Week of December 10-14

Mrs. Whitley’s Last Day

In case you didn’t catch the e-mail, here is a reminder that my last day before maternity leave will be this Friday, December 14, unless Baby Dylan has other plans.  My long-term substitute, Marcie Wilson, will begin working with me in the classroom Monday and she will be with me all week to learn the routines, get to know the kids, and prepare to take over.  If you have any last minute questions or concerns for me, please e-mail or call.  Marcie’s e-mail is marcie.wilson@oldham.kyschools.us should you need to reach her.  I will return mid-late March, but I am certain the kids will be in good hands with Mrs. Wilson!

Husky Helping House

As a reminder, please send your purchased item for Husky Helping House to school no later than December 10^th!  We will be wrapping the presents and sending them off this week!

 Food Drive

Please remember to send in any canned goods or non-perishable items you would like to donate to our annual holiday food drive.

PE

Our PE rotation continues through Tuesday.  Please remind your child to wear or bring a pair of tennis shoes.

Shopping Spree Unit

At the end of the week, we will also begin a fun math unit we like to call “The Shopping Spree.”  During this unit, kids will select a Secret Santa and 4+ family members to go pretend shopping for.  No gifts will actually be bought, but the students will learn how to shop on a budget using catalogs.  They will calculate tax, total cost, and figure out what percent of their fictional budget was spent on each person they “shopped” for.  Secret Santas will be revealed at our Holiday Party by giving each other homemade cards with the picture of the item they would buy if we were using really money.  It’s a fun way to go over many of the skills we’ve learned over the past several months, and even though there is no real gift buying or giving, the kids always enjoy it!  So, if you hear them talking about Secret Santa, please know there is nothing you need to buy.  However, if you have any catalogs you can send in for our “shopping,” we’d love to have them!

Pajama Day
Pajama Day will take place the last Monday before break, December 17th!

 Upcoming Tests

• Social Studies Test over the Colonial Williamsburg on Wednesday (Chapter 9 tutorial)
• Math Test over fractions on Thursday

This Week’s Learning Plan

Social Studies:  This week, we will wrap up our unit on Colonial Williamsburg.  The kids will continue to have the opportunity to walk through stations set up to depict colonial life in Williamsburg long ago.  Then we will culminate with a test and an extended response on Wednesday.

Math:  Fractions!  We will continue learning about fractions, ordering, comparing, finding equivalence, as well as reading graphs as we wrap up our unit on fractions.  We will also begin a fun holiday unit called “The Shopping Spree” at the end of the week.   

Word Study:  We will review the different uses of the comma and begin to explore the use of the semicolon.

Writing:  The kids have done an amazing job using various points of view to write about slavery.  They will continue to explore point of view and verb tense as they write about colonial Williamsburg experiences this week.  I have been so impressed with their work, I’ve even invited Mrs. Horn to come check it out!

Reading:  In reading this week we will learn strategies for selecting the best answer on multiple choice questions through reading comprehension sheets.  The kids will also transfer their knowledge of how to learn about a culture through reading.

Week of December 3-7

As the countdown to Winter Break begins, we have many things going on in our classroom!  Here are a few reminders.

Husky Helping House

Thank you to the many parents who signed up to buy and item or donated money for our Husky Helping House child!  He is lucky to have such wonderful people working to make his holiday special!  Please remember to send your purchased item to school no later than December 10^th!  We will be wrapping the presents and sending them off that week.

Food Drive

Please remember to send in any canned goods or non-perishable items you would like to donate to our annual holiday food drive.

 PE

Our next PE rotation begins Tuesday.  Please remind your child to wear or bring a pair of tennis shoes.

Upcoming Tests

Social Studies Test over the Colonial Regions on Wednesday (Chapter 7 tutorial)

 Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you to the many parents who made a donation to the classroom in order for your child to participate in Boys’ Night Out and Girls’ Night Out!  Both events were a big success!

 This Week’s Learning Plan

Social Studies:  After we wrap up our learning about the colonial regions we will begin an interesting unit on Colonial Williamsburg where the children will have the opportunity to walk through stations set up to depict colonial life in Williamsburg long ago.

