Class News
Students have been challenged to learn the location of all 50 states for the USA Rocks Challenge! Those students who accept this challenge must demonstrate their knowledge by labeling a blank map of the United States. Students who can accurately label all 50 states (at one time)by February 5th will be treated to a special celebration.
This week, students will be studying:
Have you been exploring BrainPop?
Username: Abbotts
Password: Jaguars
Try typing: "commas", "Frederick Douglass" , "decimals", "maps", "quotation marks", and any other topic you are interested in learning more about!
We are also still continuing to work on our animal research PowerPoint projects.
Once our PowerPoints are completed, parents will be invited to our PowerPoint presentation extravaganza! Watch for more information in the coming weeks.
Pearson Successnet's Take it to the Net section has excellent "Test Prep" practice opportunities.
Please help your child to stay organized. All homework should be completed and placed in the book bag in the evening to eliminate the chance for materials to be accidentally left at home. All Jaguar folders must be returned to school on Mondays.
Thank you so much for helping me to help your children to be organized and confident!
Weekly Assignments
Reading Response Journal entries are due each Thursday.
The "new" weekly parent-student reading practice homework is due each Friday.
Math facts quizzes will occur every Friday. We will be doing 3 minute, 100 problem multiplication quizzes until further notice. Every child can do well on these IF they practice their math facts nightly (see Helpful Homework Hints in your child's teal folder for more information).
Vocabulary quizzes on weekly words will occur every Friday.
Reading Response Journal
The weekly Reading Response Journal homework
assignment is designed to foster a love of reading
and to encourage discussion about each story.
When readers talk about what they have read and
make personal connections to stories, their
comprehension and pleasure from reading increase.
I sincerely hope you enjoy these special reading
times with your child!
Each student will choose and borrow a picture book from our
class Reading Response Journal box on Mondays.
The book should be read aloud with a parent, grandparent, or
other adult at home (VERY IMPORTANT).
The student may read the entire story aloud to their parent, or may
choose to alternate pages with his/her reading partner.
The entire story can be read in a single sitting, or spread out over
multiple days.
During and after reading, please take the time to discuss the story.
Talk about what the characters are feeling, make predictions
about what might happen next, and explore similarities (and
differences) between your lives and the experiences of the
characters. Don’t forget to look at the illustrations carefully
because they are designed to help the reader glean even more
information about the story.
Each student will write a weekly entry in his/her Reading
Response Journal (lime green composition notebook) based upon
the book and your discussions. The entry should be at least four sentences, but can be as long as an entire page.
Please encourage your child to INDEPENDENTLY write about
the story (please don’t correct spelling, grammar, etc.
I am most interested in each student’s thinking process).
The entry should never just be a summary of the story. Instead,it
should reflect how the story touched the student or made him/her
think. Here are some ideas for journal entry topics:
What was your favorite part of the story and why? Have you
had experiences similar to the character? What would you have done
in that situation? How do you feel about the character(s)?
Did you learn anything about life from the story?
Reading Response Journals are due each Thursday (but can
be turned in sooner). Each entry should be headed with the title
of book, the author, and the date.
Weekly Vocabulary Words
Studying prefixes and suffixes helps students increase their ability to read and figure out the meaning of new words that they encounter!
Lists (with definitions and matching game/flashcard activity) will not be replaced. Students who lose their lists will need to copy them from a classmate after school hours. This policy is in place to encourage responsibility on the part of my students. Please remind your child to keep all word lists in their homework folders (even once the week has passed). We will revisit the words regularly.
This week's words are: sym- syn- together, same
symbiosis
symmetry
sympathy
symposium
symptoms
synagogue
syndicate
synonym
synthesis
synthetic
MARK YOUR CALENDARS.....
I truly hope that all of our class families will join me for this remarkable opportunity!
February 15th, 2010 is a school holiday. However, I have scheduled a private class field trip to the Capitol in Atlanta on that date. I believe that the visit to the Capitol is extremely worthwhile as it is related to MANY of our units of study this year.
We will learn about state government, enter the House and Senate chambers where our General Assembly meets to discuss new laws, and see where the governor works. Additionally, we will visit the Capitol museum which houses exhibits related to rocks and minerals, habitats of Georgia, and animals of Georgia.
We may even be able to meet with representative Mark Burkhalter, Speaker Pro Tempe of the House, for a discussion and personal tour of the chamber!
Parents will need to transport their own children and remain with them throughout the tour. I will meet everyone in the lobby. All s must present a picture ID in order to enter the building. There is no charge for this "field trip" and it is certain to become a lasting memory!
Family Field Trip Ideas
Tellus Northwest Georgia Science Museum in Cartersville
Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta
Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta
The Okefenokee Wildlife Swamp Park in Waycross
Brasstown Bald Mountain (near Hiawassee)
The Little White House in Warm Springs
The Autrey Mill Nature Center on Old Alabama Road in Johns Creek!
The Chattahoochee Nature Center in Roswell
The Dahlonega gold mines in Dahlonega
A recycling center
