Mr. Williams 5th Grade

5-23-11

2011-05-23T15:17:00.000-07:00

PTA/Room Moms - Thanks for the lunch! All the other teachers were jealous...

MATH: Students worked on taking four UCUTIPS Math tests online today. We'll finish them tomorrow. I also handed out a 5 page (each double-sided) packet and asked students to finish 5-1 through 5-5 by Wednesday. I'll give lots of time in class to work on it so I can help them out with things they're not sure of. The rest of the packet is due this Friday.

ART: I taught how to do circles using string art. It's hard for kids, but many were able to get it. My class will be teaching other classes how to do string art, so we're practicing diligently to get it down.

5-17-11

2011-05-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

SHOWERS & DEODERANT: Today there were several students who really stunk. I'm sorry, but it was pretty bad! Please remind your adolescent kids to take a shower daily and use deoderant. They're playing hard at school and home, and their sweat glands are kicking in big time! It's life. When I get 29 kids in a room, it can become a little much for everyone.

BEHAVIOR: Student behavior usually deteriorates around this time. I've been in the hall with students about inappropriate comments, being off-task, & other behavior issues several times. It's normal. I never get mad, but try to emphasize consequences of interrupting the learning of other students. Hope I don't have to call parents in at this time of year, but it may happen. Please emphasize the importance of continued learning until school lets out. I'm still teaching!

SCIENCE: Science CRT testing will take place this Thursday during track times. My class will be combined with another class which will give us more than 40 students during track times. Because of this, I've asked eight students to switch from Track 1 to Track 2 time this Thursday only. The students who were asked to switch this day are student numbers 1, 3, 7, 8, 18, 25, 26, and 29. If your student is one of these numbers, I'm expecting them to come during Track 2 time on Thursday, May 19th. Sorry about any inconvenience!

MATH: Two-sided worksheet assigned, due tomorrow. We worked on it during class, and most got done. Ask to see it and find out if they really understand it.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students took UCUTIPS tests with partners in preparation for CRTs. The Autobiographies are due this Friday. I've been telling students this for over two weeks. They know and should be done or almost there.

Spelling Packet #30 due tomorrow.

SOCIAL STUDIES: I gave enough time for everyone to finish their timelines today. I believe almost everyone got done and attached them to the bottom of their posters. Any not done now have to be completed at home. Our Wax Museum is on Friday and posters will be taped up in the gym by noon. No more time will be given at school to work on the Great American Hero project. Parents are welcome to visit the Great American Hero Wax Museum this Friday from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m. No charge!

ART: We're learning all about the 1970s fad, string art. Students have been taught how to do angles and circles. They were asked to come up with a design tonight that could be their string art project tomorrow. Can't wait to see the designs they come up with!

5-15-11

2011-05-16T15:28:00.001-07:00

TESTING: Thursday bright and early @ 8:00 a.m. for Track 1. We'll be taking Science Section I during track times, and Science Section II from 1-2:15 p.m. PLEASE DON'T MISS CLASS ON THURSDAY!

MATH: I taught Chapter 12 Concept 3 today - using inverse operations to solve for variables. It was a difficult lesson, and I'll continue tomorrow. There will be a worksheet coming home tomorrow as homework. We're done with the Math textbook, so please make sure your child turns it in to me ASAP. Thanks!

SOCIAL STUDIES: We will be starting oral presentations of Great American Heroes this Wed. at 9:15 a.m. I'll give students time tomorrow to work on them. They will only have 2-3 min. to do them. It's not a big deal. Students just need to tell the most important things about their GAH. We are also working on timelines in class tomorrow.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We're taking UCUTIPS tests during Power Hour right now.

5-11-11

2011-05-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

MATH: Students took Session II of the CRT. No math homework today.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students are reviewing for CRT tests using UCUTIPS tests during class. They may work with partners to get the highest scores, and I've offered a Homework Pass to each partnership that achieves the highest score for each test. They're really working hard!

MUSIC: Students started this new specialty class today. From what they tell me they will be having a talent show sometime before school ends. Ask your student for details.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students were broken into groups of three (with a few preferring to work alone) to work on end-of-year presentations from WWI to present. They are researching out of our textbook and coming up with a creative and fun way to present the most important information they have learned. Some are doing PowerPoints. Some are doing Reporter on the Scene for their time frame. Some are creating a video re-enactment of parts of their time frame. These will be presented starting on May 23rd.

I think 99% of everyone is done with their posters. We're still working on timelines to attach to the bottom of their posters. They're VERY busy and have no time to goof off. Remember to be looking for costumes for May 20th's Great American Wax Museum.

5-10-11

2011-05-10T15:05:00.000-07:00

FIELD TRIP: We went to the Ft. Douglas Museum and had a tour. We saw guns, uniforms, pictures, canons, tanks, helicopters, etc. The kids seemed to be really interested, and the guide was very informative. He made it clear that war isn't "cool" though it is necessary at times. At 10:30 a.m. we arrived at the Frank Moss District Courthouse. We were lucky enough to be invited to witness two actual court sessions. One man was a repeat drug offender and was sentences to a half-way house for six months on probation. The second defendant had a shaved head, tatooed peace sign on the back of his head, and tattoos from his wrists all the way up below his sleeves. He came into court in jail attire wearing handcuffs and chains. I think it got the kids' attention. He had been in the "pen" for five years and had been arrested again for continued drug dealing and possession of a firearm (illegal for a convicted felon). He looked scary. His trial was put on hold for about 10 days until the prosecutors could get all their evidence together. Our lawyer tour guide was fantastic and answered all the students' questions. Judge Bennion also answered questions after the two hearings. It was great!

We got back to school at 2 p.m. and kids went home at 2:15 p.m. No homework tonight. Just have them get to bed early ready to take Math Session II CRT tomorrow at 9:15 a.m.

5-9-11

2011-05-09T13:57:00.000-07:00

FIELD TRIP TOMORROW: Track 1 Day for all students. Please make sure your 5th grade student is at the school NO LATER THAN 8 a.m. TOMORROW MORNING!

MATH: We did CRT Session I today. No homework. Math Session II tomorrow morning at 9:15 a.m. - please have Track 2 kids at school right on time. Thanks!

LANGUAGE ARTS: New TFK packet handed out. Forty minutes were given to get it mostly done. It's due WEDNESDAY, not on Thursday (as usual).

Spelling: New packet today, due Wednesday.

5-6-11

2011-05-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

MATH: No math today.

SOCIAL STUDIES / LANGUAGE ARTS: We finished up the Great American Hero posters today. I'd say that 95% got done. Anything not finished this week is now homework. No more time will be given in class to get them done. We'll focus on memorizing the 10 facts now. We'll also work in class on making a timeline to attach to the bottom of the posters.

Spelling: Student scored the latest review packet. Grades were very high.

