Week of 6/2/08 - 6/6/08

Highlights for the week of 6/2/08 - 6/6/08

We will be "wrapping up" loose ends this week. Reading comprehension games will be the activity in reading, and math students will be creating a memory book. Students will be writing letters to next year's fifth graders and reflecting upon the amazing year that we have shared.


A note from the PV office...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 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 in November and orders were due by Monday, December 3, 2007.

I always get sentimental as I write my last words of the year. What an extraordinary year it has been! We began the year taking off with Flight & Rocketry in science, traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to new lands in Social Studies and enjoying the escapades of the Kid in the Red Jacket. Yoshi became the center of our lives in October, and continued to entertain our class for the rest of the year! We continued our journey by studying reading strategies through interesting novels, experiencing the “Shot Heard Round the World”, and singing the Preamble at the top of our lungs! This spring, we traveled west with the 49ers, measured wind speed with homemade anemometers, and met a new friend, Rufus Xavier Sasparilla.

Along the way, we have had plenty of laughs, a few tears, and a lot of fun together. I have been so pleased and privileged to witness the growth of your children. They are an amazing group, each talented and special in his/her own way!

I have often heard the expression, “To Teach is to Touch a Life Forever”. I hope that in some small way, I have been able to touch your child’s life, and that he/she will be able to look back on this year with fond memories of Fifth Grade. I would like to amend that familiar phrase to say, “To Teach is to Have Your Life Touched Forever”. My life has been enriched by knowing and working with your wonderful children and each one has a special place in my heart. I wish them all the best in their years at Lakeview and beyond.

HAPPY SUMMER!

MRS. KAREN BELL & YOSHI

Week of 5/26/08 - 5/30/08

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 5/26/08 – 5/30/08


SPELLING – Lesson 33 – The Letter “y” in Words

This week's final test is on 5/30 and will consist of 15 words from this week's list, and 5 words from last week's list. Checklist work is due on 5/30.


READING

We will be wrapping up our study of Night of the Twisters by watching the movie. Students will be asked to complete a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the novel and the movie. We will also be playing board games that focus on the reading skills of inferring, finding the main idea, determining cause and effect, fact or opinion and using context clues.
(from www.google.com)



“Bite into a Good Book” Program
Folders were collected for assessment on 5/23. Students who achieved their goal will participate in a reading celebration on May 28th.



LANGUAGE ARTS
Adverbs and prepositions are on the docket this week. We will focus on comparing with adverbs, using negatives and how prepositions are used. If you walk by our class this week, you may hear us singing our new Schoolhouse Rock song, "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly, Get your Adverbs Here".




SOCIAL STUDIES
We continue our study of Chapter 13 – “People Moving West” by taking a look at the settlement of California, including the Gold Rush.



MATH - Mrs. Bell's Class
Proportions will be our topic this week. The last day of math will be Tuesday, 6/3.


FYI

Our field trip to the Robert Crown center will be on Tuesday, 5/27. Please remember to bring a SACK LUNCH on that day.


The Fifth Grade "Farewell Celebration" will be on Friday, 5/30 at 1:15.


Center Cass School District #66 is in the process of implementing an Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) mandate, Response to Intervention (RTI). RTI is an array of procedures that can be used to determine if and how students respond to specific changes in instruction. RTI provides an improved process and structure for school teams in designing, implementing, and evaluating educational interventions.


Please look for the additional information on RTI, which will be included with your child’s end of the year Report Card.


Have a safe & relaxing holiday weekend!


Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/19/08 - 5/23/08

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 5/19/08 - 5/23/08

SPELLING – Lesson 32 - “More Prefix Forms”

The final test on Friday will consist of 15 words from this week's list and 5 from last week's list. Checklist work is due on 5/23.

READING
We will finish the novel, Night of the Twisters. Students will have a comprehension quiz on the novel on Tuesday, 5/20. They will be completing a book project that is due on 5/23.

(from www.google.com)

“Bite into a Good Book” Program
The deadline for reaching reading goals is May 23rd. I will be collecting their reading folders for assessment that day.

LANGUAGE ARTS
The pronoun test wil be on Thursday, 5/22. Adverbs is our next and final unit in English. On Friday, we will have an introduction to the unit.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Chapter 13 - "People Moving West". We will be taking a look at how Texas became a state, and how the pioneers traveled west.