Math:  Fractions!  We will continue learning about fractions, ordering, comparing, finding equivalence, but this week we will explore how to do these things by converting to decimals.

Word Study:  We will explore the different uses of the comma for introductory phrases, for use in a series, etc.

Writing:  Point of view will be explored this week as we have the kids write about slavery for 1^st person, 2^nd person, and 3^rd person viewpoints.

Reading:  In reading this week we will read about slavery and use the skill of gathering information from various texts to write about it.

Week of November 26-30

Welcome back!  I hope your Thanksgiving was peaceful and relaxing!  We only have 3½ more weeks until Winter Break!  Below you will find a few things you need to be aware of in the coming week or so.

 

Husky Helping House

As is Harmony tradition, our class is adopting a child for the Husky Helping House to ensure that this child has a joyous holiday season.  I will be sending home a letter on Monday requesting your support.  You may sign up to buy an item or donate money.  Please respond to this letter no later than Wednesday and enclose your donation should you choose to donate money, so I can organize the child’s wish list to assign families items to buy by this coming weekend.  All gifts are due no later than December 10^th!  This is such a cool event and the kids really get into it each year, so please consider contributing if you can.

 

Girls’ Night Out
Last chance to sign up!  Girls’ Night Out will take place this Friday afternoon from 2:30-4:00pm.  I ask that you please send your money in no later than Wednesday so I will know how many girls to order pizza for.  The girls may bring pajamas that day to change into after school so they will be comfy as we watch our movie and chow down on pizza!

 

Harmony Food Drive
We will continue to collect cans for the annual Harmony Food Drive.  Please send in canned goods and other non-perishable items.

 

BOB
Please encourage your child to keep reading those BOB books so they will be successful competitors in the Battle of the Books competition come February!  You can support their comprehension by discussing what the books and asking them to tell you about their reading each night.

 

Upcoming Tests
Measurement Quiz on Friday over converting between measures in the same system (U.S. customary and metric)

 

Here’s what we’ll be learning this week!

Social Studies:  Recently, we have learned about the first English colonies in the New World.  Now we will delve a little deeper to explore characteristics of the 3 colonial regions of the 13 original colonies.

Math:  This week kicks off a new unit on fractions and mixed numbers.  It is going to move fast because the kids should have some background knowledge from 3^rd and 4^th grade.   We will be learning to calculate the fractional part of a whole, compare and order fractions, find equivalent fractions, and how to make fractions into decimals.

Word Study:  I plan to use this time to review the systems of measurement and how to convert between various measures within the same system.  Learning the root meanings of words such as centimeter, millimeter, and kilometer will help the kids a lot.

Reading:  This week we will work in guided reading groups to utilize comprehension strategies as we read common texts.

Writing:  Students will learn to support their thinking on extended response questions using support taken from a reading passage.

Week of November 12-16

Hello, parents!  Sorry I didn't update last week.  Please read below for lots of information.  I've also added some photos of the plant and animal cells the kids made out of Play-Doh during our units on cells.

Plant Cell #1

 Animal Cell #1

 Animal Cell #2

 Plant Cell #2

Boys’ Night Out

This Friday is Boys’ Night Out from 2:30-4:00pm.  Thank you to those who signed up as proceeds go directly to our classroom budget!   If you have not signed up and would like to please send in your $25 no later than Wednesday.  I need to be sure I have enough pizza, drinks, and candy for all.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Please remember that I am holding parent-teacher conferences again this Tuesday from 2:40-6:00pm.  If you have scheduled to come in, but find you can’t make it, please call the office to cancel.  If you were unable to attend conferences, but would like to schedule a phone conference, please send me an e-mail.

Early Release

This Wednesday is another Early Release Day.  Please make arrangements for a 12:25pm dismissal.  If your child’s transportation will be different than usual, please send in a note.

Food Drive

Harmony has once again begun our annual food drive.  Please send in canned foods and non-perishable items to help donate food to families in need this holiday season.