MISC: We took about an hour to make cards for mothers and fathers (for June). It was fun to watch the care they put into what they made. Pretty creative cards were cranked out!

5-5-11

2011-05-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

MATH: Started Chp. 12. Assignment pgs. 697-698 #1-8, 10-23 and p.701 #1-8, 10-17. 19-24. Most students got done during class and understood the concept.

SOCIAL STUDIES / LANGUAGE ARTS: Spent the whole time on Great American Heroes. Posters are to be done by the end of tomorrow. Most are finishing up and are working on their own autobiographies now.

P.E.: We practiced kickball against Mrs. Hill's class and came of victorious! Our class does well with teamwork!!!

5-4-11

2011-05-04T15:24:00.000-07:00

MATH: Many students hadn't completed their homework worksheets. I informally assessed where they were in understanding ratios, and decided that the majority of them would be able to do well on the Chp. 11 Test. We'll see...

SOCIAL STUDIES / LANGUAGE ARTS: Great American Hero posters, again. Students had a full two hours today. I'd say that about half will be completely done by tomorrow (Thursday). They are due Friday. Students getting done were told to work on this week's Time for Kids packet, then type up their Autobiographies, and if they got all of that done, they could research another GAH and create a slide show to present to the class. I kept them VERY busy.

5-3-11

2011-05-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

MATH: Handed out two double-sided review worksheets on ratios. My afternoon sub helped students work on them, and anything not finished was homework.

SOCIAL STUDIES / LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were given about an hour to work on the Great American Hero posters. We had to take an hour to finish the Mother's Day projects. Time was given to work on the Spelling Packets.

5-2-11

2011-05-04T15:19:00.000-07:00

MATH: No math today. We worked on special secret Mother's Day gifts that took the whole math time.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students were given two full hours to work on their Great American Hero posters.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Worked on GAH stuff. Spelling Packet (review) went home. It's due Wednesday.

4-28-11

2011-04-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

MATH: I reviewed fractions, decimals, and percentages using a game format. We did this the whole time, and it was fun! (Thanks to Mrs. Burraston who volunteered to run the show for 20 minutes before lunch.) No homework tonight. Tomorrow we'll go over the same material again and again until they get it. It's sinking in.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students worked on their Autobiographies during Power Hour. I decided to stop their stories at High School graduation. We need to start spending time reviewing for end-of-year tests.

Spelling test tomorrow over week #35 words (National Parks). Remind kids to capitalize them.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students were printing their 10 facts, cutting them out, and gluing them to construction paper matting for placement on their posters. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR 5TH GRADE STUDENT HAS A REGULAR POSTER (not the 3 sided science fair ones) BY MONDAY! Tomorrow I'll teach them how to use the grid drawing system to draw their hero pictures. ALL STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO HAVE A PICTURE OF THEIR HERO TODAY, BUT MANY DIDN'T DO THEIR HOMEWORK! Therefore, we couldn't start today. I'm showing the drawing technique tomorrow, ready or not. Please see the "Social Studies" link on the Student side of my website to know the deadlines.

GRAMMAR: Students completed and turned in a double-sided worksheet (#5 & #6). This taught differences between homonyms like pain/pane, doesn't/don't, hear/here, etc. I'll grade them tomorrow.

4-27-11

2011-04-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

MATH: Students made a booklet with hundreds charts converted to fractions and to decimals. It took the whole time to complete about 14 of them. We'll practice converting between them tomorrow. No homework tonight.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Half the students took some online tests to practice for the end-of-year testing. The other half worked on their Autobiographies, creating memories for future junior and senior high school years. Some students don't write a whole lot in class and will therefore need to write at home to not get behind.

Spelling Packets are due tomorrow.
TFK Packet is due tomorrow.

4-26-11

2011-04-26T14:40:00.000-07:00

MATH: Check out the percentage/fraction/decimal table on p.670. I had students copy it into their Math Journals. (Of course there were a few who just didn't want to do that, so they won't be able to use it on test day. As your child to see his/her Math Journal to see if s/he copied it. No Math Journals are left at school, so they should have them.) We practiced finding percentages of numbers to get ready for today's homework assignment. It was a difficult lesson for many. We practiced the whole math time and I didn't give any time for working on the actual homework assignment. Therefore, I reduced the homework assignment: p.671 #1-5, 7-10. We'll see how many understood it and go from there.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Yesterday we created lists of memories: pre-school years (0-5 years old) and school years (Kindergarten - 5th grade). Today we used those lists to write several paragraphs of these memories. They must write a minimum of one paragraph each for those two time eras. Most students wrote several paragraphs for each time era. Each paragraph should highlight one memory.

Tomorrow we start creating futures! Students will look ahead through crystal balls and see what great things they will accomplish in junior and high schools. Will they excel in a sport? Will they be known for how friendly they are? Will they take classes that help them graduate early and hit college at 16? It's their stories They can create futures that will hopefully turn into reality.

GRAMMAR: I assigned a worksheet "Using the Right Word" pages 3 & 4. I went over all the words (except "aloud" and "allowed"). Most kids got done with 75% of the questions. It's due tomorrow.

SOCIAL STUDIES: PLEASE GET YOUR CHILD A POSTER BOARD FOR THE GREAT AMERICAN HERO PROJECT. (Just the normal size, NOT the three-sided science fair type.) Don't work on the posters at home - there's a special way to put pictures, facts, and captions on. We'll be doing this at school. (Gotta love that, right?)

Students were assigned to find a picture of their Great American Hero and to print it. Please help them find one tonight if they didn't get one printed at school. They will be using a grid system to hand-draw their heroes. Hopefully we can start it on Thursday. Students have also been busy researching their heroes to find 10 interesting or unknown facts. They will be typing them up in about 24 point font size for the facts and the captions.

COMMUNITY CIRCLE: We took time to talk about bullying at Cedar Ridge (again). Most students said they had been bullied here at least once, and many said it happens regularly. We talked about what bullying is, what phrases could be interpreted as bullying, and why this isn't good. I also mentioned that joking around can be considered bullying when it hurts feelings. On the other hand, I told kids that sometimes they just need to stop being so sensitive (get a thicker skin) and not let others have so much control over their emotions.

We also talked about physical violence, even gently shoving. At the end we discussed strategies to use when being bullied: ignore, walk away, tell an adult, say something humorous i.e. Bully: "Your ugly!" Response: "Have you ever looked in a mirror?" or simply saying, "So what's your point?" It was a good discussion and I hope it helps with those who have been calling names, etc.

