Week of September 27-October 1

I would just like to say that I was so impressed with these kids last week when they presented their advertisements for the 5 kingdoms of living things.  The assignment was to create an advertisement convincing a new species to join your kingdom.  There were five groups for the 5 different kingdoms and they had to create an informative, neat advertisement using at least one persuasive technique.  They all went above and beyond, basically making hilarious commercials with students playing roles such as "Dr. Scientist Dude" in order to use expert opinion to convince the species to join their kingdom.  The work they did was so phenomenal I even invited Mrs. Horn and Mrs. Clark to come see them perform.  Way to go, kiddos!  I am still so proud of you!


Please read below to see what we will be doing in science and other subject areas this week.


In other news, please note that this Wednesday is another Early Release Day so school will be letting out at 12:25pm.  Please send me a note if there will be a change in transportation that day.  Don't forget to send in your pledge forms for the Husky Hustle, which is this Friday!  This Friday is also the Harmony Harvest!  I'd like to see everyone there!  I will be there with my boys and that is the night you get to bid in order to sign up for the Whitley/Coomes Girls' Night or Boys' Night!  I hope you enjoyed the cooler weather this weekend...I'm looking forward to another great week!  :o)


Upcoming Tests
Monday:  Word Study Quiz over Pluralizing Nouns
Tuesday:  Social Studies Open Response over the Native American Cultural RegionsHere is what we will be learning this week!

Math:  How do we use tables to accurately interpret data?  How do we accurately draw and measure angles?
*This week we will be starting Unit 3 of Everyday Math over Geometry which also incorporates some data analysis skills.Writing:  What strategies do writers use to draft an effective persuasive letter?
*This week we will be using what we've learned about the art of persuasion to draft our persuasive letters.
Social Studies:  How did the Native Americans of various culture regions differ from one another in their way of life?  What can we learn about European explorers by examining artifacts from a sunken ship?
*We wrap up our unit about the 7 major culture regions of the Native Americans in North America and how the Native Americans used the natural resources in those areas in order to survive with an open response on Tuesday.  *We will also begin studying European explorers by pretending to be archeologists examining artifacts from a sunken ship and keeping a diver's log about what those artifacts tell us about early European explorers.
Word Study:  How do we change words from singular to plural form?
*Our word study quiz over the pluralization rules will be Monday followed by a study of irregular plurals for the remainder of the week.
Science/Reading:  How do scientists classify living things into kingdoms?
*We will continue to learn how and why scientists classify living things using various texts to gather and interpret information.  

Courier-Journal Article

If you haven't heard already, the Courier-Journal sent a reporter into our classroom recently to take pictures for an article about Harmony Elementary.  The kids are so excited in the hopes of seeing their pictures in the newspaper.  I just wanted to let you know that the article is supposed to run in the September 29th edition of the newspaper in case you wanted to pick up a copy.  I'm not 100% sure they will include pictures from our classroom, but the photographer took several, so I'm eager to see if we make the paper.  Just thought I'd share in case you'd like to pick up a copy next week!

Quiz Update!
In other news, I am going to postpone our word study quiz over plurals.  We will take this quiz on Monday rather than this Friday.  The kids have been so excited about the science material we are covering that we haven't had a lot of time to devote to word study.  I believe an extra day of discussing this unit is necessary to make sure they are familiar with the rules of pluralization.

Week of September 20-24

Well the kids earned their first black paw last week for excellent behavior in the common areas and as a reward we had Crazy Day per their request.  It was fabulous!  We got comments from everyone about how decked out they were!  We even had a contest to see who was the "craziest" between the boys and the girls!  Below you can see a picture of the winners!  They really did look crazy and it made for a fun day full of laughs.  I loved their enthusiasm and I'm anxious to see what they will choose for their reward after they earn their next black paw.

...And the winners are...!

Mrs.  Whitley's Crazy 5th Graders!

In other news, this week the kids will finally get a good dose of science!  They've all been asking about when we are going to do science and the time has come.  :o)  We will begin an integrated science and reading unit this week over the five kingdoms of living things.  I am eager to see their response to this unit because they have all been so eager for science.  

Another big thing coming up this week is the math test over Unit 2, Computation and Estimation.  I will send home a study guide Tuesday night and we will review on Wednesday.  My greatest concern is minor computational errors that interfere with finding correct answers, so please encourage your child to practice those facts.

Upcoming Tests

Thursday:  Math Test over Computation and Estimation

Friday:  Word Study Quiz over Pluralizing Nouns

Here is what we will be learning this week!

Math

How do we review what we've learned about computation and estimation?

*We will spend one more day reviewing multiplication of whole numbers and decimals and then we will discuss how to compare large numbers.  Finally, we will review all that we have learned over the past couple of weeks about estimating and computing answers in order to prepare for our test on Thursday.

