Week of 1/5/09 - 1/9/09

Wow, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!! We are certainly getting our fill of snow. Please stay safe this holiday season and enjoy the time off with your families. I plan on doing just that! I'd like to again thank my homeroom and families for the very generous gift card to Macy's. What a nice treat that was!

Coming up the week we return:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 14: more prefixes and roots; test on Friday.

Language Arts: We will continue our chapter on Verbs. The chapter will be finished by Wednesday and then we will review for a couple of days. The test date is 1/12 (Monday.)

Reading: We continue our reading skill of self-questioning this week by returning to the Eye of the Storm. We will write an extended response regarding that story and read a shorter book called Drylongso.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

When we return from break, we will review like crazy for a couple of days with a test planned for Wednesday, 1/7. Our concept is adding and subtracting decimals and knowing how to round them! Here is a website the students may enjoy over the break: http://www.coolmath.com/decimals/index.html

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will start Chapter 8 this week, "The Road to War." This is the chapter where we create the books called “I am the Patriot, I am the Loyalist.” You may have seen them on our desks if you visited last year during Open House. We will watch the Schoolhouse Rock video “No More Kings.” This is one which the kids love!

Science: We start Chapter 6 where we will learn about competition and adaptation in an ecosystem.

Important Notes:
1/5 – return from holiday break
1/12 – Iowa testing week
1/19 – Martin Luther King's birthday; day off

Have a great holiday! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 12/15/08 - 12/19/08

Thank you for all the donations to our adopted family and to the Family Shelter. We ended up with a huge pile of Christmas gifts! Also, I enjoyed the concert last Monday and look forward to seeing the children perform again on Monday. I understand I have a part. Hmmmm... This is our final week before the 2 week holiday break. I hope we can contain all our excitement!

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Holiday words. Test Thursday.

Language Arts: We will continue our chapter on Verbs. It is a very long chapter and we'll have to continue it after winter break. This week we will focus on contractions, regular, and irregular verbs, The test date is 1/12. (Don't worry; we'll review.)

Reading: We will read The Polar Express this week and work on some activities which go along with the book. We will only be meeting for 3 days this week due to bowling on Tuesday and The Grinch on Friday.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We will continue Chapter 6 this week which focuses on adding, subtracting, and estimating decimals. We will return from break and review with a test on Wednesday, 1/7.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: Our Chapter 7 test is Tuesday. We will not start Chapter 8 until we return from break.

Science: Our test on Chapter 5 will be Wednesday. Don't forget, the Science text book is on-line.

Important Notes:
12/15 – Holiday Concert at 1:15
12/16 – 5th graders go bowling
12/19 – The Grinch at the Tivoli
12/19 – Winter break starts at the end of the day!!

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 12/8/08 - 12/12/08

The snow is falling and the temperature is dropping. Winter is upon us, full force. Please remember, if you can, our adopted family in your shopping. The last day for the collection is 12/10. Also, our last day for junior achievement will be Thursday. Have you asked your child what they've learned?

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class: It was such a pleasure to sit down and chat with all of you this week. Please remember to email or call me if you have any questions or concerns.

Spelling: Lesson 13 – Negative prefixes. Test Friday.

Language Arts: We will continue our chapter on Verbs. It is a very long chapter and we'll have to continue it after winter break. The tentative test date is 1/12.

Reading: We will be starting a new reading skill this week, self-questioning. Eye of the Storm is the story we will all be reading this week. We'll jazz it up with some ISAT practice from our workbooks.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:
I have delayed the Math test to Wednesday, due to the winter concert on Monday night. Therefore, Monday and Tuesday we will review, with a test on Wednesday.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will continue Chapter 7, specifically, the French and Indian War in Lesson 3. I have the test planned for 12/16.

Science: Lesson 2 will be wrapped up this week and I am planning an end of lesson test for 12/17.