4-25-11

2011-04-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

MATH: Taught percentage (ratio that is always a fraction of something over 100). We watercolored 100's squares with various percentages and changed them to fractions, reduced the fractions too. Assignment: Worksheet P11-2 / 11-8 (review of Ratios and practice for Percentages). That's it for Chp. 11. (Other stuff isn't required from State Core.) We'll review tomorrow and take the test on Wednesday. I really want to hit Chp. 12 before end-of-year tests. We've done great this year covering all the concepts.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Making a List: I had students get a paper and label the front "Pre-School Years" and the back had "School Years." They were assigned to "brain drain" any memories from birth to Kindergarten and make a list, and then brain drain on K-5th Grade on the back of the paper. We will be writing paragraphs tomorrow about pre-school and school years. After that we will start creating future memories by looking into the next 60 years. Students will tell about their great accomplishments in Jr. High, High School, College, marriage or staying single, what they do for jobs, how they contributed to society and American. The biography will end when they are about 75 or so. It's a fun (and hopefully positive) look ahead and goal setting experience.

TFK ' "The Crisis in Japan" Packet handed out, worked on, and due this Thursday.

LIT LOG: I didn't get them copied yet for this week. Hot off the press for tomorrow!

4-22-11

2011-04-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

MATH: No math today. We worked on very secret Mother's Day projects that took all morning.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were assigned to write the second paragraph of their autobiography - all about the day they were born. It was fun getting on laptops and looking up the meanings of their names. A few names were "location names" and I went into GoogleEarth to show them where their ancestors might have come from. It was fun! Students should now have their Intro and Birth paragraphs written. If not, then they are behind. Next week we get into more life memories and specific details. Students who already have written an autobiography may use them as a reference, but not submit the same piece of writing. I told them that they are now 5th graders and should be able to elaborate more and make better sentences than they did in 3rd or 4th grade.

P.E.: Loooong P.E. today. They went with Mrs. Walker for an hour, then I taught them kickball strategies in the classroom afterward. We then practiced these kickball strategies for about 30 minutes. They really paid attention to what I had taught them and played so intelligently. They were also cheering each other on. It was especially cool to hear them cheering for kids who really need an emotional boost. Some kids who struggle in the classroom can really shine out on the field, and I'm sure a few kids went home today floating on cloud 9.

4-21-11

2011-04-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

NOTE: Tomorrow, students need to come dressed in clothes that can get dirty. We're working on a (secret) art project, and it will be messy.

COUGAR WALK: Registration has begun. Fill out the bright green registration sheet that was sent home yesterday and send a check for $5/child or $25/family to help our class win prizes. Also, help your child get sponsors for the walk-a-thon (aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.). You can even sign up people from where parents work! Let's make this a BIG success!

MATH: Today's lesson was on proportions and equal ratios (1/2 is the same proportion and ratio as 2/4, which is the same as 3/6, etc.). I reviewed how to reduce fractions to lowest terms and how to create equal ratios by multiplying by the equivalent of 1 (for example multiplying a fraction by 2/2 or 3/3 or 256/256). The fractions are equal and in proportion.

Assignment: p.647 #1-9, 11-16 and p.649-650 #1-20.

LANGUAGE ARTS: I read several examples of introductory paragraphs from famous people (Helen Keller, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc.) and talked about the strategies for writing introductory paragraphs. Introductions are not detailed, just general in nature. Students were given time to write the introductory paragraphs for their autobiographies. I'd say 90% of students were successful in writing one or more introductory paragraphs, They will eventually choose one. This is tonight's homework if your child didn't write an intro paragraph.

Spelling Packets were turned in and we played "Spelling Snake." They love this short spelling game!

SOCIAL STUDIES: What a fun day! Students were assigned to study a section of the U.S. History textbook and create a poster of 10 facts and a picture. Posters were taped all over the room and students did a "Silent Gallery Walk." This is where students take clipboards around and write down interesting facts about the topics they didn't study. Tomorrow we will talk about the different topics: Transcontinental Railroad, "Home on the Range," Homesteaders, and the Plains Wars.

4-20-11

2011-04-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

MATH: Students took the Chp. 10 Test today. It was a custom made test; the first five questions were on PERIMETER, questions 6-10 were on AREA, question 11 was SURFACE AREA, and question 12 was on VOLUME. I made the questions very simple and basic and I was surprised that any questions were missed. Most of the students got 100% or missed only one. There was a small handful who missed two or more. I sent home the bubble sheets today. Ask you student to see it, or you can check Skyward to get their Chp. 10 Test score.

We started Chp. 11 today. Student recorded what RATIO means in their Math Journals complete with examples of what "part to whole" ratios are, and what "part to part" ratios are. Tonight, ask you student if s/he can explain what a ratio is. (Example: there are 15 marbles in a bag; three are green, four are blue, and eight are black; the ratio of blue to total marbles is "four to 15" or "4:15" or "4/15." That's "part to whole" ratio. If you ask what the ratio is from black to green marbles, the answer is "8 to 3" or "8:3" or "8/3." That's "part to part" ratio.) We'll be getting into percentages and proportions later this week. Fun, fun, fun!

LANGUAGE ARTS: We are starting to write AUTOBIOGRAPHIES. Students were given interview questions to ask parents about their birth (date, time, place, specific and interesting details), how their name was chosen, etc. Next, they will come up with questions about their toddler years. Be prepared to be asked lots of questions about your 5th grader's childhood!

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students had one last chance to change the Great American Hero they chose yesterday. No more changes after today. We had an assembly today, so there Soc. Studies was very short.

ASSEMBLY: Cougar Walk - May 5th. Students should be bringing home information packets today. Look for the bright green sheets stapled to a large white envelope. Please help support this walk-a-thon by registering each CRE child ASAP ($5 per child, or $25 per family). The class with most registrants wins a party. The class with the most donated baked goods on May 5th get a party, too! Our class wants to win ALL the parties! The kids are REALLY excited! Thanks for you help in signing up sponsors on the white envelope.

4-19-11

2011-04-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

MATH: Reviewed perimeter, area, surface area, and volume. Taught what a triangular prism looks like and how it relates to a rectangular prism (1/2 the volume). Final lesson today was on "Gallon Guy" - the common gallon, quart, pint, and cup measurements. Homework: Create a "Gallon Creature" that shows how the measurements relate to each other. (See "Gallon Guy" in your student's Math Journal.)

LANGUAGE ARTS: A Civil War re-enactor came and talked all about the Civil War.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We worked on the post-Civil War posters that were started yesterday. We'll finish them Wed. and Thu.

4-18-11

2011-04-18T12:34:00.000-07:00

MATH: Reviewed surface area and volume. Handed out worksheet PS 10-3 / PS 10-5. The most difficult part is question #2 on the Volume side. I showed students how to change the side length from number of blocks (unit measurement) to centimeters (length measurement), but I still think there was confusion. I hope to test on perimeter, area, surface area, and volume on Wednesday.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We did a Reader's Theater today called "The Hidden One." Students practiced reading the play several times using voice inflections, speed, and loudness. They really enjoyed the morale of the story for this one.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students were split into small groups to research post Civil War history. Each group will come up with 10 facts for their topic and put them on a 1/2 poster, along with a title and picture. We will then do a "Gallery Walk" where students walk around the room and take notes on what they read on other groups' posters. When done, we'll debrief to see what they learned in their own group and from other groups. This will take most of the week, and all the work will be done in class.