Viewing of “Squanto”

Next Tuesday, November 20^th, we will be hosting a viewing of the movie “Squanto” in the afternoon.  This film goes along perfectly with our curriculum and the Thanksgiving holiday.  Students are invited to bring water, a snack, and a pillow for the show which we will watch in the library. 

BOB

The Battle of the Books competition (BOB) has officially begun!  There are 10 books which we are encouraging the children to read between now and February to compete in a school-wide reading comprehension competition.  Students who read 7 or more books will also have the opportunity to take the district test and possibly compete at the district level this spring!  Please encourage your child to take an active role in the BOB competition.  It’s a fantastic way to get kids excited about reading!

Upcoming Tests

Division Test on Tuesday

Read below to see what we’re learning this week.

Social Studies:  We will be learning about the first colonies in the New World, why some were successful, while others weren’t, and how the colonists adapted to and governed themselves in the new environment.

Math:  We will shift our focus from division to measurement and conversions.  You can support your child at home by helping him/her learn basic conversions in both the customary and metric systems.  Example, 1 foot = 12 inches, 1 meter = 100 cm

Word Study:  Correlating to our reading lessons, this week, we will be working on learning roots for measurement words such as centi, milli, etc. to better aquaint kids with the measurement system.

Reading:  This week’s focus will be Greek and Latin roots.  It is our intention to teach the kids how many new words can be decoded using Greek and Latin roots.

Writing:  We have been working hard to learn how to craft opinion pieces and express opinions through writing.  This week the kids will be learning how to complete an opinion piece “on demand.”  This means I will teach them how to take a prompt, analyze it, and write either a letter, article, or essay that clearly expresses their opinion within a 30 minute time frame.

Week of October 29-November 2

I hope everyone had a safe and restful Fall Break!  We are approaching a very busy time of year filled with the election, progress reports, conferences, and of course, the holidays!  Read below for information about what's coming up.

 

Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week is an excellent tradition of teaching kids to be drug-free.  During this week we talk to the kids about the importance of saying no to smoking and peer pressure.  We teach them the importance of motivation and goal setting.  During this week, each day will have a different theme. 

Monday:  Wear school colors!

Tuesday:  Wear your favorite college, university, trade school, or military attire!

Wednesday:  Dress for success!  (business-like dress)

Thursday:  Dress for your future career!

Friday:  Wear red for Red Ribbon Week!

 

Pennies for Patients

This year, as a part of our Red Ribbon Week theme "Believe, Achieve, Succeed - Healthy!" we will also be collecting change to donate towards a children who suffer from Leukemia and Lymphoma.  Please send in any loose change you find.  The class who collects the most change will not only help sick children, but will also earn a pizza party!

 

Progress Reports

Progress reports will come home next Wednesday, November 7th.  Please check the Wednesday folder, review the progress report with your child, and sign and return the envelope.

 

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Please call the office at your earliest convenience to schedule parent-teacher conferences.  I will be holding conferences on Thursday, November 8th from 2:40-6:00pm and Tuesday, November 13 from 2:40-6:00pm.  It is my goal to meet with a parent for each child, but if you are unable to attend, please notify me personally to schedule a phone conference.

 

Election

This week we will spend our social studies time focusing on learning about the upcoming presidential election as well as the election process.  On Monday, November 5th, our students will host their own school-wide election with 2 5th graders representing the presidential candidates.  In preparation for the election our 5th graders will also be campaigning this week!  It should be an exciting and fun learning experience!

 

Here is what we are learning this week!

Social Studies:  With Election Day right around the corner, students will begin learning about elections from who has the right to vote to where the candidates stand on important issues.

Math:  We will continue to explore division of whole numbers and we will learn to divide with 2-digit divisors.  Keep practicing those math facts!

Word Study:  Students will learn to break down words into root words, suffixes, and prefixes to further their knowledge of the English language.

Reading/Writing:  Our focus this week will be on reading opinion pieces and learning to communicate our opinions through our writing.  This will also be tied in with our election plans as we ask the kids' opinions on election topics.

