Monday Oct 27 and Tuesday October 28 .............. Conferences 
Wednesday Oct. 29th..............................................Field Day in afternoon (Rain Make-up Date)
Thursday Oct. 30 and Friday Oct. 31......................NO SCHOOL

 

PINK DAY: We had A LOT of Pink going on! I added a photo in that tab.

 CONFERENCES: Dates are above. Your child is welcome to participate in their conference with us!

FUNDRAISER: Tuesday is the next day to turn in the "tickets" kids have been bringing in.

CLUB TCB: I sent an email about "Taking Care of Business" last week. Responsibility is one of the most important values we can teach our kids. Students who are being responsible for homework and in-class work as well as making appropriate choices in school and on the bus will be able to go to the first Club TCB event. 

  Students are allowed 1 late homework assignment and no more. This is one for ALL classes combined. (same as in 6th-8th grade) If a student is sent to the office, has a bus issue, or has behavior issues that are frequently disruptive in any class, they will not have earned TCB. There are 3 for the year.

  * We have a Homework Hotspot. When there is homework, students come in, put in in the pocket that has their name on it (this way a no-name paper still gets counted!) and it is checked off right away on a clipboard. I then put it in my spreadsheet. I remind them in the morning and it's written on the board.

Orange Friday Folders: Please sign the yellow note in the folder so I know you have seen the notes, work, homework that is in it. Organizational habits now will truly help your child in the future. 

SNACKS: Please send a snack with your child each day. Many students are not bringing one with them and 3-4 hours since breakfast is a long time. I buy snacks for those who forget, so they won't be hungry when that happens.

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*Homework this weekend- This should be in planners and highlighted.
MATH: Lesson 15 both sides for some
                Workbook Pages 41 and 42 (Lesson 2-8) for others.

NOTE: It would be a good idea to have your child practice a couple 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problems a few times each week.

  
Book Project Homework DUE THIS TUESDAY OCTOBER 28th. 

Your child knows there is a new book project for October and there have been repeated reminders  for them and offers of help if needed. This activity was discussed on Friday October 3rd and the the paper sent home Monday October 6th. Students were to be reading a chapter book (can't be nonfiction this time because of the assignment) in order to complete this project. 

NOVEMBER PROJECT will be sent home on Wednesday. Students will have 4 options from which to choose for this book project.

MATH:   Along with review, we have been working on multiplying decimals by powers of 10, comparing and ordering decimals, adding and subtracting decimals and problem-solving. We also began reviewing properties:

Commutative Property (4 + 9 is the same as 9 + 4) 

Associative Property- regrouping numbers in order to make the operation mental math or compute more quickly: Ex: regroup (4 x 9) x 25  to  (4 x 25) x 9

Distributive Property:4 x (9 + 6) = 4 x 9 + 4 x 6

Next week students will round decimals, take quiz 2, and begin test review. The test will be November 6 or 7. I will let you know once I see how we are progressing.

LANGUAGE ARTS 
Students have completed rough drafts and editing/revising of their compare/contrast of the middle school. Once I have conferred with them again they will be completing Final drafts by Wednesday. Students who finish before others may free write or do a project of their choice in an area of their own interest. The goal is to keep students engaged in reading and writing for our entire ELA time. Giving them some choice encourages this.
We have been practicing vocabulary strategies, making inferences, finding information from text, citing evidence to support our responses, and writing thorough responses as a group and in partners. This week students read a nonfiction article on their own and did some activities involving those strategies. Students are also having time to read their own book on their own.

SCIENCE We continued discussion about Newton's First Law of Motion and added in the Second Law of Motion. We watched some videos about this as well as performed investigations and had discussion. There will be a quiz over lessons 5-9 on Wednesday. *Note: If I feel that student need more time, I will move the quiz to the next week.

 

Spelling: We took the skill and proofreading tests Friday. This will come home Monday. Students typically have a lesson, homework page (which often gets completed in class), and a couple other review activities for spelling each week. 

There will be no spelling test this week, only review.

OCTOBER 18TH

CONTACTING ME: My school phone- extension is 413. I am not always in the room to hear it. You can always call my cell: 231-357-4710. 

My email: lblowers@hamiltonschools.us

 
Friday Fun was some free computer time
 

PINK DAY- All of 5th and 6th grade will be having a PINK DAY on Wednesday, October 23rd. We're encouraging everyone to wear some pink! We have a parent bringing in a pink snack (Thanks Amy Boehm!).