GREAT AMERICAN HERO: Students need to select three people as candidates for the Wax Museum that will take place on May 20th. They will only do ONE of them, but they may not get their 1st choice when I randomly select students to name their hero. Rules: Hero must NOT be alive today. Hero must have helped impact America toward freedom in one way or another. Hero may not be a sports or music figure, unless it can be proven that that person helped make America great. (exceptions: Jackie Robinson, baseball great, broke the white-only barrier for pro-baseball league. Shirley Temple was a child actress and later became a U.S. Ambassador. No to Michael Jordan or Michael Jackson, etc.) Kids wondered about LDS prophets, and the only two allowed will be Joseph Smith (founder of new religion) and Brigham Young (leader in westward expansion). A few students also asked about doing a report on their relatives. If the relatives can be found in a general American History textbook, then the answer is "yes." They are welcome to do a second report on a relative, but not for the Wax Museum.

4-6-11

2011-04-07T06:09:00.000-07:00

MATH: I gave students more time to complete their polyhedron sculptures and calculate the surface areas. No homework tonight (except bring an empty box if one hadn't been brought in the last two days).

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were given time to get on Skyward and check for any missing assignments. I spent time handing out lost papers, etc. and giving time to get caught up. Those who were all caught up wrote more in their Book Jacket stories. TFK is due tomorrow.

TALENT SHOW ASSEMBLY: This lasted about an hour and was really fun to watch! After the assembly I talked about how important it is to not make fun of participants (some were laughing at a few who sang), but to congratulate those who participated. It's takes to get up in front of 1,000 students and perform, and hurting others' feelings isn't appropriate. I overheard several students say, "Nice job!" in the halls later that day to some who had been in the assembly. I also told my class that their talents are just as good and important as those who made it into the assembly. Just because they weren't picked doesn't mean they weren't as good - maybe they were better. But they should NEVER give up on their talents and keep the drive going to do what you enjoy, and give it your all!

P,E.: This specialty started today and will go for about a month.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We watched the last bit of "Gettysburg." Afterwards I read the Gettysburg Address that had been given by Abraham Lincoln. I then put it into 5th grade language so they could really understand what had been said and how it impacts us today.

4-5-11

2011-04-04T17:32:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this Mon. night, as I'll have a sub tomorrow. I'll be at my monthly district "Teaching American History" training at the district all day Tuesday. Following is what I put in the sub plans:

MATH: Students who didn't bring a box today need to bring one tomorrow. We made polyhedron sculptures today using cubes, rectangular prisms, and triangular prisms. Each polyhedron was to have the total surface area measured and recorded. The total surface area of the sculpture was the objective for today. No homework tonight.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Gave students 15 minutes to work on TFK packets. Students started (or continued) their Book Jacket stories and wrote for 30 minutes.

Spelling: Gave about 30 minutes to complete their packets today.

DANCE: Students went to Mrs. Pugmire for dance instruction.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Students were assigned to read pgs. 494-498 and 500-501 in the U.S. textbook and fill out a worksheet: "Matching Words and Their Meanings" / "Thinking About Reconstruction" - all related to the Civil War. This is NOT homework. We'll work some more on it tomorrow.

SCIENCE: Students worked with partners to practice the "Earth Changes" UCUTIPS Test. (This one is different than the Vocab. matching test they were supposed to do last night.)

4-4-11

2011-04-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

M ATH: We stared Chp. 10 today, solid geometry (cubes, rectangular and triangular prisms, cylinders, cones). I had students take graph paper and create "nets" to make cubes and rectangular prisms today. Some students were able to get to pyramids and cylinders today. The prime lesson was on finding the "surface area" of cubes and rectangular prisms (add the different areas of all the sides, top, and bottom). Homework assignment: Bring an empty box to school tomorrow. We'll spend some time finding the surface areas of each others' boxes.

LANGUAGE ARTS: New TFK - "A Nation at War." Packet due Thursday. Gave kids about 30 minutes to get it started. (A few got done today.) Told students to get new Lit Log for this week and to hand in the ones from last week. (Do you just LOVE not having to sign the Lit Logs any more?)

Spelling: Gave a pretest for Week #32. This week is all about "ph" and "gh" words.

SCIENCE: Homework Assignment: Students are to go to UCUTIPS - TESTS on my website and take the Vocabulary - Earth Changes test tonight. They may use their Science Journals for help. I think I haven't taught "deposition," though. I'll cover that tomorrow and not count it on their UCUTIPS Test grade. I also suggested that students practice taking the Science - Changing Earth Test online, too. Right now all the answers show up if they choose wrong. On Friday, when we take the test for REAL, this feature will NOT be available. We're working toward finishing this unit by Friday, before Spring Break.

SOCIAL STUDIES: We watched more of the "Gettysburg" DVD. It's rated PG, and there were a few "D***" and "H***" words in there as the soldiers talked. Students were allowed to read in the hall if they didn't want to watch the DVD. I emphasized that swearing is something I don't do, and that we SHOULDN'T swear.

4-1-11

2011-04-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

APRIL FOOL'S DAY! I started the day with track on doing SSD (Silent Sustained Drawing) instead of SSR (Silent Sustained Reading). If they talked, they were "punished" by having to read. It was fun, and the kids made some pretty great pictures.

After the morning recess, kids were brought back to the classrooms. All 5th grade teachers rotated to another class and informed students that they were their new teachers for the rest of the year. We then administered a math test with questions like, "Twenty boys went swimming. If they each ate three apples, how long were they gone?" and "Teachers bought treats for all of the children. How many treats do they need to buy for two days?" and "Jordan lifted 30 pounds, and then dropped 50. He forgot today was Tuesday, so how many did he lift Thursday?" Most kids figured out it was April Fool's Day and played along.

If you want to play a fun April Fool's Day trick on your kids, tell them that a new type of octopus has been discovered. Then send them to this website: http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

MATH: It was hard getting a REAL test going after the fun we had this morning. I created my own Chp. 9 test, and most students did very well. We'll start Chp. 10 concepts next week and hopefully test on concepts learned next Friday before we have Spring Break.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Just took the Spelling Week #31 Test online.

COMPUTERS: Last day with Mrs. Naugle for the year. (I'm so thankful to have my own lab of computers in my classroom to continue computer skills most every day.)

