Week of 11/2/09 - 11/6/09

Highlights for the Week of 11/2/09 - 11/6/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Lesson 10 - Final "y" words & suffixes

The final test for this week's list will be on Friday, 11/6. "Words to Know" are happened -here. Workbook pages for this lesson will be due on 11/5 & contract work will be collected on 11/6.

Reading - Visualization

The story of Pecos Bill will be the final tall tale that we study. Students will begin a story pyramid project on Tuesday in which they will summarize a tall tale that we have read together, and draw a picture of what they visualize when they read the story. We will be typing the summary together on 11/4. The final project is due on 11/6.

"Bite into a Good Book" Independent Reading Program

I have conferenced with each student to discuss their first trimester reading goals, and have made adjustments where needed. Students must write a "Getting to the Core of the Book" report for EACH book read towards their goal, and give one book talk to reach their goal.

English - Nouns

Our new unit in English is nouns. We will begin the unit by focusing on the definition of a noun. Ask your child about the new Schoolhouse Rock song that we are singing!

Social Studies

The Chapter 5 TEST is scheduled for Tuesday, 11/3. Students should focus on reviewing the notes and workbook pages when preparing for the test. Ask your child to verbally summarize the lessons in the textbook for you. We will begin chapter 6, which looks at life in the colonies, at the end of the week.

Science - Energy & Ecosystems

We will continue our study of the interdependence of ecosystems & food webs.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Students will be taking the chapter 3 TEST this week. They are aware that this is a very long test, and that I have allotted two days for them to complete it. I have strongly suggested that they work very carefully on the test, and check their work. And of course, all scratch work must be shown!

FYI...

Our field trip to Robert Crown is scheduled for the morning of 11/6. Students must bring a SACK LUNCH to school that day!

I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to all the parents who worked so hard to make our Halloween celebration so special. Thank you for the wonderful treats, the extra decorations for our pumpkins, cleaning up the room, your time & efforts, and for taking care of our absent students. It was truly a memorable afternoon!

Have a "Spook-tacular" Halloween!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 10/26/09 - 10/30/09

Highlights for the Week of 10/26/09 - 10/30/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom!

Spelling - Holiday Word List
In honor of Halloween, our words this week will be a list of "spooky" words. "Words to Know" are getting-guess. Students will have the pretest on Monday, but there will be no contract work this week. Every student will be completing a word puzzle and word search that will be due on Thursday, 10/29. The final test on Friday will be the 15 holiday words + the five "Words to Know".

Reading - Visualization

We have moved on to our next reading strategy, which is visualization. A good reader makes "mind pictures" to improve his/her comprehension while reading. We will be practicing this skill while focusing on the genre of tall tales.

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

Students MUST ALWAYS have a silent reading book at school. Your child should be more than half way to completing his/her goal. Grades for the "Bite into a Good Book" program will not be entered into the gradebook until after the due date of 11/13.

English - Punctuation & Capitalization

We will be finishing chapter 5 and preparing for the TEST, which is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, 10/28.

Social Studies - The 13 English Colonies

The last lesson in chapter 5 will be our focus this week. The chapter 5 TEST will take place the week of 11/2. We will also spend time reading and discussing an issue of Time for Kids that focuses on bullying.

Science - Energy & Ecosystems

We will begin lesson 2 of chapter 5 which focuses on food webs & "what eats what".

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

Finishing up chapter 3 (decimals) will be our task this week. We will take a look at interpreting quotients, and solving decimal equations. Students will also spend time reviewing for the chapter 5 TEST which is scheduled for the week of 11/2.

FYI...

We are looking forward to our Halloween celebration on Thursday, 10/28. Students may bring their costumes to school, but should keep in mind that they will only be given 10 minutes to change into them. Students will not be allowed to change in the restrooms, so they should plan their costumes accordingly. Due to the time constraints, make up should be kept to a minimum, and, of course, no props resembling weapons of any kind are allowed.

The PTO has generously donated a pumpkin for every student to decorate during the celebration. Each child is responsible for decorating his/her pumpkin, and may bring in materials to use. We will not be carving the pumpkins.

The Parent Information Session for the Robert Crown Field trip is Wednesday, 10/28 at 6:30 p.m. in the multi-purpose room at Prairieview.

NO SCHOOL on Friday, 10/30 - Teacher's Institute!

Have a "Spook-tacular" Week!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 10/19/09 - 10/23/09

Highlights for the week of 10/19/09 - 10/23/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Lesson 8 - Review

The final test for this week's list will be on Friday, 10/23. There will be no "Words to Know" this week. The format for this week's test will be different, because it is a review lesson. Students will be given lists of spelling words, some of which contain a misspelled word. They will have to determine which word is not spelled correctly, or if all of the words are correct. I recommend studying the spelling rules from each lesson to prepare for this test.

Reading - Summarizing / Visualization
We will begin our week in reading with an introduction to writing extended responses. Writing an extended response is a skill that is assessed on the ISAT test in the spring. I will introduce the concepts of using a key idea, providing evidence, interpreting the evidence, and extending the ideas. We will practice writing a response together using the story, 'The Three Little Pigs." Students will independently write their own responses to The Wishgiver on Wednesday. On Thursday, we will begin a new reading comprehension strategy: "Visualization". Being able to create mental pictures while reading is beneficial to comprehension. Students will practice this skill while focusing on the genre of tall tales. We will begin with the study of the story of "Bess Call".

"Bite Into a Good Book" program
We have been enjoying the book talks given by students. They should be at least half way to their reading goal by now!

English - Capitalization & Punctuation

The Comic Strip Quotation project will be due on Tuesday. Then, students will be collecting quotations for our "Me Front Page" newspaper, and typing them. Abbreviations and titles are the other topics that will be looked at.