CAMP MANITOU-LIN: Dry morning, very wet afternoon! Most students came well-prepared and fortunately it was a warm day. Everyone seemed to love the mid-ropes. Canoeing was fun, and I was so sorry that only 2 of the groups were able to do that activity! :(  I appreciated everyone's positive attitudes and encouragement of others! Photos are in the "PHOTO" tab.

CONFERENCES: If your child did not bring home a form with your date and time, please contact the office. If you need to make a change please contact me by Thursday of this week.

FUNDRAISER: Your students will watch the video about the fundraiser on Monday. Some of the students brought a packet home and some will grab theirs on Monday.

Orange Friday Folders: Please sign the yellow note in the folder so I know you have seen the notes, work, homework that is in it. Organizational habits now will truly help your child in the future.
SNACKS: Please send a snack with your child each day. Many students are not bringing one with them and 3-4 hours since breakfast is a long time!

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*Homework this weekend
MATH: Workbook page Page 29 odds. Page 30 #'s 1 and 3.

NOTE: It would be a good idea to have your child practice a couple 2 digit by 2 digit multiplication problems a few times each week.

  
Book Project Homework DUE OCTOBER 28th. 

Your child knows there is a new book project for October. This activity will be sent home on Monday. I am sharing an example with them. Students are to be reading a chapter book (can't be nonfiction this time because of the assignment) in order to complete this project. 

MATH:    I have tutorials for the Place Value unit in the "MATH" section and will add more if needed.
Your child has seen his/her math test. I am keeping them to go over with you at conferences. We are working in the Place Value Unit at this time. Writing decimal in word form, expanded form, and Expanded Form Powers of 10 is what we have worked on so far. Some students have also worked with comparing decimals and multiplying and dividing decimals by powers of 10 which the whole class will move into this coming week along with adding and subtracting decimals.

LANGUAGE ARTS 

This past week we read a nonfiction article about the Titanic as a class and in pairs. Our focus was inferring vocabulary using context clues, taking facts from the article and making inferences about them, and summarizing sections of text. Students also read another text with a partner and practiced these strategies. We are also working to be able to sustain reading for 15-20 full minutes. In writing we are writing a compare and contrast between elementary and middles school. We are focusing on the structure and content as well as editing and revising work.

SCIENCE  We investigated how to measure force in newtons by pulling a block across varied surfaces and up and down a ramp. We began learning about Newton's First Law of Motion that an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by an outside force. We watched a football video that was developed for this concept and it really helps kids see how this law is in play in our everyday lives. And they got to see some teams and players they like!

 

Spelling: We took the skill and proofreading tests Friday. This will come home Monday. Students typically have a lesson, homework page (which often gets completed in class), and a couple other review activities for spelling each week. Next week's skill is compound words. I also gave a pretest for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. We will begin giving these some focus this week.

OCTOBER 11

CONTACTING ME: My school phone- extension is 413. I am not always in the room to hear it. You can always call my cell - 231-357-4710.

My email: lblowers@hamiltonschools.us
   
REMIND 101:
  It's an easy way to get reminders for tests etc.
ENTER THIS NUMBER: 424-835-7621  
                              Type in: @mrsblow 

Friday Fun last week: A dice game

CAMP MANITOU-LIN: Tuesday, October 14th.

* A note with detailed information went home Tuesday. A reminder and parent volunteer note went home on Friday. 

Thanks to GREYSON BORG for proofreading my incorrect note before it got sent home!

* Be prepared for wet weather. REMEMBER TO SEND AN EXTRA SET OF CLOTHING, SOCKS, AND SHOES PLEASE!

Orange Friday Folders: Please sign the yellow note in the folder so I know you have seen the notes, work, homework that is in it. Organizational habits now will truly help your child in the future.

PLANNERS: I am no longer checking to see if these have been signed. This was something to get your child in the habit of checking their own planner each day. If you write a note in your child's planner, please have them let me know.

SNACKS: Please send a snack with your child each day. Many students are not bringing one with them and 3-4 hours since breakfast is a long time!

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* Homework this weekend

MATH: Lesson 8 Place Value review Odds only (on the back side)

  
  Book Project Homework DUE OCTOBER 28th. 

Your child knows there is a new book project for October. This activity will be sent home on Monday. I am sharing an example with them. Students are to be reading a chapter book (can't be nonfiction this time because of the assignment) in order to complete this project. 

MATH:    

The test will be sent home Wednesday. We will begin the Place Value unit Monday which includes decimal numbers. I will be putting additional video tutorials on the blog as needed.

 
LANGUAGE ARTS 

This past week we read a real life mystery about the ship The Mary Celeste. As we read we practiced asking and writing questions that were in our head to further our reading comprehension. We also wrote down when we found answers in the text to our questions.