SOCIAL STUDIES: We have been studying the Civil War, and I showed "Gettysburg" today (rated PG). There were a few "damn" swear words said by the soldiers, and I allowed students to read in the hall if they felt offended. On the whole, I felt that this DVD gave a good portrayal of this pivotal battle.

3-31-11

2011-03-31T14:54:00.001-07:00

WHOOPING COUGH: I was given a pink note to send home today, but didn't get it out to Track 1 in time. (Track 2 was give the note to take home.) It states, "A person attending one of the classes your child attends was recently diagnosed with pertussis. Pertussis (whooping cough) is a contagious disease characterized by cold symptoms such as runny nose and an irritating cough. This infection can be life-threatening in small children..." This note was given to more classes than just mine. I've had 100% attendance in my class for the most part of this week and haven't heard anyone with a cough. Track 1 parents, look for the note tomorrow.

PEAK READERS: Peak Reader Forms are due tomorrow with parent signature on both the front and back. (It is a reading promotion by 7 Peaks.) I sent the notes home at the beginning of March, and students who were responsible enough to clear out their mailboxes daily and gave notes to parents will have done what was necessary to get a 7 Peaks Pass for this summer.

MATH: Students created questions for the Chp. 9 Test. I'll select the ones I want to use and give the test tomorrow. I'm expecting high scores due to the assignment scores I've been seeing.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Gave more time to finish the Book Jackets. From now on they must be finished at home. About 80% got done with the time allotted in class. Next project? Study newspapers online, find out what departments there are (News: local, national, international, Obituaries, Sports, Family Section, Opinion: Letters to the Editor, etc.). Students will become familiar with current events and become a reporter for one of the departments. Many students also began writing stories to go along with their Book Jackets. They're excited to write!

Spelling: Collected packets today. Test on Week #31 tomorrow.

SCIENCE: Taught about the following: uplift, fault lines, earthquakes, and the creation of mountains and valleys with the forces of nature - mostly taking many thousand and millions of years to form.

ASSEMBLY: We watched the 1st Grade assembly that had a patriotic theme. It was fantastic!

DANCE: We had dance today instead of last Tuesday. Mrs. Pugmire had students imitate dance poses from a collage of dancers. There was skipping, running, posing, and just lots of energetic fun!

3-30-11

2011-03-31T06:20:00.000-07:00

MATH: Went over Measurement Packet. Answered questions. Gave a "self-assessment" quiz for students to see what they knew and what they really need to focus on. Chp. 9 Test tomorrow.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We're finishing up the Book Jacket project. They are really looking good! Students are so excited about what they've done. Many now want to write a book that goes along with their summaries. Now, to come up with another fun, motivating reading/writing project,

Spelling - packets are due tomorrow (as usual).

COMPUTERS: Students went with Mrs. Naugle for Computer Specialty. Friday is the last day of Computers for this year. Next Specialty is P.E. which starts April 6th.

3-29-11

2011-03-29T13:20:00.000-07:00

MATH: Worked to finish the Chp. 9 Measurement packet. It was really a great math work time. Students were (unusually) on task, and I was able to help those needing help the WHOLE time. (Was it a dream?) The packet is due tomorrow (must get done tonight at home). Most are already done.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Red group was able to type up their Book Jackets and start on the pictures. Can't wait until they're done and parents get to see them. Students have been very creative with their titles, summaries, and testimonials. I'm going to display them outside the classroom for two weeks and then send them home.

Spelling: Gave 30 minutes to work on packets.

TFK - 10 Most Important Women: Gave 30 minutes to blue group to work on packets.

SOCIAL STUDIES: I reviewed U.S. history timeline from Jamestown to Civil War. I introduced Civil War causes, effects, and events by having students go to www.pocanticohills.org/civilwar/cwar.htm and filling out a worksheet. We discussed the implications of a country dividing, and talked about how this would have affected the future of the United States. No homework.

SCIENCE: None today. Was going to show my slide show on the Colorado Plateau and talk about how the theory of plate tectonics and how they created the Rock Mountains, Great Basin, and Grand Canyon. Will do this tomorrow. (Social Studies was too fun to stop and the kids were really in the mood to learn about the Civil War. Go with the flow...)

3-28-11

2011-03-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Minimal Day today - Students went home early (T1 @ 12:30 p.m., T2 @ 1:45 p.m.).

MATH: Worked on Chp. 9 packets today. They are due Wednesday. The biggest problems seem to be conversion of measurements (inches to feet, feet to yards, miles to yards, etc.) and area of triangles. I wrote out all the conversions which students were asked to copy into their Math Journals. If your child was absent last Thursday or Friday, s/he should get this conversion table from a fellow student. Math Journals are allowed to be use on end of chapter tests.

LANGUAGE ARTS: I taught students how to go into MS Word, change orientation to Landscape. how to change Document Margins, and how to create 2-column format. Red group was able to start creating their Book Jacket by typing in summaries, title, and author. They will hand draw the jacket covers after printing. Blue Group started this week's TFK packet. Blue group gets the laptops tomorrow. New Lit Log handed out. Spelling Pretest for Week #31 given today (silent letters list).

SCIENCE: We partnered on laptops today and I challenged students to do Google searches to find fun and interesting website games, illustrations, and simulations for weathering and erosion. They found some pretty good ones that I'll check out thoroughly and then put on my website.

3-25-11

2011-03-25T13:20:00.000-07:00

MATH: Students brought their measurements of family members (height by feet & inches). We practiced converting to inches. We then talked about why my family has the highest average height (no little kids, all grownups) and why some students had smaller averages (a student was the oldest child in their family and had more shorter children to average in). It was fun! They also broke into groups and measured perimeters of things in the room and converted inches to feet. No homework tonight.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We analyzed book jackets, fronts and backs and determined the main components (title, author name, picture, summary, testimonial, ISBN #, publisher). Students were assigned to create their own book jackets by creating these basic components today. On Monday I will teach students how to use MS Word to make a document landscape format and how to do two columns with spacing for a picture in the left-hand column. Kids were excited about this project. It is due next Friday. I'll give about 30 minutes/day Mon. - Thu. to get done in class. We didn't have time to take Spelling Test #29 today - we'll do it Monday.

SCIENCE: We talked about different layers of the crust, with the oldest being at the bottom and younger layers working their way to the top of the crust. I showed the class geological maps of Utah County with faultlines. Is Cedar Ridge Elementary far enough from the fault lines? Would an earthquake during school affect us? We talked about the implications of an earthquake and what we would need to do to be prepared at home. (Japan's earthquake was brought up and discussed.) What if I-15 became damaged and cars couldn't travel north or south? What if store shelves were emptied of food and water in two hours after the quake? What if... It was a good discussion, and students felt the need to be prepared for an earthquake emergency.