Social Studies

We will be moving on to the study of the first 13 colonies. We will focus on the geography, resources, and industry of each region settled by the English.

Science - Energy & Ecosystems

We will have an OPEN NOTE ASSESSMENT on Tuesday, 10/20. The assessment will cover chapter 5, lesson 1. Students should be familiar with their notes & should have them safely stored in the science folder of their binders! Your child should be collecting leaves for the animal leaf project. An information packet on preserving the leaves was sent home on 10/15. Leaves should come to school on 10/22 in a "ziplock" bag.

Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We will continue our study of decimals with a look at multiplication of decimals, division of decimals by whole numbers & decimals. The second QUIZ for chapter 3 is TENTATIVELY scheduled for Friday, 10/23.

FYI...

For the next five weeks, our class will be participating in the Junior Achievement program. The goal of the program is to introduce students to basic concepts of business.

Don't forget...early dismissal on Wednesday, 10/21. Students will be dismissed at 11:00.

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 10/12/09 - 10/16/09

Highlights for the Week of 10/12/09 - 10/16/09 in Mrs. Bell's Class

Spelling - Lesson 7 - Soft & Hard G

The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 10/19. "Words to Know" are everything-friend. Workbook pages are due on 10/18, and contract work will be collected on 10/19.

Reading - Summarizing

Completion of the Wishgiver comic book will be our task this week. Students will be assigned one page per day for the book, and will be given time to work on the page in class. Each page will require a summary written in paragraph form and four drawings that illustrate what is taking place in the summary. Students will use the story maps created in small groups to write their paragraphs. Check your child's binder for the grading rubric to see how the work will be assessed.

(from www.google.com)

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

The deadline for reaching the goal for first trimester is November 13th. Just a reminder...students must write a "Getting to the Core of the Book" report for EACH book that they count towards their goal. Only ONE book talk is required per trimester.

English - Punctuation & Capitalization

Interjections and quotations are our topics this week. Students will be asked to bring a comic strip to school on Friday to complete an activity titled, "Comic Strip Quotations".

Social Studies

We have completed our study of Jamestown and the Dutch and French colonies, and are moving on to a look at the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies. Ask your child what the Puritans did to make their lives in the new world easier!

Science - Energy & Ecosystems

The structure of plants, and the process of photosynthesis will be our focus this week.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

We will begin our week by finishing our study of decimals & metric measurement. The first midchapter QUIZ for chapter 3 will be on Thursday, 10/15. Scientific notation will be our topic on Friday.

MEET YOSHI...

This week our class welcomed a new member...a bearded dragon named "Yoshi". The students have enjoyed learning about our new "student", and will take turns caring for him. We are providing "foster" care for him until the end of the year, when he will return to his owner. Yoshi enjoys a diet of greens, fruits, vegetables, crickets, and mealworms. If you would like more information about bearded dragons, please refer to the following website: http://www.beardeddragon.org/

FYI...

On Friday, November 6th, Fifth grade will be taking a field trip to the Robert Crown Center. We will be attending the "Linda" & "Michael" programs which introduce the concepts of the coming of puberty & the human reproductive system in a sensitive way. Girls will attend the "Linda" program, and boys will attend the "Michael" program. We will be having a PARENT INFORMATION WORKSHOP the evening of October 28th to answer any questions that you may have. This optional workshop will be attended by a representative from Robert Crown, and some of the 5th grade teachers. Please look for the permission slip for this field trip to come home with your child on Tuesday, 10/13.


A change to previous information...students will be allowed to bring small treats to share with classmates to the Halloween celebration. Any edible treats must be individually wrapped to be taken home. Treats will not be eaten at school.

Enjoy the Holiday Weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell

Week of 10/5/09 - 10/9/09

Highlights for the Week of 10/5/09 - 10/9/09 in Mrs. Bell's Classroom

Spelling - Lesson 6 - Plurals with "es"

The final test for this lesson will be on Friday, 10/9. Words to Know this week are don't-everyone. Workbook pages are due on 10/8 & contract work will be collected on 10/9.

Reading - Summarizing

We will be finishing our small group work, and will come back together as a class to read and discuss the epilogue of the novel, The Wishgiver. Students will be starting our final project for this unit, which is a comic book based on the Wishgiver story. They will be using their summarizing skills to retell the story, and illustrating each section. Students will be given time in class to work on their projects, but may also need to spend some time working at home as well.

(from www.google.com)

"Bite into a Good Book" - Independent Reading Program

We have enjoyed hearing about different books being read by our friends as they give their book talks. Students must complete their goal by 11/13 in order to receive full credit for the program. Reaching your goal includes giving one book talk.

English - Capitalization & Punctuation

Our focus this week will be the use of commas in sentence writing. We will also take a trip to the computer lab to type the "lead story" for the Me Front Page project.

Social Studies - New European Colonies

We will begin the week by taking a look at how the French & Dutch settled in North America. Then, we will switch gears and focus on the settlement of the Plymouth colony by the pilgrims.

Science - Energy & Ecosystems

Our new unit in science begins with a look at how plants produce food. We will study the structure of plants, and the process of photosynthesis.

Math - Mrs. Bell's Math Class

This week brings a new chapter that focuses on decimals. We will take a look at comparing & ordering decimals, estimating with decimals, addition and subtraction of decimals, and how decimals are used with metric measurement. At the end of the week, ask your child why Mrs. Bell wouldn't want to be weighed with grams!

FYI...


Don't forget...NO SCHOOL on Monday, 10/12 due to the Columbus Day holiday. Ask your child what Columbus' goal was when he first sailed to North America!

Looking ahead...we are requesting that students do not bring individual treats to distribute on the day of the Halloween party. This includes any non-food items as well.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Mrs. Karen Bell