We practiced writing a summary of our read aloud book. When we finish that book (Wonder) we will complete the summary and then write a retelling and contrast how these are different. Another story we read was about Ruby Bridges who was a little girl sent to a white school that was being desegregated. Something we are working on a lot is vocabulary. We want to recognize the difference between having seen a word before and truly understanding what it means in the text and then asking questions and using context clues to gain an understanding.

SCIENCE 

In science we reviewed balanced and unbalanced forces by discussing the definition and acting it out in multiple ways. Next we began investigating how to measure force in newtons. We also discussed why we would do this in real life situations. 

Spelling: We took the skill and proofreading tests Friday. This will come home Monday. Students typically have a lesson, homework page (which often gets completed in class), and a couple other review activities for spelling each week. Next week's skill are the homophones there, they're and their.

October 5

CONTACTING ME: My school phone- extension is 413. I am not always in the room to hear it. You can always call my cell - 231-357-4710. 
My email: lblowers@hamiltonschools.us
   
REMIND 101:
  It's an easy way to get reminders for tests etc.
ENTER THIS NUMBER: 424-835-7621  
                              Type in: @mrsblow 

Friday Fun last week: Working in teams to construct the tallest structure that would also support a ping pong ball.

CAMP MANITOU-LIN: Tuesday, October 14th.

* A note with detailed information will go home on Tuesday.

* Forms and $ are due Wednesday, Oct. 8th.

If payment is an issue, you need to contact me soon in order for your child to attend so we can help you out with this.

PLANNERS: I am no longer checking to see if these have been signed. This was something to get your child in the habit of checking their own planner each day. If you write a note in your child's planner, please have them let me know.

SNACKS: Please send a snack with your child each day. many students are not bringing one with them and 3-4 hours since breakfast is a long time!

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* Homework this weekend

MATH: Your child has the math HW written in his/her planner. The entire page is due.

  
  Book Project Homework DUE OCTOBER 28th. 

Your child knows there is a new book project for October. This activity will be sent home on Monday. I am sharing an example with them. Students are to be reading a chapter book (can't be nonfiction this time because of the assignment) in order to complete this project. 

I enjoyed reading and listening to their "Sandwich " book reports!

MATH:
   We are working on the test review for adding and subtracting fractions. The test will be on Thursday. Our next unit is Place Value.

LANGUAGE ARTS 

This past week we continued to practice reading and getting information from informational texts. We are focusing on using text features, how to find answers to different types of questions (right there questions, author and me, on my own...) and how to write a complete and thorough response. 

DAILY 3: We have begun getting into the Daily 3 routine during our ELA time in the morning. Read to Self, Work on Writing, Word Work. (We often include Read to Someone as well.)  I give a bigger lesson or mini-lesson depending upon where we are in the reading or writing assignments. I write down due dates and options on the Daily 3 board. Then students are able to choose how long/which activities they would like to work on each day keeping due dates in mind. I review daily the assignment, when it's due, how long they'll have, etc. We discuss how some may have to do the work for HW if class time isn't used wisely or maybe a student chose to do something extra... Students are to read daily in their chapter book. If everything is complete, students may choose to do a project of their choice (they share this with me and must stay with it over time until finished), free write, continue to read, etc. 

This structure allows students to learn to manage their time, always be working on their goals for reading and writing, and have some choice in what they are doing during the day.

SCIENCE 

Last week we worked on and studied the study guide for the first quiz. We discussed and practiced how to prepare for a quiz/test. I will be giving retakes to students who need to retake on Wednesday. It isn't atypical to have students not perform well on this first quiz. It's their first one and they often need to change the way they study for tests. We began learning about balanced and unbalanced forces. We had some fun arm wrestling to demonstrate this and tug-of-war is next when it's nice enough outside. We will also perform another investigation using balloons.

Spelling: We took the skill and proofreading tests Friday. This will come home Monday. Students typically have a lesson, homework page (which often gets completed in class), and a couple other review activities for spelling each week. Next week's skill is ways to spell the /k/ sound.

SEPTEMBER 27th

CONTACTING ME: My school phone is working now. My extension is 413. I am not always in the room to hear it. You can always call my cell - 231-357-4710. 
My email: lblowers@hamiltonschools.us
   
REMIND 101:
  It's an easy way to get reminders for tests etc.
ENTER THIS NUMBER: 424-835-7621  
                              Type in: @mrsblow 

Reading Buddies: Our Friday Fun Activity this week was Reading Buddies with 8th graders from Mrs. Koval and Mrs. Fuzak's classes. We will be doing this the last Friday of each month. 

