Week of 11/30/09 - 12/4/09

Highlights for the Week of 11/30/09 - 12/4/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling - Lesson 12 - "ous" words

The final test for this lesson will be on THURSDAY, 12/3. "Words to Know" are its-letter. Workbook pages & Master 12B will be collected on Wednesday, 12/2, and contract work is due on 12/3.

Reading - Self -Questioning

We will begin our new strategy with a look at a story titled, "Hurricanes: Weather at Its Wildest". Students will examine the patterns in text to decide how the piece is designed. Small group work will fill out the rest or the week.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

The reading celebration for students who reached their first trimester goal will be on Monday, 11/30 during lunch & recess. Contracts for second trimester need to be signed and returned on 11/30.

English - Nouns

Singular & plural possessive nouns will be our focus this week. The chapter 2 TEST is tentatively scheduled for the week of 12/7.

Social Studies

We continue our study of life in the early colonies with a look at education, religion, leisure activities, and diet. Students will be creating circle books as their note taking tool for this lesson.

Science - Ecosystems and Change

Finishing chapter 6, lesson 1 is our goal this week. There will be an OPEN NOTE/BOOK ASSESSMENT on this lesson on Wednesday, 12/2. Students will begin working on writing their own adaptations storyboard after hearing the tale of The Great Fuzz Frenzy.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

The second QUIZ for chapter 7 will be on Tuesday, 12/1. This quiz will cover lessons 5-8. We will finish the week with a look at congruence and transformations.

FYI...

Report cards will be coming home with your child on Tuesday, 12/1.

I look forward to seeing you at conferences the week of 11/30.

The deadline for the PV Service Project is 12/8.

Yearbook orders are due on by 12/1.

NO SCHOOL on Friday, 12/4.

Happy Holidays!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/23/09 - 11/27/09

Highlights for the Week of 11/23/09 - 11/27/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling

There will be no spelling this week, due to the short week!

Reading - Making Inferences

We will be concluding our study of inferring this week. There will be an assessment on Monday in which students will read independently read a story, then answer questions which will involve making inferences. We will also look at idioms, a type of figurative language. Creating our own class book of idioms and how we interpret them is our project for the rest of the week.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

The reading celebration for students who made their goal will be during lunch & recess time on Monday, 11/30. Students will also be signing new contracts for second trimester

Social Studies - Cities, Towns & Farms

We will be taking a look at how the colonists settled in North America, and the differences between the cities, towns and farms. Ask your child what impact Ben Franklin made on the city of Philadelphia!

Science - Ecosystems and Change

We will begin our new chapter with an activity that focuses on adapatations.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Quadrilaterals & polygons will be the topics this week.

FYI...

Don't forget...Yearbook Orders are due on or before 12/1!

Conference confirmation letters and movie permission slips were due on 11/20.

Our classroom trade fair was a tremendous success! I think that we all had fun while learning about supply & demand. I was amazed with the creativity of the products that were made by the students, and would like to thank all of their parents for supporting them in their efforts as entrepreneurs!

Information about the PV holiday service project will be sent home on 11/20.

It's hard to believe that we have completed the first trimester of school! As I look forward to the Thanksgiving break, I feel so thankful to have the opportunity to work with your wonderful children, and for the supportive environment that their parents provide for our classroom family! Have a happy & relaxing holiday!


Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/16/09 - 11/20/09

Highlights for the Week of 11/16/09 - 11/20/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling - Holiday Words List

Our list this week will contain words associated with Thanksgiving. There will be no "Words to Know" or contract work. Students may still earn the opportunity to skip the final test by scoring 100% on Monday's pretest. Spelling homework will be collected on 11/19.The final test for this list will be on Friday, 11/20.

Reading - Inferring

Our week in reading will begin with an activity in which students write about different situations, and their classmates will make inferences as to what is being descrived. We will also be doing some small group work which will focus on improving our skills in making inferences. Students will read the story of Bronco Charlie or Shellflower and work with others to draw logical conclusions about the character and the stories.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

The deadline for first trimester was 11/13. I am hoping that we will have 100% of the students reached their goal! We will be signing new contracts the week of 11/23.

