A Look at Log Cabins and Spelling Bee Partcipants

Our 12 Finalists: Avery Reimink,Carly Mollitor, Seth Parrish,Travis Boeskool, Marinus Reister, Niran Liravongsa, Madelynn Jurries, Lexi Kramer, Josh Linkous                                                        Runner-up: Jenna Fynewever and 1st Place Zach Fitzwilliams

 

WEEK OF DECEMBER 9TH-13TH

WEEK OF DECEMBER 9TH-13TH

Monday Dec 16th- log cabins are due

Thursday Dec 19th- Spelling Bee "Preliminaries"

Thursday Dec 19th-Santa's Workshop

Thursday Dec 19th- Science Test 

Friday Dec 20th- Genre Unit Test 

Friday Dec 20th Eloquence Day

HOMEWORK: No Homework except for the usual reading consistently all week- all kids know they should be reading frequently all week, every week!

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FUSION PAGE   Mrs. Blowers Fusion Page
You can find fractions and other math links here as well as spelling, grammar, and sites for reading.

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MATH:
    All students have taken the Place Value Test and will bring them home on Monday- I go over each students test with them so it can take 2 days after the test for me to get through them all. We began dabbling in our next unit; multiplying and dividing fractions. We will spend this week reviewing past concepts and continue in our new unit.
Practice sites will be available under the MATH tab next week. 
 
PLEASE have your kids work on their math facts!! They are able to do XTRAMATH at home on the computer in addition to flashcards and other practice activities. I see many mistakes that are simply math facts.
  
READING
  We are enjoying "Sign of the Beaver". We have been reading this aloud as a class and discussing author techniques, vocabulary in context, using clues and background knowledge to make inferences about the text, and summarizing/retelling sections of the book. The Log cabin Project is due Monday.
 
WRITING:     
 The students are in the process of writing persuasive letters to Santa. We discussed how persuasion is all around us and part of our everyday lives. We read some examples and discussed some techniques. These are due on Wednesday. There should be enough time for these to be completed in class, but it will be homework Tuesday for anyone who needs more time.

SCIENCE:   
We did investigations about the motion of tops as well as electricity as a noncontact force. We will review this coming week for the test which will be on Thursday.

SPELLING:
  Students took the lesson 12 test on Friday. We studied contractions.
Next week's lesson 13 skill is homophones.
If your child wants to play games/ practice tests, go to: Spelling City

WEEK OF December 2nd-6th

WEEK OF December 2nd-6th

REMINDER: THERE IS NO SCHOOL ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10th. 

 Wed., Dec. 11 ... Support Staff Day

Tues., Dec. 17.... Santa’s Workshop 

Thur., Dec. 19 ...Santa’s Workshop
Fri., Dec. 20 ......PTO Popcorn - .25/bag

Fri., Dec. 20 ......5th Grade Eloquence Day

Mon., Dec. 23.... No School –The start of Christmas Break

 Mon., Jan. 6 School Back In Session

HOMEWORK: No Homework except for the usual reading consistently all week- all kids know they should be reading frequently all week, every week!

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FUSION PAGE   Mrs. Blowers Fusion Page
You can find fractions and other math links here as well as spelling, grammar, and sites for reading.

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MATH:  (Practice sites and games for this unit are under the "MATH" tab)
    This week we reviewed Place Value. A few students took the test. Everyone will take the Place Value test Wednesday. Our next unit is multiplying and dividing fractions. It is important that students are able to not only perform the operations, but draw the concepts and look at a picture and write it as an equation. We will review previous fraction skills as well. 
Practice sites will be available under the MATH tab next week. 
 
PLEASE have your kids work on their math facts!! They are able to do XTRAMATH at home on the computer in addition to flashcards and other practice activities.
  
READING
  We began our next genre unit. The theme is "Facing a Challenge". Our central novel is "Sign of the Beaver" which also ties into our history units.  The Log cabin Project is based on this book. 
 
WRITING:   
  Students wrote a short story about their Life in a Snow Globe. They drew a scene from their story in a globe, I am hanging their stories up along with their globes in the hall- so you won't see those until January. But they are REALLY GOOD! We have been reading them aloud. Next we will work on persuasive writing.

SCIENCE:   
We have been discussing contact and non-contact forces. The non-contact forces we have have learned about so far are gravity and magnetism. We performed an investigation where we made a paper clip levitate using a magnetic force. We are also discussing the forces involve in flight: drag, thrust, lift, and weight. Students are designing their own paper airplanes and testing their designs.

SPELLING:
  Students took the lesson 11 test on Friday. We worked on apostrophes as possessives and contractions.
Next week's skill is contractions. List 12 is under the SPELLING tab.