Science:  This week we will study plant and animal cells, their parts, and their functions.



Week of October 15-19

Husky Hustle
Many, many thanks to all those who donated money for the Husky Hustle!  Our class won the competition for raising the most money (over $2,000!) and therefore, we get a new iPad for our classroom!  Not only that, but all funds raised will go toward purchasing a class set of iPads to be housed in the library and checked out by teachers for classroom use!  I am so proud of all the kids who were so enthusiastic in this venture and helped us raise so much money for our school!

Harmony Harvest
Many thanks also to those who attended the Harmony Harvest on Friday evening!  I was there with my own kids and it was a blast!  If you were unable to attend, but still would like to sign up for one of my class auctions (Boys' Night Out or Girls' Night Out) please let me know.  The cost is $25 and it's not too late to sign up.

Fall Break
Fall Break is right around the corner!  Please remember that this week is only a 4 day week.  We will not have school on Friday.  I hope you all have a safe, fun, and restful break!  I know you've earned it!

Signed Tests
Please remember to sign and return your children's tests.  I am always careful to send them home on Wednesdays, so you'll know what day to be on the lookout.  This is one of the best ways I can communicate with you regularly regarding grades.

Riverside, Farnsley-Moremen Landing
Thursday's field trip was a HUGE success!  The kids had a blast and showed so much learning through their oral and written reflections!  Below are several pictures to show you what our day was like!  More pictures should be available on the facility's website in about a week at www.riverside-landing.org.  Just use the code HarmonyE1011201.

 Listening to the archeologist prior to the dig...

Kids digging and sifting through the dirt for artifacts!

 Listening to the speaker at the brick-making station.

 Brick making!

Here's what's coming up this week in our classroom.
Social Studies:  This week we will examine the motives and reasons for European exploration as the kids reenact an archeological dive for artifacts!
Math:  Our new unit on division begins this week with a focus on estimating and dividing by 1-digit divisors.
Word Study:  We will explore the various verb tenses as well as how and when they should be used.
Writing:   My goal this week is for everyone to type and publish their feature articles on a historical person of interest.
Reading:  This week we will analyze our reading notebooks and reflect on why we've been reading about so many Renaissance thinkers.



Native American Cultural Region Dwellings & Murals

Below you will find pictures of the kids working hard on their Native American cultural region dwellings as well as the finished product of their dwellings and murals for each region!  The kids worked so hard and all that hard work really paid off!  Ask your child about why each region had different dwellings and hopefully they will be able to tell you all about it!  :o) 

 

 

 California-Intermountain Range

Eastern Woodlands



 

Great Plains

 

Northwest Coast

 

Plateau

 

Southeast

 

Southwest

Week of October 8-12

This week is a big one!  It’s our last week to collect donations for the Husky Hustle!

Husky Hustle

Don’t forget about the Husky Hustle coming up on October 12^th!  This is an exciting and fun fundraiser where the kids collect donations from family and friends to raise money for our school.  The money goes to sponsor them as they participate in a walking/jogging event during Related Arts on October 12^th.  Our class is off to a phenomenal start and the class who collects the most money wins an iPad for their classroom!  Please encourage and support your child in collecting money for this exciting event, but please make sure they are not going door-to-door collecting money unless it is from people they know.

Harmony Harvest

Also occurring this Friday, October 12^th is the annual Harmony Harvest!  The event takes place from 6-9pm and includes carnival games, inflatables, face painting, food and drinks.  I will be attending with my two little boys in tow!  I hope to see you there!

Harmony Harvest Auction Items

There will also be teacher auctions at the Harvest.  If you would like your child to attend Boys’ Night Out or Girls’ Night Out with myself and Mr. Tilley, please sign up at the Harvest with a classroom donation of $25.  These two events will take place after school and will include pizza, drinks, and fun activities!

Riverside, Farnsley-Moremen Landing

Please dress your child appropriately for our field trip on Thursday, October 11^th.  We will be digging in dirt to experience what it’s like to do an archeological dig and we will be outside most of the day.

