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