3-24-11

2011-03-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

MATH: Taught about conversions from inches to feet, feet to yards, feet to miles, etc. Handed out a double-sided four sheet packet with practice for the following: conversions, perimeters, area of squares/rectangles/parallelograms. It won't be due until next Wednesday. We'll work on it Monday and Tuesday. (Conversions were difficult for students.) Tonight's homework: measure the height of each member of your family in feet & inches. Bring that list to school Friday where we'll convert to inches and find averages.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We spent most of this time getting on Skyward and finding missing assignments, handing out replacement worksheets, and working on current assignments (TFK, Spelling, etc.). Students also had time to finish the 3rd revision of "Where Am I?" on UtahWrite. So many students are getting above 100% lately!

CELEBRATION: We had a one hour celebration for those who had no missing assignments. Those who needed more time to catch up went to a Study Hall.

SOCIAL STUDIES: I put three new Civil War websites under the Social Studies link. Students had time to peruse them and see what's new and discover information about this war.

3-23-11

2011-03-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

ROOFTOP: Mr. Brunner spent the day on the rooftop today as a reward for students achieving a huge amount of Math Minutes. He threw out candy to students and they thoroughly enjoyed watching him sit and dangle his legs over the roof edge. We was up there from 7:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. We love our principal!

MATH: Graded yesterday's assignments and did question/answer session. Today's assignment was a review for the test this Friday:
p.585 Sections 9-5 & 9-8
p.586 Sections 9-9 & 9-10

LANGUAGE ARTS: Red Group worked on UtahWrite and Blue Group worked on finishing TFK. Those who were already done were given a review of Parts of Speech worksheet. Everyone will get it tomorrow and it's due Friday. (I've never had so may high scores in UtahWrite in one days as we had today!) I also gave about 20 minutes for students to finish Spelling Packets which are due tomorrow.

COMPUTERS: Students have been going to Computers with Mrs. Naugle every Wed. and Fri. I don't believe there is every homework in Computers.

3-22-11

2011-03-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Picture Day was today - I had it down for Thursday. I guess the date was changed and I wasn't aware. I didn't see a note from the office go home, either. So sorry. There's always retakes...

MATH: Taught how to find the area of parallelograms and triangles. Parallelogram areas are figured the same as rectangles, length X width. Triangles are simply 1/2 of the parallelogram formula (1/2 X Base X Height). This is because you can make any triangle into a parallelogram by duplicating it and attaching it to the first triangle. Assignments:
p.553 #1-7
p.555 #1-7

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were given 15 minutes of SSR, which they absolutely love. Taught prefix co-, meaning "together" or "with." Examples: comingle, coauthor, coeducation. Taught prefix en-, meaning "cause to be" as in enslave, encounter, or entangle. Gave time to Blue Group to type revision for "Where Am I" into UtahWrite.com. Red Group was given 30 minutes to work on this week's TFK Thomas Edison Packet. Time was given after lunch to work on Spelling Packets.

SOCIAL STUDIES: A representative from Nystrom Atlas gave a presentation on Social Studies in the afternoon.

3-21-11

2011-03-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

MATH: Started Chp. 9, but there are limited sections that we have to cover for 5th grade core. Today I taught (reviewed) perimeter and area. Circumference of a circle was a new concept and is calculated by Pi (3.14) times the diameter of any circle. Assignments for today (due tomorrow):
p.541 #1-11
p.543-544 #1-7
p.551 #1-11 & 13-14
Most students probably will have Math homework to do tonight. We have 20 minutes of homework time before lunch, and an additional 10 minutes after the Chemistry Assembly this afternoon. Most students were not on task after the assembly so missed out on the extra 10 minutes.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We had SSR for 15 minutes (Silent Sustained Reading), then a lesson on the suffixes -able, -ant, -ent. For the last 30 minutes, half of the class (Red Group) was able to type in a 1st revision of "Where Am I" into UtahWrite.com while the Blue Group worked on this week's TFK packet. New Spelling Packet #29 was handed out. Students were given 20 minutes to work on the Spelling Packet after lunch.

SCIENCE: Mrs. Hill's father is a high school chemistry teacher and gave an amazing chemistry magic show this afternoon! Students were in awe as they witnessed the laws and rules of chemistry.

3-18-11

2011-03-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

SKYWARD: Absolutely everything is graded as of 4 p.m. today. Most students are aware of what they are missing and are working to turn in assignments.

NOTE: Missing Science assignments for Heredity (Mrs. Hill) will not be accepted after next Wednesday, March 23rd.

MATH: Students took the Chp. 6 Test. Scores were very good on the whole, an improvement from Chp. 8. No homework for the weekend, as usual.

LANGUAGE ARTS: States & Capitals Test was taken online today. Most scores were in the 90's, but a few want to retake it next Friday. Students also were given time to type in their "Where Am I" essay into UtahWrite.com, first draft. Third draft is due by next Friday, March 25th. Spelling Test #28 was also taken online today with most scores very high. We finished the "Forms of Adverbs" worksheet handed out last Wednesday.

SCIENCE: Parts of a volcano were taught using a cutaway picture from Internet. Students sketched the diagram and watercolored it. Students also finished watercoloring their landforms pictures today.

3-17-11

2011-03-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

MARCH MATH MADNESS CONTEST: We were the 5th grade winning class! Students were able to eat lunch, play at recess, then enjoy root beer floats in the gym provided by Mrs. Oler and crew. Thanks students and volunteers who provided the time & effort to make this happen!

MATH: I taught three mini-lessons today: 1) p.360 Congruent & Similarity, 2) p.364 Transformations, and 3) p.368 Symmetry. Today's assignment: practice test on pgs.380-381 #1-28 EC #29-31. This is due tomorrow. We'll grade it as a class, go over any questions, then hopefully take the REAL chp. 6 test, depending on how long the review is.

I've been giving small point quizzes to determine where students are struggling in fractions. Quiz #3 (given yesterday) showed a major lack of understanging: adding and subtracting mixed numbers. I'm going to review this tomorrow to help them get it down for end-of-year tests and to get ready for 6th grade.

LANGUAGE ARTS: I gave them a new prompt titled, "Imaginary Place." In www.utahwrite.com it's called "Where Am I." Students were given 40 minutes to write their response. We'll type in the first draft by Monday and have the final revision due next Friday, March 25th. TFK packets were turned in. Spelling packets were also turned in. Spelling test tomorrow, as usual.

SCIENCE: Students were given time to watercolor their sketches of an arch, butte, glacier valley, and river valley. This was a review of how landforms are created, and if they are created suddenly or over thousands of years. I reviewed weathering (breaking up of rocks by wind, water, ice, and earthquakes) and erosion (the movement of earth's surface, whether small or large). These are tough concepts for kids to keep straight.