Field Day: Next Friday Mr. Sikma and the Fuel Up team have planned a Field day for the last couple hours of the day. Students should dress comfortably and wear tennis shoes!

Spirit Week: 

Monday is College Day, Tuesday is Twin Day, Wednesday is (I can't remember!),Thursday 5th grade wears green, Friday wear Hawkeye gear and or colors. Your child brought home a paper about this. I'll remind them each day. 

  Your child also brought home a note about Homecoming- the parade, the dance, the game.
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* Homework this weekend
There are 2 video tutorials that will help with this weekend's math HW in the MATH TAB.
 1) 3 Ways to find a common denominator
2) subtracting mixed numbers with renaming

MATH:  "HOMEWORK 1-10" ODDS and #'s 10 and 11 word problems. READING an average of 20 minutes per day is also homework throughout the year. 
  Book Project Homework due September 29. You may want to check in with your child about where they are on this. Your child will be reading a chapter book (they may read this at home and school). Monday they will receive the materials for the "Sandwich Book Report". The section on the "Author's Style" could be difficult and your child may choose to leave that part out since we haven't had a lot of time to discuss this at this point.
MATH:
   We continue practice past concepts such as simplifying fractions, equivalent fractions, making a common denominator, and adding and subtracting mixed numbers with renaming.
 
LANGUAGE ARTS  This week we read an article about the mushers risking their lives in 1925 to get diphtheria medicine to Nome, Alaska. We reviewed the purpose and value of  background knowledge and watched a short video prior to reading. We discussed and practiced response to text strategies and students answered quiz and critical thinking questions about the article. We then discussed student responses to the questions and how to write clear, accurate, and thorough responses. FYI-this was not graded. This was an instructional activity where we practice strategies together, I let them off on their own, and then we come back and talk through how we could make each response better and how to find the information.


SCIENCE  We measured out 10 meters and used various methods to get from one end to the other. Students timed every 2 meters and created a data chart. Students then created a graph to compare results. We will be preparing for a quiz that will be on Wednesday or Thursday.

Spelling: We took the skill and proofreading tests today. Next week's skill is silent letters as in "listen".

SEPTEMBER 19

CONTACTING ME: My school phone is working now. My extension is 413. I am not always in the room to hear it. You can always call my cell - 231-357-4710. My email: lblowers@hamiltonschools.us
 
REMIND 101:
  It's an easy way to get reminders for tests etc.
ENTER THIS NUMBER: 424-835-7621  
                              Type in: @mrsblow
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STUDENT COUNCIL: We heard several speeches from candidates in our classroom and they all did so well! Our student council represntatives are Greyson Borg and Brianna Hofman. Congratulations!

 CONSTITUTION DAY: Thank you to Amy Boehm for making the cake forour class and to Rochele Hofman for bringing in plates, forks, and napkins.

Homework:  (THERE ARE 2 TUTORIALS IN THE MATH TAB)
 * Homework this weekend is "HOMEWORK 1-7". The top section is odds only and all word problems. Students know they should show work on another piece of paper.
* READING an average of 20 minutes per day is also homework throughout the year. 
 
Book Project Homework due September 29. You may want to check in with your child about where they are on this. Your child will be reading a chapter book (they may read this at home and school). Monday they will receive the materials for the "Sandwich Book Report". The section on the "Author's Style" could be difficult and your child may choose to leave that part out since we haven't had a lot of time to discuss this at this point.
ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT HOMEWORK: In a nutshell: If your child can't do the HW and a parent can't help (I've been there!) it needs to show an attempt and a note about it must come from a parent in order for the work not to be counted as late. I have talked with the class about this numerous times. I don't want families having stress at night and this is a way I hope helps while still showing responsibility. 
  My HW policy is in the packet that was sent the first day of school.
 
 SNACKS/DRINKS: PLEASE help your child remember a snack every day. They may bring a water bottle.

MATH  Try the Math Tab! This has video tutorials for you and your child with lessons on what we are currently working on as well as concepts that students should know in order to make make the current unit easier to understand. I will continue to add to this.
   We continued to practice past concepts and break it down so we can unerstand now just the how to perform the math operation, but understand the reason and what it looks like in pictures. This week we will add in adding and subtracting mixed numbers with unlike denominators.
   Students took the 6th grade Delta as well (this tests 5th grade concepts).
  Students will be given a list of concepts not passed to put in their goal folders, and we will work on improving their understanding of these concepts.
 
