Saturday, February 18, 2012

Newsletter for the week of Feb. 20

Reading: This week in reading, we will work on nonfiction reading using the Time for Kids magazines.  Our skills will focus on: open ended questions, making connections, and working on inferences.  We will work ontest taking skills and go the questions from the story Ready, Set, Flop.  The students will also be writing another extended response.

Book Report: Your book report for February must be a historical fiction. The presentation will be Wednesday, February 29. For this book report the you will create a book quilt, which should be a 3x3 quilt block with each of the squares being about 8x8. You should share something from the book in each of the 9 squares.  Some examples would be: character traits, setting, summary, illustration, conflict, solution, your favorite part, etc.  Make sure all 9 squares are filled in, and you will share your quilt with the class.

Math: In math we started unit 9.  The first two lessons focus on reading and plotting coordinate pairs.  The next lesson will focus on the area of rectangles.  We will also continue to work on the extended response.

Writing: This week in writing the students will continue to work on researching an event in history.  Our prompt is: If you could go back in time and change an event in history what would it be.  The class will make two timelines.  The first showing how history really evolved with all the major events before and after the event.  They will also make a parallel timeline showing how the world might have been different if they could go back in time to change the event.  Imagine if JFK would have lived because you stopped Oswald... what would the next few decades been like?  Would the U.S. have gone to war in Vietnam?  Would RFK have run for president and been killed like his brother?  The final project will include these two timelines showing what the world was like and how it would be different and a written plan explaining how they would actually succeed in stopping the event.  We will also work on using the BIG6 steps for research.  These steps are task definition, information seeking strategies, location and access, use of information, synthesis, and evaluation.

Science: We have finished the digestion unit and our next unit will focus on stars.  This unit will be done after our unit in social studies.

Social Studies: Last week in social studies we focused on the colonial trade routes and cities, towns and farms.  We also learned about slavery in the colonies.  This week we will learn about Frederick Douglass, the North and South growing apart, and Harriet Tubman.

Spelling Unit 20:
discuss     deduct     dismissed     develop     disease     discount    disturb     details    demand
determined    depressed     defense     disappointing     discouraged     disadvantage    
demonstrated     defeat     descent     disappear     disconnect     distract     decision     deliver
distressed     distribute     disable     describe     destroyed     disobey     disassemble     disagreed
discipline     discredit     delete     define     encyclopdeia     investor     interchangeable     reaper
stagecoach

ISAT SCHEDULE:
Tuesday, March 6:  Session 1 for both reading and math
Wednesday, March 7: Session 2 for both reading and math
Thursday, March 8: Session 3 for both reading and math
  
BOX TOPS:
The PTA is always collecting box tops. They can be found on many different products such as: Progresso soups, Kleenex boxes, Suddenly Salad, Hamburger Helper, Tuna Helper, and many more products. Check all of your purchased goods and send in your box tops. This is an easy way for the school to make money to enrich our children at May Watts.

READING INCENTIVE PROGRAM:
To earn the prize, the fifth graders will need to read 400 minutes for this month. The prizes this month will be a ticket to the Kane County Cougars May Watts Night on May 24 & a free personal pizza at Pizza Hut.  The Kane County Cougars ticket includes a free hot dog and drink voucher, tshirt, and an opportunity to run around the bases.

Important Dates:
President's Day - No School Monday, February 20
Parent Teacher Conferences - No School Tuesday, February 21
Spelling Test Wednesday, February 22
Paw Print Redemption Thursday, February 23
Book Report due Wednesday, February 29
Final manuscripts for young authors due on Thursday, March 1

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Homework for Feb. 16

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on Feb. 29

P.E. homework due next week

Field Trip form due on Friday

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Homework for Feb. 15

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on Feb. 29

5B Math - Study Link 7.2

5V Math - Mathboxes

P.E. homework due next week

Field Trip form due on Friday

Book Order due on Friday

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Homework for Feb. 14

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on Feb. 29

Spelling - Test & Contract due on Wednesday

5P Math - Test Wednesday

5B Math - 2 Sheets

Field Trip form due on Friday

Book Order due on Friday

Monday, February 13, 2012

Homework for Feb. 13

Reading - Read 20 minutes, Book Report due on Feb. 29

Spelling - Test & Contract due on Wednesday

5P Math - Study Link 7.11, Study Guide due on Tuesday, Test Wednesday

5B Math - Study Link 7.1

5V Math - Mathboxes 6.10

Field trip note due on Feb. 17