Week of 9/13/10 - 9/17/10

I always feel like the four day weeks are jam packed and very busy. Next week will be a nice, normal five-day week. I hope your child is feeling comfortable here in fifth grade. If you have any concerns, please let me know. It was great speaking to so many of you at Curriculum Night. If you were unable to attend and sign up for a conference, please email me and I will put you on the schedule.

Make sure you check your child's backpack this coming week for the packet regarding our magazine drive. This is a huge fundraiser for our district and we all appreciate your support.

Coming up this week:

Spelling: Lesson 3 pretest will be on Monday. Homework will be assigned on Monday and due on Thursday. Final test on Friday.

English: We will finish our chapter by learning about conjunctions and run-on sentences. We took a trip to “Conjunction Junction” today. We will review the chapter toward the end of the week and early the following week with a test on Tuesday, 9/21.

Reading: This week, our core reading group will focus on the skill of affixes and roots. An affix is a small word part that can be added to the beginning, middle, or end of a root word. Students will learn the meaning of various affixes and how to put them together with a root word. They will then apply this skill to find the definition of both familiar and unfamiliar words in context.

Our skill - based reading groups will begin on Monday. Students will find out Monday morning who their skill - based reading teacher is. During skill based reading we will be using Tall Tales to practice visualization and to look at story structure.

Social Studies: A test on Chapter 4 will be on Friday, 9/17. We will complete a “How to Study” sheet prior to the test to help the students study properly. A “postcard from Tenochtitlan” will also be created this week.

Science: There will be a test on Chapter 1 on Thursday, 9/16. Watch out for a list of study topics and also a “How to Study” sheet.

Mrs. Klacza's Math Class:
We have already completed an entire chapter on place value and will be starting Chapter 2 on Monday. This chapter is all about multiplication, starting with patterns in multiples and estimating products. After getting through the first 3 lessons, the students should be prepared for a short quiz on Thursday. Students should also be practicing their multiplication facts because we will start taking timed mixes starting on Monday. My suggestion to you would be to use flash cards with your child or find a good computer game using fast facts. Proficiency in multiplication facts is essential for math success!

Important Dates:
9/13 – Magazine drive kick off

9/16 - Lakeview Band performs at PV (recruitment concert)
9/24 – Teacher Institute (no school)

Have a wonderful weekend! Mrs. Klacza