

What you can be doing:

·      Practice, practice, practice those math facts! It’s only going to make math easier!

·      Help your child read for a minimum for 20 minutes a day then make sure their reading logs get turned in; on average I’m only getting about half of them per week and I’m sure we have more readers than that!

·      Please remember to schedule a time for parent teacher conferences online! I sent a note home this week with instructions on how to do so, if you are having problems accessing it, please let me know. I look forward to meeting with each of you.

Finally, UEA fall break is on Thursday and Friday of this coming week. That makes Wednesday the 19^th an early out day (1:15pm). Thanks for all your support!

October 7, 2011

What a busy week and an even busier one up ahead! On Monday we have Discovery Gateway coming for “Reaction Time” where they will have some great science demonstrations for 5th grade; it’s going to be a lot of fun! That afternoon we will wrap up our explorer unit with explorer day! We will be completing a lot of fun mapping activities! Be sure to ask your students how their day was.

Tuesday is the big day…BizTown! We will leave right at 8:30am so please don’t be late that day. Every child will need to bring a lunch from home; if that is a problem for whatever reason, please let me know, we want to make sure everyone is taken care of. We will return at approximately 2:30 pm. Because students are running businesses we are encouraging them to dress professionally, to make it as real as possible. There is no need to buy anything new, just whatever nice clothes they have will make the day that much more real and fun. We are so excited!

In math we have switched things up a bit. We have swapped with Mrs. French’s class, so I have half her students and she has half of mine. We did this in order to give the best possible instructions at the individual student’s level. So far it is working out great and the students love it. Our plan is to do the same for language arts as well.

This coming week is also picture day; your child should have brought home a flyer about it today.

Everyone did a great job on their explorer in a box project, they were so much fun to present.  I will be getting feedback to the students by next week.

Thank you for all your support and hard work! We are in for another great and exciting week in 5^th grade!

This week has flown by, I can’t believe it’s Friday again already! With the close of another week the students have finished up their explorer in a box project and will present them to the class on Monday. They are looking good and the students are quite the experts on their particular explorer!

I am sending home math tests today for chapter 2. We will be moving on to chapter 3 this week, which covers multiplication.  I am also sending home their chapter 3 social studies test. We have been covering chapter 4 and will take the test next Friday. Also next week look for a parent information packet about our 5^th grade science fair.

BizTown is right around the corner and we will be spending quite a bit of time next week making sure everyone is prepared. The students are learning how to keep a check register as well as how to write checks. We are getting excited for the big day! Thank you to those who have volunteered and those who were willing! For those who did you should have received a letter with some instructions on training and specifics for the field trip. If not, please let me know.

A big focus I’ve had this week in class was teamwork. I know that if we can start to look out for those in our class and really rely on and help one another we can have an even more successful year than we already are! Thanks for all your hard work; I am looking forward to another great week!

-Ms. Stanger