3-15-11

2011-03-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

MATH: We graded the packet that was due last Friday. It took the whole time. No homework today, as nothing new was taught. Tomorrow's assignment will be out of the textbook, a review of what was on the worksheets.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students took the Spelling Test #27 today that we didn't have time to take last Friday. I assigned a new TFK for this week - "People Power," and handed out a 2 page packet due this Thursday. New Spelling Packet Week #28 handed out also. Students had about 40 minutes to work on these two packets today. Students should have brought home a new Lit Log for this week...

GRAMMAR: I'm focusing on Parts of Speech, as you see on the back of the Lit log. Today's review was on Adverbs. We went through four forms of adverts: time, place, manner, and degree. Examples: We went to the store later (tells time). She turned left (tells place). He hit the ball hard (tells manner or how). They were totally relieved (tells to what degree). Classwork was handed in today.

SCIENCE: I'm teaching "Earth's Changing Surface" concepts. We finished sketching four landforms today and taught the characteristics of arches, buttes, glacier valleys, and river formed valleys. We'll watercolor them on Thursday or Friday. Students also are studying Heredity with Mrs. Hill. The final test is tomorrow, so they should study tonight in prep for the test.

3-9-11

2011-03-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

MATH: Handed out a three paper packet (six sides) that is due Friday by the time students walk into the school in that morning. (I have to be specific, as students think they have Friday to work on the packet. Not so.) I went over any questions page-by-page that students had. We will be working on the packets during Math time tomorrow. Most students finished four or five of the six pages today.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students have a free read 15-20 min./day to get started. Then they work on memorizing the U.S. states and capitals for 10-15 minutes. The rest of the time is given to work on TFK worksheets (2 double-sided pages this week). I'd say 80% finished their TFK worksheets yesterday. Some students decided to work on states & caps instead, though I told them that this wasn't due until March 18th. They knew that TFKs would be homework tonight if they did this.

COMPUTERS: Students began this new specialty this week.

SCIENCE: Quiz on Friday.

3-8-11

2011-03-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

MATH: Students wrote in their Math Journals for a LONG time today. We defined many geometric terms (circles, radius, diameter, polygons, classifying triangles and parallelograms, etc.)! I went over examples of each. There was no homework given. I'm giving the next three days' assignments tomorrow, and students are going to work on it dilligently so we can grade them on Friday. I'm spending extra math time in class to accomplish this.

LANGUAGE ARTS: TFK - Another 2-sided worksheet given today. Only two papers for this TFK due Thursday. I went over all the pages with students and gave them 15 minutes today to work on them. They will have 20 more minutes tomorrow in class to finish all four sides.

SPELLING: I'm not giving time for Spelling in class this week. Students were given the whole packet on Monday and were told it is homework, due this Thursday. I figured it would be easier to spend more time on Math in class and have parents help with Spelling at home. Right?

SCIENCE: Ask your students what assignment they were given today from Mrs. Hill as they studied Heredity.

3-7-11

2011-03-07T13:38:00.000-08:00

MATH: Started Chp. 6 - Geometry. We took copious notes in the Math Journal from the first pages in the chapter. Assignment: pgs. 330-331 #1-20. For this assignment, there are quite a few different correct answers for most of the problems. I will give a quiz tomorrow to see how well students did. I'm also giving a grade if students completed their homework.

LANGUAGE ARTS: New Lit Log sent home today. We started TFKs again this week. One double-sided worksheet was given out today, due this Thursday.

SPELLING: List #27 I stapled all of this week's worksheets together as a packet and all of the kids liked it. They wanted to work on it on their own pace, so these packets are how homework. I'm going to focus on more vocabulary instruction during the normal Spelling time. The packets are due on Thursday, as usual.

SCIENCE: I started teaching our class "Earth's Changing Surface" today. We took notes on weathering and erosion and drew sketches of an arch and butte. Students rotated to Mrs. Hill and had an assignment to color a handout of a horse named "Paint." That is due tomorrow.

3-4-11

2011-03-04T11:54:00.000-08:00

GRADES: I met with many students today and gave them one last chance to get work done and handed in. Many were able to bring "N's" up to a respectable grade. They were reminded that Trimester 3 requires a 100 word essay or 20 cursive sentences consequence for late assignments.

WILLIAMS MALL: This was fantastic! Students had great fun buying and selling items. The last one will be the end of May. Williams Auction coming up next Friday.

MATH: I handed back Chp. 8 Tests and told students they will have quizzes all next week over Chp. 8 concepts to help them see where they are having problems. Students may retake the test starting on Mar. 15th with a note from a parent that students have studied missed problems and are now ready to try again.

3-3-11

2011-03-03T13:45:00.000-08:00

WILLIAMS MALL: This will be tomorrow from 10-10:45 a.m. Students were reminded about this two weeks ago, but I think they forgot. I told them today, so we'll see how it goes.

MATH: We took the Chapter 8 test today. I haven't graded papers yet, and scores will not be on Skyward until next week. I'll send home tests with students tomorrow. FYI: After I teach the daily concept I meet with a small group of students who are still struggling with the homework assignment. I usually have around 2-6 students, the same students every day. If you child did poorly, please suggest they come to the study group when they are turned loose on the homework assignment. I go through the problems one-by-one for as much time as we have before lunch. We will now be going back to Chp. 6 - Geometry.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were given time to type in their rough drafts for "Free Time Activiy" into www.utahwrite.com. 24 used to be 100%, but I've raised the bar to be 26 for Trimester 3. (30 is a perfect score.) Students are doing much better at writing and I'm pleased with their progress.

SPELLING: Several students didn't turn in their Spelling Packets today. The Late Assignment Penalty applies (write 100 word essay or write 20 cursive sentences - see previous blogs for this week). Students will still get full credit for late assignments, but only if accompanied by the penalty paper.

3-2-11

2011-03-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

MATH: Graded Chp. 8 Practice Test from pgs. 514-515. Scores were much lower than expected. I worked through about half of the problems on the board, reminding students that their Math Journals should have the hints and helps they need to work all of these problems. Homework for tonight is to get prepared for the real test tomorrow.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Handed out pgs. 95-96 (one worksheet, double-sided) for students to extract information from the textbook. We will work more on this tomorrow. This is NOT homework, as the textbooks are not allowed to go home.

SPELLING: Packets are due tomorrow, as usual. Remind your 5th grade child that late packets must be accompanied by the 100 word essay or 20 cursive sentences saying, "I will turn in homework on time."

WRITING: Students should be working on their rough draft of "Free Time" writing assignment. Students will have time in class tomorrow to type it into UtahWrite.com.

STORYTELLING ASSEMBLY: This was held today. Two six-grade girls won. They were really amazing!

3-1-11

2011-03-02T13:35:00.000-08:00

NOTES:
1) Lit Log was changed and explained to students. No parent signature needed. Backside will be parts of speech for this month.
2) Late Assignments will be accepted only if accompanied by a 100 word persuasive essay stating why I should accept it late, OR accompanied by the sentence, "I will turn in homework on time" written in best cursive 20 times. EACH late assignment needs to have a unique essay or the sentences attached.
3) Cursive: Students must use cursive for only assignments turned in to me.