Math Facts

I cannot stress enough the importance of regular math facts practice.  I still see students making mistakes in larger problems due to inaccuracy with their basic facts.  Please work with your child daily on his/her basic facts.  This can include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  Practice can be done orally, on the computer, or by writing out problems.

Upcoming Tests

Weekly Math Facts Quiz

Preposition Quiz on Wednesday

Math Test on Friday (A study guide will come home this Tuesday.)

This Week’s Learning Plan

Social Studies:  This week we will continue to study Native American cultural regions and how the natives adapted using the natural resources around them.

Math:  This week’s focus will be a review of addition, subtraction, estimation and multiplication of whole numbers and decimals.  We will also review place value a little as well as the concepts of mean, median, mode, range, maximum, and minimum which have also been incorporated into this unit.

Word Study:  We will continue to learn about prepositions and how to use them correctly this week, and we will then explore appropriate verb tense toward the end of the week.

Writing:  This week we are collecting information and drafting feature articles about famous historical people, many of which we’ve been studying over the past few weeks.

Reading:  Students will listen to stories about da Vinci and Galileo and compare and contrast the stories as they explore the accurate and fictional portrayals of these people through non-fiction and historical fiction.  The goal if for the children to see that history can be learned through fiction as long as we can track that which is accurate and that which is fictional.

Happy October!  Can you believe it’s October already?  We have a busy and exciting month coming up!  Please read below for further information.

Husky Hustle

As you already know, the Husky Hustle is coming up on October 12^th!  This is an exciting and fun fundraiser where the kids collect donations from family and friends to raise money for our school.  The money goes to sponsor them as they participate in a walking/jogging event during Related Arts on October 12^th.  Our class is off to a phenomenal start and the class who collects the most money wins an iPad for their classroom!  Please encourage and support your child in collecting money for this exciting event, but please make sure they are not going door-to-door collecting money unless it is from people they know.

Harmony Harvest

Also occurring on October 12^th is the annual Harmony Harvest!  This is another fun and exciting event that raises money for the school!  I will be there with my own children and I’d love to see everyone there!  The even takes place from 6-9pm and includes carnival games, inflatables, face painting, food and drinks.  There will also be teacher auctions at the event.  If you would like your child to attend Boys’ Night Out or Girls’ Night Out with myself and Mr. Tilley, please sign up at the Harvest with a classroom donation of $25.  These two events will take place after school and will include pizza, drinks, and fun activities!

Riverside, Farnsley-Moremen Landing

Our field trip to Riverside will take place on October 11^th!  Thanks to all who volunteered to chaperone!  If you were not contacted to be a chaperone (space is limited), don’t worry, other opportunities will arise.  :o)

Upcoming Tests

Math Facts Quiz on Wednesday

Preposition Quiz on Friday

What We’re Learning this Week

Social Studies:  Native American cultural regions will be the topic at hand as we read about and discuss how Native Americans in different parts of America adapted to their environment and created a life for themselves using the natural resources around them.

Math:  This week’s focus will be estimation and multiplication of whole numbers and decimals.

Word Study:  Prepositions will be the topic of discussion as we learn what prepositions are and how to use them correctly.

Writing:  We will begin exploring how to create feature articles about inventors and Renaissance people we’ve been studying over the past few weeks.

Reading:  Students will read a short story called Leonardo’s Wings, a historical fiction story to help them learn more about Leonardo da Vinci while also learning about the elements of a story including setting, characters, and plot.

Poetry Readings ~ 9/21/12

Below you will find readings of poems from the book Joyful Noise:  Poetry for Two Voices by the kiddos.  These readings were done after much practice and discussion over what characteristics make a fluent reader.  They were not easy poems to read because not only did the kids have to use inflection, rhythm, and read the words correctly, they also had to time it so they're reading was synchronized.  At times, you'll notice they were supposed to even read different lines simultaneously. I was very impressed with their efforts to read these poems fluently!

