Week of 1/5/09 - 1/9/09

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 1/5/09 - 1/9/09 IN MRS. BELL'S CLASSROOM

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

Spelling - Lesson 15 - Words that end in "ery"
The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 1/9. "Words to Know" are knew-might & the vocabulary word is exemplary. Menu work is also due on 1/9.

Reading - Self Questioning

We will be spending time doing ISAT preparation by looking at word selection, author's point of view, and figurative language such as metaphors, personification & alliteration.

"Bite into a Good Book" Independent Reading Program

I hope that students will spend at least 20 minutes every day during break reading a book. The deadline for reaching the second trimester goal is 2/27/09.

Language Arts - Expository Writing

We will be taking a break from the grammar & parts of speech to begin our unit on expository writing. This week we will study the components of a good paragraph, and practice writing them!

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Perimeter, area & volume are our new topics in math. This week we will cover perimeter, estimating and finding exact area, simpler parts and circles. Students will study vocabulary and formulas to assist them in this unit.

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom Class

Social Studies

The French & Indian War is the next lesson that we will cover in Chapter 7. We will also have a TFK that looks at the "Coolest Inventions of 2008".

Science - Earth's Oceans

Lesson 3 of Chapter 12 focuses on how waves, currents and tides. We will be making our own waves in an activity early in the week, and reading and taking notes. The open book ASSESSMENT for this lesson is tentatively scheduled fro Friday, 1/9.

FYI...

Iowa Testing is scheduled for the week of 1/12/09. We hope that students will be well rested during the testing period.

It's hard for me to believe that the holiday break is upon us already! We have had a tremendous start to our year, and I am looking forward to a fabulous finish in 2009!

Happy Holidays to You & Yours!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 12/15/08 - 12/19/08

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 12/15/08-12/19/08 IN MRS. BELL'S CLASSROOM

Mrs. Bell's Reading Class

***Due to the bowling field trip & the all school movie field trip, we will not meet for reading on Tuesday and Friday of this week. ***

Spelling - Holiday Words

This week's list will consist of 15 holiday words, some of which are proper nouns. We will pretest on Monday, and the final test will be on Thursday, 12/18. The "Words to Know" this week are instead-it's, and the vocabulary word of the week is emulate. Daily work is due on Thursday, 12/18.

Reading - Self-Questioning

We will continue our small group study of the stories, "Hurricane Opal" & "White Dragon". This week, students will prepare for ISAT testing by responding to prompts based upon these stories.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

Holiday break is the perfect time to grab a good book & catch up on your reading! I'm hoping that we will have 100% participation in our next fabulous reading party!

Language Arts - Adjectives

We will finish adjectives this week with a look at proper adjectives and reviewing. The TEST on this unit will be on Thursday, 12/18.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

The chapter 7 TEST is scheduled for Monday, 12/15. We will wrap up the week by taking a look at tangrams by sharing the book, Grandfather Tang's Story. After break we will begin chapter 10, "Perimeter, Area & Volume".

Mrs. Bell's Homeroom

Social Studies

Lessons 1 & 2 of Chapter 7 are scheduled for this week. Students will study the colonization of North America by the Spanish, and the exploration of the Mississippi by the French.

Science - Earth's Oceans

The Ocean Floor Projects are due on Monday, 12/15. We will have an OPEN BOOK ASSESSMENT for chapter 12, lesson 1 on Wednesday, 12/17.

FYI...

THANK YOU to all the families who sent in gifts for our holiday service project. Your generosity will be greatly appreciated by the recipients of the gifts!

The fifth grade bowling field trip is Tuesday morning, from 9-11. Students may bring reasonable spending money for snacks.


On Friday, all of PV will be going to the Tivoli to see, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". What a marvelous way to start our holiday break!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 12/8/08 - 12/12/08

HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF 12/8/08 - 12/12/08 IN MRS. BELL'S CLASSROOM

Mrs. Bell’s Reading Class

Spelling - Lesson 14- "More Prefixes & Roots"

The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 12/12. "Words to Know" are here-I'm, and the vocabulary word of the week is elude. Menu work will be collected on 12/12.

Reading - Self Questioning

The new skill that we will begin this week is self questioning. Students will become familiar with text structure and how to use it to better understand what they are reading. We will also continue our preparation for the ISAT extended response by writing a paragraph using the organizer from the story of the Three Little Pigs.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent reading program

The reading celebration for students that met their first trimester goal will be held during lunch/recess on 12/8. I hope that we will have 100% participation for second trimester.

Language Arts - Adjectives

Our new unit in Language arts is adjectives. This week's focus will include identifying adjectives,

articles and demonstratives, comparing with adjectives, and using the words "good" and "bad". Ask your student to sing our new Schoolhouse Rock song, "Unpack Your Adjectives".


Mrs. Bell’s Math Class

We wil be "wrapping up" geometry with a look at symmetry and tessellations. Students will be creating their own tessellation project. The Chapter 7 TEST is tentatively scheduled for the week of 12/15.

Mrs. Bell’s Homeroom Class

Social Studies

The chapter 6 TEST is seheduled for Wednesday, 12/10. We will be reviewing in class on Monday & Tuesday. At the end of the week we will begin chapter 7, lesson 1, "The Spanish Move North".

Science- Earth's Oceans

The study of the ocean's floor will be our topic this week. Students will be creating a visual depiction of the ocean floor after studying its many attibutes.

FYI…

The permission slip & fee for the holiday movie, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" are due on or before 12/12.

THANK YOU to the families who have sent items in for our Holiday Service Project. The deadline for making donations is Wednesday, 12/10.

Enjoy a relaxing weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell