WEEK OF OCTOBER 3

Farming for Fuels Program
On Thursday from 9:45 - 11:15, our class will be participating in the Farming for Fuels program brought to our school by the DuPage Children's Museum. This program is an inquiry-based learning lab that introduces the concepts connected with creating biofuels and the need to change to alternative energy sources for transportation. The ideas shared during the program will be explored in more detail later this year in Science.

Junior Achievement
Our class will be starting Junior Achievement on Thursday, October 6. Our Junior Achievement volunteer, Mr. Blocker, will be visiting our classroom over the next several weeks to present lessons about creating and running a business. The sessions will teach students different concepts such as supply and demand, use of resources, cost of business, and profit. This program shows students real-world applications of several ideas from Social Studies.

Parent Helper Still Needed
I am still in need of a parent to help with copying for our classroom. Please let me know if you have any interest and we can figure out a day/time that works best. I have one interested parent already who may be able to share a copy time slot!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 6 pretest will be on Monday. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. Both regular and challenge word tests are on Friday.
  
• English - We will start Unit 5 about punctuation and capitalization. The unit begins with a review of how to correctly write the four types of sentences. Then students will learn about proper nouns and adjectives.
  
• Reading - This week, we will focus on story structure and mapping using a variety of texts. We will also work with analogies.
• Science - Students will learn more about food chains and food webs, as well as the energy pyramid. The Chapter 5 Test is scheduled for Friday, October 7!
  
• Social Studies - We will learn about Jamestown, the first successful English colony in North America.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The Chapter 2 Test is scheduled for Monday, October 3! Then we will head into Chapter 3 about decimals.
  

Important Dates:

Oct. 6 - Farming for Fuels Program (9:45 - 11:15 a.m.)

Oct. 6 - Junior Achievement (Session 1)

Oct. 7 - Check Student Progress via ParentConnect

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 26

Parent Helper Still Needed
I am still in need of a parent to help with copying for our classroom. Please let me know if you have any interest and we can figure out a day/time that works best. I have one interested parent already who may be able to share a copy time slot!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - Lesson 5 is a review of the words from Lessons 1-4. There will be a pretest on Monday - 15 words randomly chosen from the previous 4 lessons. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. Both regular and challenge word tests are on Friday. (*Regular test will not necessarily be the same 15 words as the pretest!)
  
• English - We will review all about sentences to prepare for the Unit 1: The Sentence Test on Wednesday, September 28!! Then students will create and illustrate subject-predicate poems.
  
• Reading - Next week, we will continue to target the reading comprehension skill of drawing conclusions (or making inferences) using various texts. The students will take a vocabulary quiz over the words selected from A Boy Called Slow on Tuesday. Students will continue their "word work" by learning the difference between homophones and homonyms and other multi-meaning words.
• Science - Students will learn how energy is passed through an ecosystem.
  
• Social Studies - Chapter 5 tells about the struggle to found colonies in the New World. Students will read about the mysterious "Lost Colony" of Roanoke.
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - The students will learn how to "isolate" a variable in order to solve algebraic equations involving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
  

Important Dates:

Sept. 27 and 29 - Magazine Drive Turn-In Days

Sept. 29 - Picture Day

Sept. 30 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 19

Parent Helper Still Needed
I am still in need of a parent to help with copying for our classroom. I am currently signed up to have a copy parent on Tuesdays from 9-10 a.m. If you would like to volunteer, but this is not a convenient time for you, please contact me and we can look at other days/times still available. Also, two or three parents could share the responsibility if a weekly commitment is not possible with busy schedules!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 4 pretest will be given on Monday. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. All students will be tested over their words on Friday.
• English - We will review about subjects and predicates, learn more about the "implied subject" in imperative sentences, and determine when it is appropriate to use the conjunctions and, but, and or.
  