Important Notes:
12/8 - winter concert
12/10 – holiday service project items due date
12/11 – last day for Junior Achievement
12/16 – 5th graders go bowling
12/19 – The Grinch at the Tivoli

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 12/1/08 - 12/5/08

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of family, friends, and food! We have a very busy week coming up. Conferences will be held this week with reading teachers. I look forward to sitting down and chatting with you all. Also, I want to remind you all to send your children to school with gloves and hats because we do go out at recess.

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 12, Test Friday.

Language Arts: The students did a wonderful job on their first extended response. This week we will start our next chapter in English, Verbs. Get ready, students, for another School House Rock video!

Reading: This will be our last week for the skill of inferring. We will read another short book about "Bronco Charlie" and his story as a pony express rider. Our healthy treats party will be Tuesday to honor the students who met their reading goals (and that would be all of them!)

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We will start and finish Chapter 5 on decimals. This chapter only has 4 lessons, so the test is planned for Tuesday, December 9. Decimals do not end there, however, they will continue on to the next chapter!

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We continue Chapter 7 with Lesson 2: "French Explore the Mississippi." I am tentatively planning the test for 12/16.

Science: We will study energy pyramids this week. I will be getting a test in on this chapter some time before the holiday break. I'm not quite sure when, though. As soon as I have worked that out, I will inform the students.

Important Notes:
12/2 – report cards issued
12/1-12/3 – parent/teacher conferences
12/5 – no school
12/10 – holiday service project items due date
12/15 - holiday concert at 1:15
12/19 - trip to the Tivoli to see the Grinch!

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 11/24 - 11/28

I can hardly believe I'm saying this, but I wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Where has the time gone?? First trimester officially ends today and when we return from the holiday it will be time for report cards and conferences. Please make sure your child shows you the three notes I sent home with them today. One is regarding the cancellation of Operation Crayon and the other two are regarding our classroom service project. Stay warm!

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: There will be no spelling lesson this week.

Language Arts: We have been busy with our extended response which goes with the story A Boy Called Slow.

Reading: Every single conference letter has come back; I look forward to meeting with each and every one of you. Also some great news: every student met his or her goal for reading books this trimester and we will have our healthy treats party on December 2. Any donations of goodies (healthy, of course) would be appreciated. On Monday and Tuesday, we will finish Chief Joseph and the answers we must infer. We will also be writing a Thanksgiving story.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

The students will be getting their math tests back and, rather than start a new chapter, we will be doing some “turkey math.”

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We have started Chapter 7, Lesson 1, "The Spanish Move North."

Science: We will continue our work with food chains specifically in the wetlands.

Important Notes:
11/21 – end of first trimester
11/26-11/28 – Thanksgiving holiday
12/2 – report cards issued
12/1-12/3 – parent/teacher conferences
12/5 – no school
12/10 – holiday service project items due date

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 11/17/08 - 11/21/08

Winter-like weather is certainly here. Please make sure your children are coming to school in warm clothing because if it isn't raining, they will go outside for recess. A message from the office follows:

Announcing Prairieview 2008-2009 Yearbook. Order your yearbook today!!! The cost of the yearbook is $10.00 and make payments to Lifetouch. Order deadline date is December 1, 2008. No orders will be accepted after that date. Parents just a reminder-- Prairieview yearbooks are not paid for at registration. Please place your order now. Yearbook order forms went home with your child on November 13th and there a few extra envelopes available; please try not to lose them. If your child loses it, you can send an envelope with the following information on it: student’s name, teacher’s name and 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. There will be a limited supply in June. Order Today!!!

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class: (I'm glad to see so many conference confirmation sheets coming back. If you haven't already sent one back with your child, please do so as soon as possible. I am looking forward to seeing you all in December!)

Spelling: Thanksgiving words! The pretest will be given to see if anyone can “test out” of Friday's usual test. However, there will be no contract work this week.

Language Arts: We will revisit our old friend, the extended response. I am looking forward to teaching some strategies I learned at our writing workshop which was held here at PV on Election Day.

