WEEK OF JUNE 1

5th Grade Celebration - WOW!
The 5th graders had a surprise celebration Thursday. It began with a special assembly featuring the Jessie White Tumblers. The tumbling assembly was absolutely amazing! It was followed by some fun with friends outside, and finally snacks and drinks. At the conclusion of the festivities, each student received a Lakeview Spartans book bag including a congratulatory certificate and "Things To Do" locker magnet. My class and I thank the parents who helped to make the event a success!

Yearbook Details
Yearbooks will be handed out to students on June 5th. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 5th; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have the exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. (Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out on November 13, 2008 and orders were due by December 1, 2008.)

Last Week Reminders
Please check your bookshelves, and maybe even under the beds, for any books that may need to be returned to our classroom library. Also, I seem to be missing one of my bags that I sent home with absent work. If you find any of these items, kindly bring them back to school ASAP!


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - Students will learn how humans affect ecosystems in both positive and negative ways.
• Social Studies - We will read about a new kind of revolution - the changes in industry and inventions that helped poeple meet their needs.

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - No spelling lesson this week.
• English - The students will finish their Mix-N-Match books that review the parts of speech covered throughout the school year.
• Reading - We will finish reading the novel CRASH. We will hold a discussion about the key points of the book and the way the characters changed and developed throughout the story. We will also play a fun game to challenge students to recall important details from the book.

Math Classroom

• Math - We will finish the year off with some data and graphing activities.

Mark Your Calendar:

June 2 - Lakeview Library Summer Reading Info

June 4 - All-School Picnic and Assembly

June 5 - Last Day of School - Report Cards
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WEEK OF MAY 26

Meteorologist Ginger Zee and the 5th Grade
Ginger Zee gave a fantastic presentation for our 5th graders about weather and working as a meteorologist. She will be letting us know when she plans to show the pictures of our 5th graders during her report - watch for more information next week!

Bowling Day Suggestion
The students are encouraged to bring a sack lunch on Friday, May 29th, the 5th graders day to go bowling. Since many students bring money for snacks at the bowling alley, they often fill up and cannot eat all of their lunches. If they bring a lunch from home, they will be able to bring any excess food home again at the end of the day. Thanks in advance!


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - The students will continue to observe our model pond ecosystem in order to note any changes over time. We will also review about primary and secondary succession before learning ways people affect ecosystems.
• Social Studies - We will begin Chapter 12 about our growing nation. The first lesson is about the U.S. turning 50!

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 32 focuses on words with the prefixes im, ob, sub, and ad. There will not be a test on Friday since it is a shortened week.
• English - The students will review the different parts of speech learned throughout the year. They will work again with nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositions as they create a "Mix-N-Match" booklet.
• Reading - We will continue to read the novel CRASH. Ask your student to summarize the chapters read so far, and ask them to describe Crash Coogan and Penn Webb for you. To which character does your child relate best? Why? Remember, it is important to keep up with nightly reading assignments to do well on daily class work!!

Math Classroom

• Math - The students are reviewing about perimeter, area, and volume. We have created a note sheet with the different formulas learned for these measures and how to label them. Students should prepare for a Perimeter, Area, and Volume Test on Thursday, May 28!

Mark Your Calendar:

May 25 - No School (Memorial Day)

May 27 - Robert Crown Field Trip

May 29 - 5th Grade Bowling

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WEEK OF MAY 18

Meteorologist Visit to 5th Grade
The 5th grade students have a special assembly with meteorologist Ginger Zee on Friday, May 22. Students should watch Ginger Zee this Saturday or Sunday on NBC Chicago News from 6-10 a.m., or 5 p.m., or 10 p.m. Be sure to pay attention to the tools she uses and the kind of information she gives about the weather!

Lakeview Visit and Parent Meeting
On Monday, May 18, the 5th graders will visit Lakeview in the afternoon to hear about life at the middle school. The students will also be taken in small groups to tour the building. Hopefully, this will help alleviate any 6th grade jitters the students may have as they look ahead to the next school year. The "Parent Night" for Lakeview is also scheduled Monday at 6:30 p.m. Be sure to attend if you have any questions regarding the "big move" to Lakeview!