• Reading - Next week, we will target the important reading comprehension skill of drawing conclusions. The students will use clues from the text along with their own experience or knowledge to draw conclusions as we read a selection in our reading anthology – A Boy Called Slow. Students will also continue their "word work" with roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Science - Students will begin the life science unit about energy and ecosystems. We start with a look at photosynthesis, the process in which plants make food.
  
• Social Studies - Lesson 3 will teach us about life in New Spain and how Spain gained great wealth from the settlement. There is a Chapter 4 Test scheduled for Friday, September 23!!
  
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will start Chapter 2 on Monday. This chapter is an introduction to algebra. Students will be identifying and evaluating algebraic expressions, learning to translate between words and math, and determining whether a number is a solution of an algebraic equation.
  

Important Dates:

Sept. 20, 27, 29 - Magazine Drive Turn-In Days

Sept. 29 - Picture Day

Sept. 30 - Early Dismissal (11:00 a.m.)

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 12

Curriculum Night Tidbits
Thank you to all of the parents who were able to attend 5th Grade Curriculum Night. I really appreciated the opportunity to share a little about myself, the curriculum, and some of our classroom routines and expectations. I look forward to the rest of our year together!

Remembering 9/11
In class, we read a Time for Kids article and watched a video about the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. Students are asked to wear red, white, and blue on Monday, September 12 to pay tribute to those affected by that day.

Magazine Kick-Off
The kick-off for the annual magazine sales fundraiser is on Monday. Please look for the packet of information coming home in backpacks next week!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 3 pretest will be given on Monday. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. All students will be tested over their words on Friday.
• English - We will identify the subjects and predicates of sentences in the week ahead. The subject tells who or what a sentence is about. The predicate tells what is or what happens.
  
• Reading - We will finish up our work with Tall Tales, specifically targeting the skills of story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic details. We will also continue to use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words and begin working with roots, affixes, prefixes, and suffixes. The students will use similes and metaphors as they write a tall tale of their own!
• Science - Students will learn about the steps of the scientific method and how scientists apply them.
  
• Social Studies - The students have learned about Columbus discovering the "New World." Next, the students will learn about the events leading up to Spain establishing a colony in North America.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will use number properties to compute answers mentally, determine when it is appropriate to use mental math, paper and pencil, or a calculator to solve problems, and identify patterns in order to extend them in sequence. The Chapter 1 Test is scheduled for Friday!
  

Important Dates:

Sept 12 - Wear Red, White, and Blue in Respect of 9/11

Sept. 12 - Magazine Sales Kick-Off

WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 6

5th Grade Curriculum Night
Don't forget that 5th Grade Curriculum Night is Tuesday, September 6th at 6:30 p.m. A note regarding the schedule that evening was sent home with your child Friday. Parents will have the opportunity to sign up for homeroom conferences that evening. I look forward to seeing you all there!


Subject Update:

• Spelling - The Lesson 2 pretest will be given on Monday. Based on the pretest, students will be given either the regular or challenge word lists. Homework will be assigned during the week to practice their words. All students will be tested over their words on Friday.
• English - We will continue to learn how a complete sentence must have a subject and a predicate while we identify the four types of sentences: declarative, imperative, interrogative, and exclamatory. We hope to finish typing the poetry we have created.
• Reading - We will continue with Tall Tales. The skills specifically targeted will be identifying story structure and distinguishing between exaggerated and realistic story elements. As a review, we will use our visualization skills and define unknown words using context clues. We will also discuss and practice using similes and metaphors, which can be used to write a tall tale of their own!
• Science - We will review the tools that scientists use and learn about the scientific method.
• Social Studies - The students will read more about the voyages of Columbus, and how his voyages paved the way for other European explorers.
• Mrs. Strong's Math Class - We will learn about exponents before taking our first open-note homework review. Then we will apply the order of operations to solve problems and use number properties to compute answers mentally.

Mark Your Calendar:

Sept. 5 - No School (Labor Day)

Sept. 6 - 5th Grade Curriculum Night (6:30 p.m.)

Sept 12 - Magazine Sales Kick-Off