If your child wants to play games/ practice tests, go to: Spelling City

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18 - NOVEMBER 22

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 18 - NOVEMBER 22

Wed., Nov. 27 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Thur., Nov. 28 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Fri., Nov. 29 No School – Thanksgiving Break

HOMEWORK:
Math:   Students have a 2-sided decimal review- 10 problems
Science:  Study the study guide for the quiz
Reading: Study the study guide for the Assessment.

READING HOMEWORK PROJECT DUE DECEMBER  4TH -NOT 1ST
Students have an assignment that is due December 1st. They have received the assignment and instructions to take home. They will use the chapter book they are reading at home/ between home and school to complete a character cube. One of the goals is to be sure kids are reading at home in addition to school.

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FUSION PAGE   Mrs. Blowers Fusion Page
You can find fractions and other math links here as well as spelling, grammar, and sites for reading.

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MATH:  (Practice sites and games for this unit are under the "MATH" tab)

  This week we reviewed previously learned concepts and added in comparing decimals, adding and subtracting decimals, and rounding decimals. 
Just an FYI- our next unit will be multiplying and dividing fractions. We will review previous fraction skills throughout our Place Value unit.
PLEASE have your kids work on their math facts!! They are able to do XTRAMATH at home on the computer in addition to flashcards and other practice activities.
  There are some decimal tutorials under the "MATH" tab. 

READING
  We completed Long Way from Chicago in Book Club. Throughout, we have been working on a various comprehension strategies, discussing story elements, theme, plot, character motive, using text evidence, and vocabulary. Students completed a study guide for the Assessment on Monday.
 
WRITING:   
  Students read their tribe reports to the class. I sent home their graded rubric and your child can show you their comments and report on their Google docs.Friday we began a short story, "My Life in a Snow Globe." After break we will begin a persuasive piece.

SCIENCE:  We played jeopardy to review for the quiz as well as studied in class. Students have a study guide at home to practice for the quiz. The test for this unit will be right before Christmas. 

SPELLING:
  Students took the lesson 10 test on Friday. We worked on prefixes and adjectives this week.
Next week there will be no test as it is only a 2 day week.
If your child wants to play games/ practice tests, go to:
Spelling City 

WEEK OF NOVEMBER 11 - NOVEMBER 15

 Thur., Nov. 21 PTO All School Skating Party 
Wed., Nov. 27 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Thur., Nov. 28 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Fri., Nov. 29 No School – Thanksgiving Break

All School Skating Party
Thursday, November 21
6:00-8:00PM
Cost for Skating Admission - $4.50
Free admission if you are just watching!

HOMEWORK:
Language Arts: Students have a nonfiction piece about bees to read, respond to 5 questions, and write the main idea and 4 facts.

READING HOMEWORK PROJECT DUE DECEMBER 1st
Students have an assignment that is due December 1st. They have received the assignment and instructions to take home. They will use the chapter book they are reading at home/ between home and school to complete a character cube. One of the goals is to be sure kids are reading at home in addition to school.

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FUSION PAGE   Mrs. Blowers Fusion Page

You can find fractions and other math links here as well as spelling, grammar, and sites for reading.

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WGVU VISIT: 

The kids enjoyed their pizza party on Friday! The video taken by WGVU will begin showing after Thanksgiving and will run for 3 weeks during morning and afternoon kids programming. If students want a copy of it in order to see themselves, I will be able to provide that later.        

Extra Recess:

Our class won the extra Power Pops recess this week for the 2nd week in a row! Great job everyone!                                    

PICTURES: If you click under the "PHOTOS" tab above there are some pictures posted there. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MATH:
  This week we began our Place Value unit. We have been learning whole number and decimal place value to the thousandths. Just an FYI- our next unit will be multiplying and dividing fractions. We will review previous fraction skills throughout our Place Value unit.
PLEASE have your kids work on their math facts!! They are able to do XTRAMATH at home on the computer in addition to flashcards and other practice activities.
  There are some decimal tutorials under the "MATH" tab. 

READING
  We will wrap up with Long Way from Chicago in Book Club after which we will be working with no-fiction texts again. I am rotating among groups daily. We are focusing on comprehension strategies such as summarizing as we read, asking questions, using text clues, vocabulary building, and using text support.
 
WRITING:   
  Students are reading their Tribe Reports. Our next writing pieces will be a summary and a persuasive piece which we will begin later this week. 
 
SCIENCE: We reviewed Newton's First Law of motion and added Newton's 2nd Law of Motion performing a couple investigations to prove it. We did the study guide for our 2nd quiz which will be on Friday. We played ZAP! - a popular review game. We review the study guide in class and play jeopardy for review as well. The study guide will come home on Wednesday.
  We continue to talk about ways forces and motion apply to our lives all the time every day! 