Reading: We will continue to infer using worksheets and a short story called Chief Joseph. It goes along very well with A Boy Called Slow.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:
We will finish Chapter 4 this week and specifically study functions, inequalities, and predicting/testing. Review will be Thursday with the Chapter 4 test on Friday.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will play Jeopardy on Monday and take the Chapter 6 test on Tuesday. Our next chapter is called “The Fight for a Continent.” We will begin that chapter on Thursday.

Science: We will specifically learn about food webs and begin to focus on the wetlands.

Important Notes:
11/19 Assembly here at school: Kids on the Block
11/26-11/28 – Thanksgiving holiday

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 11/10/08 - 11/14/08

After several beautiful days of fall weather, we are now beginning to experience winter. Stay warm this weekend! And, don't forget, Tuesday is Veteran's Day. I hope the students understand the significance of this day and that it is not just another day off of school! It was also exciting to experience the history that occurred this week with the election of our new president, Barack Obama.

Please remember to send in your new or gently used children's books this week for our "Book Worm Angels" project.

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 11 – Suffix -ly. Contract work will be due on Friday and the final test will also be on Friday.

Language Arts: We will conclude our Nouns lesson with a chapter test on Wednesday. Monday will be a review day. We will then take a bit of a break from English and do some writing.

Reading: Our inferring skills are quite good, as was apparent after we read A Boy Called Slow. We will continue practicing this skill as we read some shorter passages.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

Students will take a quiz on Lessons 1-4 from Chapter 4 on Monday. Students may use their notes and their textbooks. We will then continue the chapter and learn about writing equations, solving equations, and functions.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We had such a wonderful trade fair on Thursday. Did your child tell you about it? This week we will finish Chapter 6 by reading and taking notes on Lesson 4 which is about slavery in the colonies. After reviewing Friday and next Monday, I have decided to have the Chapter 6 test on Tuesday, November 18.

The Social Studies committee is looking for two parents who have an education or history background to be involved in the adoption of new Social Studies textbooks. You would have to meet with the committee and provide input choosing our textbook for the coming years. The Social Studies committee will be meeting once every other month for the next two years. Please email mpellin@ccsd66.org or cklacza@ccsd66.org if you would be interested in joining the Social Studies committee. Thank you!

Science: We finish up plants and photosynthesis this week and begin ecosystems. Have you seen the on-line book yet??

Important Notes:
11/11 Veteran's Day – no school
11/26-11/28 – Thanksgiving holiday

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 11/3/08 - 11/7/08

I'd like to thank all the wonderful parents for pitching in to make our Halloween party such a success. The snacks and drinks were delicious and the games were a blast. We had the most perfect weather for our parade, also! All in all, a great time was had by all!!

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 10 – Final “y” words and suffixes. Contract work will be due on Friday and the final test will also be on Friday.

Language Arts: This week we will continue our Nouns lesson. We will specifically study Singular and Plural possessive nouns. The test for Chapter 2 is planned for Wednesday, November 12. The students can plan on reviewing later in the week and the early part of the next week.

Reading: We will start a new skill this week, “Inferencing.” We will read “A Boy Called Slow” which is about Sitting Bull, a Lakota Sioux leader. By the title alone, can you infer about the main character?

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We are ready to begin Chapter 4, Algebra Expressions and Equations. The properties of math will be revisited this week.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: Cities, Towns, and Farms will be explored this week in Social Studies. Our very exciting trade fair will take place on Thursday, so please remind your child to get those products finished and their display sign!

The Social Studies committee is looking for two parents who have an education or history background to be involved in the adoption of new Social Studies textbooks. You would have to meet with the committee and provide input choosing our textbook for the coming years. The Social Studies committee will be meeting once every other month for the next two years. Please email mpellin@ccsd66.org if you would be interested in joining the Social Studies committee. Thank you!

Science: Students will be learning about the structure of plants and photosynthesis this week.