SCIENCE - Weather

We will be studying evaporation and the scientific process at the beginning of the week. On Wednesday, 5/21 there will be a QUIZ on Activities 1-9 in our weather unit.

MATH - Mrs. Bell's Class

Students will be presenting their games to the class. They will also have an opportunity to play and evaluate the games that were designed by their peers. On Friday we will begin taking a loook at rations, proportions & percents.

FYI

Don't miss the open house for fifth grade parents at Lakeview on Monday, 5/19 at 6:30 p.m.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/12/08 - 5/16/08

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 5/12/08 - 5/16/08

SPELLING – Lesson 31 – The Prefix “ex”

The spelling test will consist of 15 words from this week's list and 5 words from last week's list. Checklist work is due on Friday, 5/16.

READING
We will continue our study of the novel, The Night of the Twisters. The book clubs will have their second meeting on 5/12 to discuss chapters 5-8. The third club meeting will be on 5/15 when chapters 9 & 10 will be discussed. During the meetings, students will be evaluated on the their participation and the quality of their discussion sheets.

(from www.google.com)

“Bite into a Good Book” Program
How close is your child to achieving his/her goal? Students must ALWAYS have a silent reading book with them at school!

LANGUAGE ARTS
Pronouns will continue to be our focus this week. We will take a peek at contractions with pronouns, double subjects, and using we & us. The test on this unit will be the week of 5/19.

SOCIAL STUDIES
Chapter 12, Lesson 3 will be covered at the beginning of the week. We will be reviewing for the TEST on Wednesday, and taking the chapter 12 TEST on Thursday, 5/15.

SCIENCE - Weather
Topic for the week: Wind! We will be making our own anemometers which measure the speed of wind. Students will also be reading and discussing a TFK which focuses on a town in Kansas that was destroyed by a tornado, and is rebuilding as a "green" community. Students will have a QUIZ on this TFK on Friday, 5/16. The work related to this week's TFK will be taken for science grades.

MATH - Mrs. Bell's Class

Students will continue to design and create their math games. The games must practice a math concept that we studied this year in class. Final products are due on Friday, 5/16. We will also begin the group presentations on that day.

FYI

All fifth grade students will be visiting Lakeview the afternoon of Monday, 5/12. The visit will include a presentation that portrays a typical day at Lakeview along with a tour of the building.


Tuesday, May 27th is our field trip to the Robert Crown center. Please be sure that your child has a SACK LUNCH that day!

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!
Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/5/08 - 5/9/08

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 5/5/08 - 5/9/08


SPELLING – Lesson 30 – Words spelled with “or”
The final test will consist of 15 words from this week's lesson and 5 from last week's lesson. Checklist work is due on Friday, 5//9.

READING
We are getting to the exciting section of the novel, Night of the Twisters, as the storms approach the town. Students will be discussing chapters 4 this week in book clubs, and preparing to discuss chapters 5-8 during the week of 5/12. Students will be evaluated on their participation during book club meetings, and on the quality of their book club sheets.
(from www.google.com)

“Bite into a Good Book” Program
We are MORE than half way through the trimester. Is your child close to his/her goal? Students must ALWAYS have a silent reading book with them at school!


LANGUAGE ARTS
Using I and Me, and possessive pronouns will be the topics in our study of pronouns this week. Ask you child to sing you our favorite new song, “Rufus Xavier Sarsaparilla”.

SOCIAL STUDIES
We will continue on with lesson 2 of Chapter 12, "A New Revolution". Students will be taking notes on this lesson by creating a book based upon a favorite picture book titled, Fortunately, Unfortunately.


SCIENCE - Weather
Students will study heating and cooling, and take a look at tools that measure wind this week.



MATH - Mrs. Bell's Class
My math class will be taking a break from the textbook to begin working on a games project. Students will be working in small groups to create a game that practices a math concept that we have studied in fifth grade. Ask your child to see the project requirement sheet!

FYI
On Thursday, fifth grade will enjoy the privilege of listening to a presentation by Mr. John Lynn about the travels of Lewis & Clark. Mr. Lynn has actually experienced the trails traveled by these two explorers and will share his observations with our students. This speech coincides with the unit that we have just completed in social studies.

The summer school brochure is available on the district website: http://www.ccsd66.org/.


ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

Mrs. Karen Bell