SPELLING:
   I will send it home Lesson 10 on Monday The The test will be Friday skill this coming week is PREFIXES. We will also work on past tense and adjectives.
If your child wants to play games/ practice tests, go to:
Spelling City 

Week of November 4 - November 8

Week of November 4 - November 8

UPCOMING DATES: 
Fri.,    Nov, 15 - Pizza Party in Mrs. Blower's class
Thur., Nov. 21 PTO All School Skating Party 
Wed., Nov. 27 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Thur., Nov. 28 No School – Thanksgiving Break
Fri., Nov. 29 No School – Thanksgiving Break


HOMEWORK:
ENGLISH: Pronoun paper for those who did not complete it.
MATH: There is an adding and subtracting decimals page- 5 problems.

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FUSION PAGE   Mrs. Blowers Fusion Page

You can find fractions and other math links here as well as spelling, grammar, and sites for reading.

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PIZZA PARTY FRIDAY!      
This week I found out that I had won the WGVU Cool Teacher Award. Olivia Johnston wrote a paper about why she thought I should receive this and her paper was chosen. Congratulations to Olivia! Thanks to her our whole class gets treated to a pizza party with pop. We will also be videotaped as a class for a brief spot that will air on WGVU around children's programs.    
  I will be sending home a release form for each student which needs to be signed in order to be included in the picture and video. Please have this returned by Friday!                                           

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Outdoor Discovery Center Field trip
Sorry I missed this, but the kids enjoyed their time there and learned more about Native American culture as it ties into our social studies unit.

MATH:
  This week we reviewed concepts from our fraction unit and took the test on Thursday.  Something I continue to notice is that many students are making minor mistakes which cost them points- sometimes enough to make a difference between a '2' and a '3'. In Middle School mistakes like this can be the difference between a A and a C because the scoring is tighter. Mistakes were in subtraction, multiplication, and division facts particularly but also mistakes caused by not showing work and doing it only in their heads. 
   Students who showed they knew the material but made these little mistakes were given their tests back to fix for full points. They were also allowed to try to fix others where they didn't show work etc.  Each student goes over his/her test with me to discuss material they missed and we will continue work on these concepts.

READING
  We continue reading Long Way from Chicago in Book Club. I am rotating among groups daily. We are focusing on comprehension strategies such as summarizing as we read, asking questions, using text clues, vocabulary building, and using text support.
 
WRITING:   
  We are finishing up Tribe Reports. Our next writing pieces will be a summary and a fun persuasive piece which I will describe when we get to it!

SCIENCE: We are talking about Newton's First Law of motion: An object at rest stays at rest iunless acted upon by an outside force and remains in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an outside force. We have done some investigations for this. We also watched an NFL video clip with Lester Holt and players showing and describing how Newton's Law applies to football. Another fun one was watching a cannon-sized slingshot using a steel ball and a shot put to shoot at an old car. Students were asked to apply Newton's Law to this including velocity and inertia.
  We continue to talk about ways forces and motion apply to our lives all the time every day! 

SPELLING:
   I will send it home Lesson 9 on Monday and I remembered to place it under the Spelling tab this time. The The test will be Friday.
We have been working on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person pronouns and this coing week we will work on past tense and adjectives.
If your child wants to play games/ practice tests, go to:
Spelling City 

Week of October 28 - November 1

Week of October 28 - November 1

Tues., November 5th.........ODC Field Trip- $4.50
Wed., Nov. 6...................... Picture Retakes
Fri., Nov. 8......................... Release Time

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FUSION PAGE   Mrs. Blowers Fusion Page

You can find fractions and other math links here as well as spelling, grammar, and sites for reading.

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ODC Field Trip: 
Tuesday is our first field trip of the year. I will send a text alert as a reminder on Monday.


PUMPKIN DAY
Thank you to Mrs. Theodore, Mrs. Heavilin, Mrs. Moore, and Mrs. Pashak for coming in to help us with this activity. I will have some pictures in the "PHOTOS" section of this blog by Monday night.
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MATH:
  This week we reviewed concepts from our fraction unit. The test will be on Thursday. We will begin our Place Value unit this Wednesday.

READING
  We continue reading Long Way from Chicago in Book Club. I am rotating among groups daily. We are focusing on comprehension strategies, vocabulary building, and using text support.
 
WRITING:   
  Everyone completed their Halloween stories. One of our
focuses for this piece was using onomatopeias- sound words
such as "Whoosh!" Many students sat in the author's chair and read us their fabulous stories!

SCIENCE: We have been discussing simple machines- they make work easier by changing the amount of force needed. We engaged in investigations and discussions about the various simple machines.

SPELLING:
  Click on the "SPELLING" tab to see the Lesson 8 spelling list. I will send it home on Monday. The The test will be Friday. The spelling skill is the various spellings of the sound /s/.
We have been working on parts of speech such as nouns and verbs.
If your child wants to play games/ practice tests, go to:
Spelling City