Important Notes:
11/4 Teacher Institute – no school
11/5 Buona Benefit Night
11/11 Veteran's Day – no school

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 10/27/08 - 10/31/08

Another full week has come and gone and it ended on a very high note. The children really enjoyed the Legend of Pocahontas this morning. They were very well-behaved and received compliments from people affiliated with the Chicago Youth Theater. That really made me smile!
Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 9 - Halloween words. Contract work will be due on Friday and the final test will also be on Friday. The students will receive a list of the words after the pretest on Monday.

Language Arts: This week we will continue our Nouns lesson. The students will write a noun poem, complete a noun word search, and solve some noun mysteries!

Reading: We continue with our current skill “Visualization.” After reading another tall tale on Monday, the students will write their own tall tales. As the students individually share their stories, I hope the rest of us can visualize the characters and all the super human things they do!

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

After reviewing Chapter 3 on Monday and Tuesday, we will be ready to take the chapter test on Wednesday, 10/29. We will end the week with some Halloween Math Libs. Here are some good websites for the children to practice long division:
http://www.coolmath4kids.com/long-division/number-monster-division.htm
http://www.surfnetkids.com/division.htm
http://www.kidsnumbers.com/

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will begin Chapter 6, “Life in the Colonies,” on Monday. Please look out for information on our classroom trade fair. I have this scheduled for November 6.

Science: I hope the children have been collecting lots of unique leaves. We will use them to make leaf animals this week. We will also begin studying about photosynthesis.

Important Notes:
10/31 Halloween celebrations
11/4 Teacher Institute – no school
11/11 Veteran's Day – no school

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 10/20/08 - 10/24/08

We had a great week! Our Junior Achievement representative came and will continue to do so for several more weeks. I'm very proud of the way my students conducted themselves. Keep up the good work! We also made Hallo-Weiners this week. Ask your child about it... Please remember to send your child with a sack lunch on Friday, October 24, for our Pocahontas field trip.

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 8 – Review words. Contract work will be due on Thursday, 10/23, and the final test will also be on 10/23. The reason it will be early this week is because on Friday the Fifth grade will be going to see Pocahontas.

Language Arts: This week we will start the next lesson, Nouns. We will specifically focus on common and proper nouns, as well as singular and plural nouns. Our new Schoolhouse Rock sing-a-long will be “A Noun is a Person, Place, or Thing.” It's catchy, so beware students; you'll be singing it in your heads for awhile!!

Reading: Our new reading skill is Visualizing, which we will begin this week. We will use Tall Tales to help us with this skill. Paul Bunyan will be our first tall tale character and with vizualization, we can almost imagine how he looked as a 100 pound baby!

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We have a quiz Monday on Chapter 3 Lessons 5-8. Students may use their notes. Long division can be hard and tricky, so please remind your children to do their homework and practice, practice, practice. The Chapter 3 test will be on 10/29.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: Our Chapter 5 test will take place on Tuesday. The students are aware of this and have a “How to Study” sheet ready to be filled out and signed. We will then do some election activities to round out the week.

Science: We will will continue our unit on ecosystems.

Important Notes:
10/22 Early Dismissal – 11:00
10/24 The Legend of Pocahontas at Timothy Christian School Auditorium (please note the date has been changed from 10/17 and your child needs a sack lunch that day)
10/31 Halloween celebrations
11/4 Teacher Institute – no school
11/11 Veteran's Day – no school

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 10/13/08 - 10/17/08

Baseball season is now officially over, in my eyes, at least... I see the trees are beginning to change color and I hope you all take advantage of the beautiful Autumn weather this 3-day weekend! Also, please make sure you check your child's progress on-line. If you have questions or problems doing so, contact the office and they will help you.

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 7 – Soft and hard g. Contract work will be due on Friday, 10/17, and the final test will also be on 10/17.

Language Arts: We will not start the next unit in English this week, but we will do a fun activity focusing on the correct use of commas.