LANGUAGE ARTSWe looked at and discussed text features in nonfiction. We read a nonfiction article and practiced as a class. Students also worked in pairs reading a nonfiction article to search text features and how they help us comprehend nonfiction texts.
 
SCIENCE
  We spent time discussing vocabulary concerning motion and learning about forces. Students worked on an investigation focusing on finding the average speed by measuring our a distance, using various types of motion and timing how long it takes them, and then Dividing the distance by the time to get their speed.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Your child will frequently need to bring their social studies book home in order to complete HW. Mrs. Custer will tell them this when they do the planner in social studies. Then when my class does the planer with me, I have them review with me what Mrs. Custer had them write so they get another opportunity to hear and read it.

Spelling: We will take the Lesson 2 test on Monday.

September 13

This a lengthy blog! This past week we have been getting into more of a routine and this week that will continue. Hope you are having a great weekend!

CONTACTING ME: My school phone is working now. My extension is 413. I am not always in the room to hear it. You can always call my cell - 231-357-3020. My email: lblowers@hamiltonschools.us
 
REMIND 101:
  It's an easy way to get reminders for tests etc.
ENTER THIS NUMBER: 424-835-7621  
                              Type in: @mrsblow

Homework:  
 * Homework this weekend is for those who need to complete a final draft of a paper we worked on. 

* READING an average of 20 minutes per day is also homework throughout the year. 

Book Project Homework: 
Your child will be reading a chapter book (they may read this at home and school). Monday they will receive the materials for the "Sandwich Book Report". This is to be done at home and due September 29th. The section on the "Author's Style" could be difficult and your child may choose to leave that part out since we haven't had a lot of time to discuss this at this point.

ANOTHER NOTE ABOUT HOMEWORK:
In a nutshell: If your child can't do the HW and a parent can't help (I've been there!) it needs to show an attempt and a note about it must come from a parent in order for the work not to be counted as late. I have talked with the class about this numerous times. I don't want families having stress at night and this is a way I hope helps while still showing responsibility. 
  My HW policy is in the packet that was sent the first day of school.

 SNACKS/DRINKS: PLEASE help your child remember a snack every day. They may bring a water bottle.

FUN FRIDAY: Mrs. Custer and I do a Fun Friday activity together each Friday for students who do not lose "4 points" during the week. You have this information in the packet I sent the first day.
We have discussed classroom rules and students understand that they will receive:
*  1 warning, (Most times I give 2 if it's talking since there are so many kids and humans 
        are social!)
* Seat time for the day-no working in hall, our office, couch, etc.
* Loss of 1 Friday fun point
* Email/call home
* Sent to the office

SIT AND SIP: Sit and Sip will be each Friday during Read Aloud. If you don't like your child having pop, kids bring juice pouches, flavored water, Gatorade, etc. No red drinks or energy drinks such as Monster, please.

Students automatically have Sit and Sip UNLESS there is a late HW assignment. The first 9 days I have been giving a grace period to help students remember to write EXACTLY what I write in the planner, to check their planners each night, place HW in the proper place, have 1 place to put their backpacks etc each night, etc.


MATH 
Try the Math Tab! This has video tutorials for you and your child with lessons on what we are currently working on as well as concepts that students should know in order to make make the current unit easier to understand. I will continue to add to this.
   Last week we worked comparing fractions, equivalent fractions, Greatest Common Factor, adding/subtracting mixed numbers with LIKE denominators, and began adding and subtracting fractions with UNLIKE denominators. We have been drawing pictures to show what fractions mean. This week we will continue reviewing past concepts and continue with adding/subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators.
Students took the Delta 5th grade Delta math test last week (tests 4th grade math concepts) and this coming week they will take the 6th grade Delta as well (this tests 5th grade concepts).
  Students will be given a list of concepts not passed to put in their goal folders, and we will work on improving their understanding of these concepts.
 
LANGUAGE ARTS
  We have been using resources from the Comprehension Toolkit to learn/review/practice comprehension strategies using nonfiction text. We have been working whole class and in small groups. Students took the SRI and Dibels tests last week.

SCIENCE
  We spent time discussing vocabulary concerning motion and learning about forces. Students worked on an investigation to see how they could set up barriers to make their marble go as slowly as possible from one end to the other. Groups needed to continually think about forces and variables involved and how they could redesign their barriers to improve upon previous plans.


SOCIAL STUDIES: Your child will frequently need to bring their social studies book home in order to complete HW. Mrs. Custer will tell them this when they do the planner in social studies. Then when my class does the planer with me, I have them review with me what Mrs. Custer had them write so they get another opportunity to hear and read it.