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - The students will finish their story boards about a population of animals adapting to some foreign object entering their world. Then students will learn how ecosystems change over time.
• Social Studies - We will review about our earliest presidents, the new land acquired for the United States, and the War of 1812 as we prepare for the Chapter 11 Test on Wednesday, May 20.
  

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 31 focuses on words with the prefix ex.
• English - The students will review prepositions early in the week. Then we will review all about adverbs and prepositions to prepare for the Unit 7 Test scheduled for Thursday, May 21.
• Reading - We will continue reading the novel CRASH. It is important for students to complete nightly reading assignments so that they do well on our daily class activities!
  

Math Classroom

• Math - The students will review lessons 1-7 about area of polygons before learning about volume. The Perimeter, Area, and Volume Test is tentatively scheduled for Friday, May 22.

Mark Your Calendar:

May 18 - 5th Graders Visit Lakeview

May 18 - Lakeview Parent Meeting (LV 6:30 p.m.)

May 22 - Meteorologist Ginger Zee 5th Grade Assembly

May 25 - No School (Memorial Day)

WEEK OF MAY 11

Happy Mother's Day!
I would like to wish all you moms a wonderful Mother's Day. I hope you are able to enjoy some time relaxing with your families.


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - The students will hear a story about the adventures of a prairie-dog population when a tennis ball suddenly enters their underground world. How will the animals adapt to this unusual object in their habitat? Students will discover the answer before creating their own "what if" scenarios with a population of animals.
• Social Studies - We will be discussing the travels of Lewis and Clark as we read more about "Jefferson Looking West."

Language Arts

• Spelling - Lesson 30 focuses on words that end with -or.
• English - The students will learn to use negatives correctly in sentences. Then we will learn about prepositions and prepositional phrases.
• Reading - We introduced the realistic fiction novel, CRASH, to the class. This story will offer some great topics for discussion as we practice the many reading skills addressed throughout the school year. It will be important for your child to complete their nightly reading assignments in order to do well on the daily class activities!

Math Classroom

• Math - The students will relate the perimeter and area of rectangles, use formulas to find the area of triangles and parallelograms, and find the surface area of 3-D figures. Note: Students will be allowed to use calculators for chapter reviews and the test, but homework should be completed using paper and pencil. This will reinforce our work with multiplication of whole numbers and provide some practice of multiplication of decimals!

Mark Your Calendar:

May 11: PV Spring Cadet Band and Choir Concert (LV 7:00 p.m.)

May 12: All-School Assembly about Wellness with Staley the Bear!

May 14: 5th Grade to LV to see "Guys and Dolls" Production

May 18: 5th Grade Visit to Lakeview

May 18: 5th Grade Parent Meeting for Lakeview (LV 6:30 p.m.)

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WEEK OF MAY 4

Healthy Habits
We have discussed the importance of hand washing and other good hygiene habits in the classroom. With the recent concerns about the spread of the flu, we have reminded students to cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing, and encouraged them to make use of the moist towelletes and hand-sanitizer in our classroom before eating snack and/or lunch.


Subject Update:

Science and Social Studies (Homeroom)

• Science - The students have completed their owl pellet dissection. Next, we will begin reading about animal adaptations, competition within a population, and types of symbiosis.
• Social Studies - We are currently reading about George Washington, our nation's first president. During the week ahead, we will also learn about some of the accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson.

Language Arts Block

• Spelling - Lesson 29 focuses on contractions and compound words.
• English - We have just introduced adverbs. Students are learning how to identify them in sentences. As we move ahead, students will learn how to compare with adverbs as well as take a closer look at the difference between adverbs and adjectives.
• Reading - The students will continue to practice making connections to the texts they read. Also, in lieu of an individual book project for May, the students will be reading a realistic fiction novel as a class. We will use the novel to reinforce reading skills learned throughout the year such as understanding vocabulary, predicting, summarizing, and connecting.

Math Classroom

• Math - The students will continue to explore circumference (the perimeter of a circle) early in the week. Then students will complete a "Chapter 23 Homework Review" to show their understanding of perimeter before moving to Chapter 24 about area and volume.

Mark Your Calendar:

May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 11: Band/Choir Spring Concert

May 18: Lakeview Parent Meeting (6:30 p.m.)
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