Reading: We will be concluding our study of summarizing this week with the novel The Kid in the Red Jacket. Students should be finishing up the novel this weekend. The date for our vocabulary quiz is 10/15. A pyramid activity will be created this week focusing on favorite parts of the book. This will be assigned on Tuesday, due on Friday. Students will have an opportunity to work in class on this activity.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We are continuing Chapter 3 this week on Division. An open note quiz on Lessons 1 through 4 will occur on Tuesday, 10/14. The students are aware of this.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: This week we will continue to study Chapter 5, Lesson 4 in our chapter, specifically the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies. The test for Chapter 5 will be on Tuesday, 10/21.

Science: Will will begin our unit on ecosystems.

Important Notes:

10/13 Columbus Day – no school
10/15 Junior Achievement starts in our homeroom
10/22 Early Dismissal – 11:00
10/24 The Legend of Pocahontas at Timothy Christian School Auditorium - your child needs a sack lunch that day)
10/31 Halloween celebrations
11/4 Teacher Institute – no school
11/11 Veteran's Day – no school

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 10/6/08 - 10/10/08

September is now behind us as we move into Autumn. There is a chill in the air and baseball season is winding down. Let's hope one of our hometown teams goes a little further...

Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 6 – Plurals with -es. Contract work will be due on Friday, 10/10, and the final test will also be on 10/10.

Language Arts: Abbreviations and titles will be investigated this week. A test is planned for Friday, 10/10, on Unit 5.

Reading: We are continuing our study of summarizing this week with the novel The Kid in the Red Jacket. Each chapter will be summarized and we will be continuing to make vocabulary cards, also. The tentative date for our vocabulary quiz is 10/15. That could change depending on our progress. I will let the students know as it gets closer.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We are starting Chapter 3 this week on Division. This will be the last week for timed multiplication mad minutes and I strongly suggest to the students to practice their facts if they have not passed them all yet.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: This week we will study Lessons 2, 3, and 4 in our chapter. We will learn about the early colonies, specifically, the Pilgrims and Puritans.

Science: After our test Monday on the “Getting Ready for Science” section in our textbook, we will take a break for a few days to do some election activities. Ecosystems is our next chapter in Science.

Important Notes:
10/13 Columbus Day – no school
10/24 The Legend of Pocahontas at Timothy Christian School Auditorium (please note the date has been changed from 10/17 and your child needs a sack lunch that day)

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 9/29/08 - 10/3/08

Where did the week go? In the blink of an eye it suddenly becomes Friday and I am writing my weekly blog. Just a reminder that Tuesday is the last turn-in day for the magazine drive. The magazines are very reasonably priced and our school reaps wonderful benefits. It's a total win/win situation! Please consider buying or renewing some of your favorites.

Coming up this week...

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 5 - “prefixes and roots” Contract work will be due on 10/3 and the final test will be on Friday, 10/3.

Language Arts: Commas, interjections, and quotations will all be studied this week. Students will need to bring in a short comic strip by Thursday to enhance our study of quotations.

Reading: We are continuing our study of summarizing this week with the novel Kid in the Red Jacket. Each chapter will be summarized and we will be making vocabulary cards, also. This is a delightful story about a boy who moves into a new house in a new neighborhood and has a difficult time making friends. He meets a little girl who annoys him and must deal with her and his lack of new friends.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We are continuing and finishing Chapter 2 this week on Multiplication. There will be a short, open note quiz on Wednesday and the chapter test on Friday. Please remind your child to practice their math multiplication facts. We are still taking daily “mad minutes” and I only have three students who have finished them all! This chapter is very difficult for children who struggle with simple math facts.

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will be making a “Jamestown Study Guide” this week. Ask your child about Jamestown. We have “met” John Smith, Pocahontas, and John Rolfe.

Science: Our study of the scientific method is coming to an end. We will launch balloon rockets this week. The tentative test date for the entire chapter is Monday, October 6.