English - Nouns

Plural nouns will be our focus this week. We will be studying spelling patterns for changing a singular noun into a plural noun.

Social Studies - Trade Fair

The big event in social studies this week is our trade fair on the afternoon of 11/18. Information sheets were sent home on 11/10. Students will be earning a participation grade for this activity, and creating a sign to advertise their products.

Science - Energy and Ecosystems

The chapter 5 TEST is on Wednesday, 11/18. Students should prepare for the test by reviewing their notes, the lesson assessments and the textbook. Don't forget that you may access the textbook online!

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class
We will begin our week with a look at angle relationships. Students will have their first QUIZ in chapter 7 on Wednesday, 11/18. We will spend the rest of the week covering the characteristics of triangles, and how they are classified.

FYI...

From the PV Office...

YEARBOOK: Now's the time to place your orders! Yearbooks are $10.00 and the deadline for your order is Tuesday, December 1, 2009. No orders will be accepted after that date. Please make checks payable to Lifetouch. Please make sure your student's name, teacher's name, and grade level are marked on the order form. If you have multiple students, please fill out one order form for each child.

Yearbook order forms went home with your child on 11/12, and there are a few extra envelopes available; please try not to lose them. If your child loses it, you may send your order in an envelope with the following information written on it: student's name, teacher's name & grade level, along with a check made payable to Lifetouch for $10.00. It is very important that you put the information on the envelope; Lifetouch does not know who your child's teacher is!

PV yearbook orders were not paid at registration!

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 11/9/09 - 11/13/09

Highlights for the Week of 11/9/09 - 11/13/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Lesson 11 - "The Suffix -ly"
The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 11/13. "Words to Know" are I'd-into. Spelling workbook pages and Master 11A are due on 11/12, and contract work will be collected on 11/13.

Reading - Inferring

We will begin a new reading strategy, making inferences. Making inferences is the practice of determining underlying meaning in text, "filling in the blanks" in text with prior knowledge, and drawing logical conclusions from what is read. We will be doing some group activities this week to practice making inferences using a picture book called Baloney and a collection of photographs.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

The deadline for our reading program is quickly approaching...11/13. Students must have completed their book talk and their "Getting to the Core of the Book" sheets by the end of the school day on 11/13 in order to reach their goal.


English - Nouns

We will continue our study of the definition of a noun by writing some silly poems. Students will also have practice in identifying "invisible" nouns, or words that we don't usually associate with being a noun.

Social Studies - Working & Trading

Life in the 13 colonies will continue to be our focus this week. I will be introducing the Trade Fair activity on Tuesday, 11/10. Ask your child about the laws of supply and demand that we discuss in class. Look for the information sheet to come home with your child on 11/10. The Trade Fair will take place on 11/18, & students will receive a participation grade for this event.

Science - Energy & Ecosystems

The open book/note assessment on chapter 5 / lesson 2 will be on Monday, 11/2. Students should be able to apply the concepts in their notes to questions asked on the quiz. We will continue our study of food webs and food chains with a look at the picture book, Wolf Island. Students will be analyzing how removing one member of a food web destroys the entire ecosystem & writing a paragraph about it.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

GEOMETRY - one of my favorite units is here! We will begin this chapter by looking at where we find geometry in our everyday lives. Then we will take a look at points, lines, planes, angles, and angle relationshipe. Your student will see an increase in note taking during this chapter. At the end of the week, ask him/her about the geometry "cheer" that we use at the end of class every day!

FYI...

NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, 11/11 in honor of Veterans' Day!

PICTURE RETAKES are scheduled for Thursday, 11/19.

Please be sure that your child dresses for the weather...cold, rain or snow! PV students go outside for recess almost every day.

Have a Great Week!

Mrs. Karen Bell