Week of 5/30/2016

Highlights for the Week of 5/30/16

in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

 Spelling & Reading

NO Spelling or Reading this week! Please encourage your child to read at least 20 minutes per day during the summer. The public libraries in the area all have marvelous Summer Reading Programs that encourage children to read during the break. Be sure to check them out!

Social Studies - The West / The Tlingit 

We will prepare for our classroom luau, which is the Western region feast, scheduled for 6/1. Students will learn about the history of the luau, make their own grass skirts and feast on the traditional luau foods of barbecued pork, salmon, fruit salad and Hawaiian punch! We will have fun hula dancing and watching the Disney film, Lilo & Stitch. 

Science - Simple Machines / Catapult Project
The catapults are due on Tuesday, 5/31. This is an at home project that should be completed with parent support. The famous "Marshmallow Launch" will be on 5/31.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Geometry / Circles

Students will review how to find circumference and area of a circle using Pi. Our last day of math is Tuesday, 5/31. On that day we will have a Pi day celebration - reviewing what we have learned about circles as we enjoy some special pi / pie of our own!

Don't forget...

June 1 - Classroom Luau (West region feast)
June 2 - Bowling Field Trip - 8:45-11:15
June 2 - Talent Show - 1:00

June 3 - Last Day of School - Students dismissed at 11:35

Brunswick Zone is offering a special for students while they are bowling: 2 slices of cheese pizza with a 16 oz. drink will be $3.00 plus tax. (approximately $3.25)

Mrs. Linde & Nina celebrate "Red Nose" day, an event that raises money for children living in poverty. 

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/23/2016

Highlights for the Week of 5/23/2016

in Mrs. Bell 's Classroom

Spelling - Suffixes: -able & -ible
This week's spelling/vocabulary list will include words with the suffixes -able & -able. We will study the word pattern and how the suffix impacts the meaning of the base word. Most word work will be done in class. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 5/23.


Reading - Journey to America
Students will take a virtual tour of & complete a Web quest about Ellis Island. We will also begin a close read of the book Journey to Ellis Island.

Students teaching the class about the immigrant experience at Ellis Island.

Social Studies - The West

The chapter 12 TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 5/24. We will then complete the West region portion of their U.S. Maps, which will complete the map. The final topic that we will study in Social Studies is the Tlingit - the Native Americans of the west.

Science -  How do a Pulley and Wheel & Axle Help People do Work?
The pulley, wheel & axle, screw and wedge are the simple machines that we will focus on this week. Students will also receive information about the CATAPULT PROJECT on Wednesday. The "Marshmallow Launch " is scheduled for Tuesday, 5/31. Below are some photos of students investigation how the position of a fulcrum determines the amount of effort needed to lift a load with a lever...

How does the position of the fulcrum impact the amount of effort
needed to lift the book?

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 6 - Graphing, Geometry & Volume

We will be moving from classifying polygons to applying the concepts related to volume. We will finish the week with a look at circumference and how to find the area of a circle. A Shape Classification Checkpoint is scheduled for Tuesday, 5/24. 

Don't Forget...
5/30 - No School - Memorial Day

Yoshi visiting with our classroom family...

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 5/16/2016

Highlights for the Week of 5/16/2016

in Mrs. Bell 's Classroom

Spelling - Prefixes: un-, non-, dis-
Spelling for the next two weeks will be different than in previous weeks. We are piloting a new spelling program that 4th grade is implementing next year. The program focuses on spelling rules, word roots, prefixes and suffixes and vocabulary. There will be less homework as we will be doing a lot of word work in small groups in the classroom. The final test is scheduled for Friday, 5/20.

Reading - Journey to America
Students have worked together in small groups to prepare presentations about the book If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island. Each group was given a section of the book. They will teach their classmates about what they learned about immigration. Next week we will finish the book as a whole group.

Social Studies - The West
The economy of the West region will be our focus next week. The chapter 12 TEST is tentatively scheduled for 5/14.

Thank you Lexie for sharing pictures of your vacation to the states in the west.
This picture of Old Faithful brought the words we read to life!

Science -  How do Simple Machines Help People Work?

How do levers make our work easier? This is the question we will investigate in science. Students will participate in several hands-on activities that will test their hypotheses about levers.

We had a marvelous time at the "Dig It" in school field trip. Below are some photos of our young scientists "panning" for minerals and testing their characteristics...

Mrs. Bell's Math Class - Unit 6 - Graphing, Geometry & Volume
We have had a fabulous work exploring patterns and graphing on the coordinate grid. Students worked in pairs to build on patterns using Omnifix cubes. Then they translated the pattern to a series of ordered pairs to graph on a coordinate grid. Ask your child to explain the difference between a linear and a nonlinear pattern on the coordinate grid. Below are some pictures of students building patterns with partners...

Next week's lessons will focus on classifying quadrilaterals and triangles. A CHECKPOINT is scheduled for Monday, 5/16.

Thank you to Scotty and his family for winning my PTO auction item. The math class was treated to an ice cream party and movie at lunch on 5/12. So much fun...

Don't Forget...
5/30 - No School - Memorial Day

Mrs. Karen Bell