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!