Important Notes:
* 9/30 Last Magazine Drive turn-in day
* 10/13 Columbus Day – no school
* 10/17 The Legend of Pocahontas at Timothy Christian School Auditorium

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 9/22/08 - 9/26/08

Another week has passed and I hope your child is feeling a little more comfortable with changing classes and teachers all day long. It certainly took me some getting used to! Please email me if your child ever feels stressed or if you have questions or concerns about the fifth grade. Coming up this week...

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 4 - “prefixes and base words” Contract work will be due on 9/26 and the final test will be on Friday, 9/26.

Language Arts: The first English test is now under our belts and we will skip ahead to Lesson 5, “Capitalization and Punctuation.” We will be creating pyramid poems this week and the children will be asked to bring in a picture that they can describe with a poem.

Reading: We are starting a new reading skill this week: summarizing. The story Elena will be read and discussed from our texts. We will supplement with our ISAT workbooks. Main idea and details will also be studied.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

The first Math test is history and we are beginning Chapter 2 this week on Multiplication. We will start the first lesson on Monday and have a short quiz on Lessons 1- 3 on Thursday. Please remind your child to practice their math multiplication facts. We are still taking daily “mad minutes” and I only have one student who has finished them all!

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: URGENT REQUEST!! Can you please send in some brown grocery bags Monday?? We will be starting Chapter 5 and a fun project will be done this week which requires brown grocery bags... I would really appreciate it. This chapter deals with the struggle to start the colonies. We will be specifically studying Roanoke; ask your child about the huge mystery next week! Jamestown will also be started at the end of the week.

Science: We will learn about classification.

Important Notes:
9/22 Please send in your brown grocery bags!!
10/13 Columbus Day – no school

Have a great weekend! Go DGS Mustangs!! Mrs. Klacza

Week of 9/15/08 - 9/19/08

It was great seeing such a huge crowd at Curriculum Night. I always enjoy getting to know our very dedicated parents. Please remember to send back the student information sheet to me as soon as possible. Coming up this week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 3 - “the suffix -er and singular possessives” Contract work will be due on 9/19 and the final test will be on Friday, 9/19.

Language Arts: We will conclude Chapter 1, “The Sentence.” We listened to Conjunction Junction and will continue the study of conjunctions and run-on sentences. A Chapter 1 test is planned for Friday, 9/19. We will review on Wednesday and Thursday.

Reading: Students will finish practicing the reading skill of Predicting this week. We will mostly be working with antonyms and synonyms, in our reading workbook, and in our ISAT workbook.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

The test for Chapter 1 (Place Value) is planned for Wednesday, 9/17. We have actually finished the entire chapter; therefore, Monday and Tuesday will be review days. We will visit the lab later this week (after the test) and play some math games to better our multiplication skills. Please remind your child to practice their math facts at home!

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will finish Chapter 4 "Spain Builds an Empire" this week and the test will be on Thursday, 9/18. You will see a “How to Study” sheet coming home on Tuesday.

Science: We will learn about Inquiry Skills this week.

Important Notes:
9/15 Magazine Drive kick-off
9/16 Early Dismissal 11:00

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 9/8/08 - 9/12/08

As another week comes to an end, I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you all to Curriculum Night which will take place Thursday, September 11, at 7:00. You will have a chance to visit all of your child's teachers at that time. I look forward to seeing you there!

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 2 - “the suffix -able” Contract work will be due on 9/12 and the final test will be on Friday, 9/12.

Language Arts: We will continue Chapter 1, “The Sentence.” The four types of sentences will be investigated early this week as we create our Snapshot Sentences. Please remind your child that they need to bring a picture to class on Monday. We will also study subjects, predicates, and conjunctions. Has your child told you about Mr. Morton??

Reading: Students continue practicing the reading skill of Predicting. We have been reading The Fear Place in our textbooks. We will finish the story this week and work with antonyms and synonyms, also.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

The first quiz has been taken and we continue Chapter 1 with gusto! This week, we will get through Lessons 4 and 5 and then have a short quiz on Lessons 3-5 on Wednesday. I am tentatively planning an end of chapter test on Wednesday, 9/17. Please remind your child to practice their math facts!