Fireflies by Wade & Steve

The Moth's Seranade by Ian & Ayush

Book Lice by Hana & Addie

House Crickets by CJ & Daniel

Mayflies by Emma & Karlee

Requim by David & AJ

Crysalis Diary by Breanna & Avery

Water Boatmen by Amber & Quinn

Grasshoppers by Spencer & Sam

Whirligig Beetles by Aidyn & Hannah

This final video is a class reading of the poem, Eletephony.
Class Reading of Eletephony

Week of September 24-28

MAP Testing

This week the kids will finish up MAP testing to assess their language skills.  The test will take place Thursday morning.  I will use this data to inform my teaching of each individual child and I will be happy to share with you your child’s MAP scores at parent-teacher conferences in November.

Husky Hustle

The Husky Hustle is fast approaching and many students are already out collecting donations!  Please encourage and help your child to collect donations to sponsor them as they walk in the annual Husky Hustle October 12 during Related Arts.  The donations this year will be going towards purchasing a class set of iPads to be shared school-wide and the class who collects the most donations wins an iPad for their classroom.  Please support Harmony and your child as he/she looks for sponsors.

Upcoming Tests

Social Studies Test on the First Native Americans and Their Land this Friday

Please go to http://www.tutorial.historyalive.com/ to study.

Here is what we're learning this week...

Social Studies:  This week we will be learning about the first inhabitants of the Americas and the various theories of their migration.  We will also explore the life of the Inuit tribe, a group of Natives living in the Arctic region.

Math:  A new unit on computation will begin this week as we learn to estimate, add, and subtract whole numbers and decimals.

Word Study:  We will explore the use of conjunctions to make complete sentences.

Reading:  We will begin reading about and taking notes on famous Renaissance artists and inventors as studnets learn how to gather information from multiple sources.

Writing:  Renaissance thinkers will also be the theme for writing as we explore how painters told stories through their painting and write about the works of different Renaissance artists.

Week of September 17-21

What's Happening in Mrs. Whitley's Class

Field Trip Forms for Riverside, Farnsley-Moremen Landing

If you have not already returned your field trip form and money for the trip to Riverside, Farnsley-Moremen Landing on October 11, please do so at your earliest convenience.  The cost is $14 and it is a fabulous field trip that is unforgettable.  The kids will have the opportunity to tour a historic Kentucky home, create their own brick, and participate in an actual archeological dig!

Room Mom Correspondence

Last call!  If you would like to receive correspondence from our room mom, Beth McBride, please send her your name and e-mail address at captainmcb@aol.com. She is sharing the job of room mom with Liann Moeller. I'm lucky to say that we will have 2 wonderful ladies helping out this year!

U.S. Regions

As we wrap up our unit on the 5 regions of the United States, if you have any paraphernalia from any U.S. region (postcards, pictures, souveniours) that your child would like to share, please feel free to send it in. 

MAP Testing

This week the kids will participate in MAP testing to assess their skills in math and reading.  The tests will take place Monday and Friday morning.  I will use this data to inform my teaching of each individual child and I will be happy to share with you your child’s MAP scores at parent-teacher conferences in November.

Upcoming Tests:

Weekly Facts Quiz:  Please keep practicing those math facts!  I promise it will make all the difference if the kids know their facts!

Word Study Quiz over Homophones on Friday!  A list of commonly misused homophones will be in your child’s agenda.

Math Quiz over Place Value (whole numbers and decimals) on Wednesday

This Week's Learning Plan

Social Studies:  This week we will wrap up our study of the 5 major regions of the United States and at the end of the week we will begin studying the first inhabitants of North America.

Math:   As our unit on place value comes to an end, we will have short quiz Wednesday and then we will precede into a unit on mathematical operations with whole numbers and decimals.

Word Study:  Homophones will be the major focus of this week’s word study.  You will find a list of commonly misused homophones in your child’s agenda this week. 

Writing:   We will continue learning how authors play with words as we write our own poems and very short narratives using idioms, figurative language, and interesting word choice.

Reading:  Fluency is this week’s focus as we practice reading aloud poetry and even break into pairs to do 2-person readings from a collection of poems called Joyful Noise: Poetry for Two Voices.