Writing

What strategies do writers use to develop a seed idea into an effective persuasive letter?

*Each child will select an idea from their collecting last week to develop into a persuasive letter.  We will discuss and try out different lead strategies and different persuasive techniques.

Social Studies

How did the Native Americans of various culture regions differ from one another in their way of life?

*We will learn about the 7 major culture regions of the Native Americans in North America and how the Native Americans used the natural resources in those areas in order to survive.

Word Study

How do we change words from singular to plural form?

Science/Reading

How do scientists classify living things into kingdoms?

*The students will learn why we classify and will explore the different characteristics that make up the five kingdoms of living things.

Recent Class Work

        These are the completed United States regions posters that the kiddos made last week.  I was so impressed!  Each poster is neat, very informative, and eye-catching!  Great job, 5th graders!

Northeast Region Group! (minus Harrison...who was absent)

Southeast Region Group!

Midwest Region Group!

Northwest Region Group!

Southwest Region Group!

Week of September 13-17

I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather this weekend!  Last week the students researched and presented posters on the 5 major geographic regions of the United States and their work was phenomenal!  The posters look terrific and they will be on display in our hallway for all to see!  I was very impressed with the high quality of their work and the teamwork I saw during the project.  I will try to post pictures later this week!

I am also excited to share that we now have two parent volunteers who will be coming in once a week.  One parent will be helping with math instruction and the other will be assisting with reading instruction!  If you would like to volunteer to help out in the classroom, please contact me.  There are many ways to help out and I am to have parents work with small groups to help differentiate instruction!

Upcoming Tests:
Friday:  Word Study Quiz over Homophones & Social Studies test over Native Americans (ch. 2 of History Alive)
*Please checkout my Links page for a number of great resources to help you practice homophones!
*Remember to use the History Alive website to take the tutorial that will help you study for the test.  You are welcome to take your social studies book home any night as long as you take the one that has your assigned number on it and return it the next day.

This Week's Guiding Questions:

This coming week we will continue with our current math unit, but we will begin new units in all other areas.

Math:
How do I use probability to understand chance?  How do I use different methods for solving multiplication problems?
*We will continue reviewing the different operations used for numerical computation and estimation this week with a test to follow late next week.

Writing:
How do we collect ideas for persuasive writing?
*Now that we have discussed the 6 major traits of writing we will begin our first genre study over persuasive writing.

Social Studies:
How did the first Native Americans come to North America and adapt to their new environment?
*We will begin the first of many units on American history this week starting with the exploration of various theories as to how the first Native Americans arrived in North America.

Word Study:
How do I identify the correct spelling of homophones?
*We will learn the difference between a homophone, homonym, and homograph and then learn the difference between homophones (words that sound the same, but have a different meaning).

Reading:
How do I read a text and interpret it's meaning?
*Now that we have reviewed the metacognition strategies we are going to begin read a Junior Great Book story together and use those strategies to interpret the meaning of the story, to explore new vocabulary, and to participate in shared inquiry discussions.

Week of September 6-10

I hope everyone had a wonderful, relaxing Labor Day weekend!  Here's is what's happening in our classroom this week...

Upcoming Tests:
Word Study Quiz over Contractions on Friday
Multiplication Facts Quizzes

Our first multiplication facts quiz showed that we need lots of practice.  Mastering those facts is the key to understanding the more complex math skills that we tackle in 5th grade.  Please practice your facts regularly with a friend, online, or with a parent.  If you need some ideas on fun ways to practice, please come see me.

This Week's Guiding Questions:
Math:
How do I review estimation and computation strategies?

Social Studies:
How do I gather information about the 5 geographical U.S. regions?

Writing:
What traits make effective writing?

Reading:
What are the thinking strategies and how can I use them to become a better reader?

Word Study:
How do I combine pronouns with to be verbs to make contractions?

Contractions Practice

Good morning!  Yesterday we kicked off a new word study unit on contractions.  Upon searching the web, I found a lot of great websites for the students to use as they practice using contractions.  I would like to encourage all of my students to use these links in preparation for next Friday's word study quiz.  The links are on my Links page under Contractions Websites.

Math Change:
The fifth grade teachers have all concluded that our students need a little extra practice on place value, so we are taking a brief break from Everyday Math for the rest of the week to do place value review. 

Note Regarding Homework:
Tonight I am sending home USA Studies Weekly again to use for homework.  This magazine goes along perfectly with our social studies curriculum.  Today we are kicking off a new unit on regions and that is exactly what will be addressed in tonight's reading.  I want to clarify that students only needs to read 2 of the articles for homework tonight, the one about the 7 wonders of the world and the article about the 7 regions.  I would like students to complete the crossword activity on the back as well and then bring the magazine back to school tomorrow.  We are going to use the rest of the magazine for a reading lesson Friday afternoon.

Thanks so much!