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: This week we will focus on Lesson 2 of Chapter 4 which focuses on the Aztecs. The students will be making Aztec masks this week.

Science: We've learned about the tools scientists use and this week we'll focus on Inquiry Skills.

Important Notes:

9/11 Curriculum Night for Fifth Grade 7:00
9/16 Early Dismissal 11:00

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza!

Week of 9/1/08 - 9/5/08

Summer vacation is over and we have now completed our first week of school. I was a bit nervous last week, thinking about my classes and the new material we would be teaching this year. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised and thrilled with my fifth graders! They are respectful, happy, and ready to work. I am getting to know their individual personalities and talents; I really think this is going to be a great year. Let the games begin!!

I have divided my blog into three sections for each of my classes. Coming up next week:

Mrs. Klacza's Reading Class:

Spelling: Lesson 1 - “Silent e & Suffixes” Contract work will be due on 9/5 and the final test will be on Friday, 9/5.

Language Arts: This week, we will be completing our autobiographical poem which was started today. We will also be starting Chapter 1, “The Sentence.” The four types of sentences will be investigated in this chapter.

Reading: This week, students will begin focusing on the reading skill of Predicting. We will practice this skill using various stories from our text.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:

We will begin our new math series with Chapter 1 which covers place value. We will specifically work with numbers in the millions and billions. Furthermore, timed multiplication “mad minutes” will start this week. I think it is very important for a math student to know his or her “facts” to be successful. There will be a very short quiz on Thursday covering the first two lessons. It will be brief, but will give me an idea on how I am doing!!

Mrs. Klacza's Homeroom:

Social Studies: We will start our Social Studies text at Chapter 4, Lesson 1: The Voyages of Columbus. We have already “listened to” the lesson and will take notes on Tuesday. Furthermore, the students will be writing a letter from the point of view of Columbus.

Science: We'll be settling in to Science by taking a look at the tools used by scientists. The students were busy working on their rendition of a scientist. They are due on Tuesday.

Important Notes:

* 9/4 RtI Parent Link Night @ 7:00
* 9/11 Curriculum Night

Have a great weekend! Mrs. Klacza

Week of June 2 - June 5

Well, we all made it through the fifth grade! I cannot tell you how happy your children have made me and how sad I am to see them go. But, they are ready to move on, and move on they shall... Thank you all for your help throughout the year. I couldn't have asked for more caring parents in my first "official" year here at PV. I wish you all a wonderful summer and I encourage my students to email me from time to time with an update of summer and junior high!

YEARBOOKS: will be handed out to students on June 5th. Any students who did not purchase a yearbook may do so on a first-come-first-serve basis on June 5th; they will go on sale after morning announcements. The cost will be $10.00 and children wishing to purchase should have exact amount. Checks can be made out to Prairieview. There is a limited supply. Prairieview yearbook orders were not paid for at registration. A flyer was sent out in November and orders were due by Monday, December 3, 2007.

Coming up next week:

Spelling: We have officially finished Spelling.

Reading/Language Arts: This week we will give our demonstration speeches. These will run about 3-5 minutes. The students will demonstrate how to complete a task that they choose. For example, they may want to show the audience how to wrap a present or make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It should be fun and I think it will make them more comfortable for future Lakeview speeches!

Social Studies: This week we conclude the reading of Chapter 13, People Moving West, specifically Lesson 3, The Golden State. We will round out the week by reading ahead in our books a little bit and learning more about current history.

Science: We have completed our Weather unit!

Math: (Mrs. Klacza's math students, only) We have finished fractions and will have some “fun” math time in the lab.

Important Notes:
6/3 – Reading party at lunch/recess for those who met their Tri. 3 goals
6/4 – All school picnic
6/5 – Last Day of School!!!! 9:30 dismissal

Have a terrific week and a wonderful, peaceful summer! Mrs. Klacza