Here's what was done today...

MATH: Chp. 8 Practice Test, p.514-515

WRITING: Rough Draft of "Free Time" was started. It needs to be typed into UtahWrite.com by this Friday. We will work on the three revisions next week. Final revision is due 3-11-11.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Worksheets pgs. 91-94 were handed out and worked on (two pieces of paper, both double-sided). This is NOT homework. Students have to use the United States textbook in order to find the answers on the worksheets. About 45 min. given today to work on these.

SPELLING: Second practice sheet was given out.

2-28-11

2011-02-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

LATE ASSIGNMENTS: Students need to have a consequence for turning in late assignments. I just can't reduce their academic grade, though. So, any students turning in late assignments for Trimester 3 will have to do one of the following in order to get full credit: 1) hand in a 100 word explanation in cursive why the assignment was turned in late, or 2) write 20 times, "I will be more responsible." in cursive. Students will be given an additional day to turn in assignments for each day they were sick without having to do either of these requirements.

MATH: No math today. We took the DWA writing assessment this morning.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Students were assigned a new UtahWrite prompt: Describe an activity that you like to do in your free time. Explain what about this activity makes it something you choose to do. Be sure to develop your response fully. Students were given 25 minutes to draft a response on lined paper. They will have more time to cold-write tomorrow (25 minutes). The rough draft is due this Friday, March 4th. Students will be given time in class Wed. and Thu. to type it in to www.utahwrite.com. They will need to have all three revisions done by Mar. 11th.

SPELLING: Week #26

SOCIAL STUDIES: We began memorizing states and capitals today (10 minutes). Students were also given a 2-sided worksheet on the Civil War today. We read out of our U.S. textbook to find the answers. Everyone should have finished, as we had an hour to get done.

2-23-11

2011-02-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

MATH: p.497 #1-29 We're now into multiplying fractions. Fun! Taught basics, to multiply straight across (different from adding/subtracting). Don't need to find LCDs.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Handed out new spelling worksheet. (Two were given out yesterday due to Monday being a holiday).

SOCIAL STUDIES: Taught about the Triangular Trade, how slaves were stolen from Africa and brought to America.

MUSIC: Students went to Miss West for Music.

SCIENCE: Students rotated to Mrs. Hill for Science. The topic is Heredity.

2-22-11

2011-02-24T08:27:00.001-08:00

MATH: P.492 #1-31 Students were allowed to use calculators. I felt it was most important knowing HOW to find the answers.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Worked on Patriotic Challenge #3 (State Project). Studied suffixes in content. Spelling Pretest given Week #25.

STORYTELLING: Whole 5th grade met in the Library and held a grade-level contest. Our two classroom winners did an excellent job!

2-18-11

2011-02-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

MATH: No math today.

STORYTELLING: Thanks to all five who participated. Congrats to the two winners! (I don't post names at all for privacy.) Winners will compete against other 5th grade winners next Tuesday.

LANGUAGE ARTS: Cedar Ridge is putting up a Patriotic Wall in the center hall. My class had the assignment to write a caption for the "Lewis & Clark Expedition" picture. I had students study the Louisiana Purchase (again) and come up with a caption. The best summary will be written on parchment paper, laminated, and put next to the picture on the wall.

SPELLING: Students took Test #23 today. Students know that they can write each missed word 10 times to get 100% on Skyward.

MUSIC: Students went to Miss West for this specialty.

EARTHQUAKE DRILL: We had one today.

2-17-11

2011-02-17T13:18:00.000-08:00

DEADLINES: TFK sheets due tomorrow. www.utahwrite.com assignment due next Wednesday. All assignments (late ones, too) are due no later than 2-25.11.

MATH: p.489 #1-13 Review of the past few lessons. I decided not to give the quiz today, as students were not prepared. More practice needed...

LANGUAGE ARTS: We worked on suffixes -ment, -ness, - ion, and -tion.

STORYTELLING: Those competing need to be prepared to tell their stories tomorrow.

SPELLING: Test tomorrow.

Wednesday, 2-16-11

2011-02-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

GRADES: I had all students get on laptops and check their grades. Many were scrambling to get missing assignments done, and I was busy adding grades to Skyward as assignments came rolling in. We were very busy today!

MATH: p.479 #1-10 Yesterday we worked on adding mixed numbers having fractions with unlike denominators. Today was similar, but changing the operation to subtraction. It was challenging due to the borrowing factor. Here's a simple example:

5 1/3
- 2 2/3

You can't take 2/3 away from 1/3. You have to borrow one pie from the 5 pies, making it 4 pies. The borrowed pie is still there, but is renamed to 3/3. That 3/3 pie has to be added to the 1/3 pie, making the top mixed number in the equation 4 4/3. The amount of pie is still the same, but has been renamed to enable the subtraction of the 2/3 in the bottom mixed number. Here's how the equation looks now:

4 4/3
- 2 2/3

We can now subtract. 4 - 2 is 2. 4/3 - 2/3 is 2/3. The final answer is 2 2/3. (Students also determine if the final answer can be simplified. In this case, it is already in simplest form.)

This concept gets even more fun when the fractions in the mixed numbers have unlike denominators. Students then have to make a t-chart to find the LCD (Lowest Common Denominator) and then convert the fractions to have the LCD. Then, depending on the problem, there is borrowing. Only after that is done can they subtract.

I told students today that I am giving a quiz tomorrow on adding and subtracting mixed numbers with unlike fractions. It will be worth 6 points and give me a good indication on how students are understanding. I asked them to do WHATEVER IT TAKES tonight to understand these concepts in preparation for the quiz.

LANGUAGE ARTS: We concluded our study of the suffixes -less, -ful, and -able today. Students should be able to tell you what a suffix is, and what a "root" word is. Students who are participating in the Storytelling competition were allowed to work on their stories during L.A. time and can do so tomorrow, too.

ASSEMBLY: Today students went to an assembly on Courage. Mr. Brunner showed a slide show demonstrating how to be courageous when fearful and related it to elementary school.

Tuesday, 2-15-11

2011-02-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

MATH: p.475 #1-10 (did this in class with students) p.477 #1-5, 7-10 I worked problems #1-5 with students in class. That's all we had time for after teaching the lesson. Today's lesson is tricky, multiple stepped problems. Ask to see problems #1-5 to see how we were doing it in class.

The lesson was on adding/subtracting mixed numbers with unlike fractions. The fractions have to be changed to the LCD (lowest common denominator) then added/subtracted. If that's not hard enough, students then need to reduce the final answer to lowest terms. They have been practicing reducing to lowest terms for about a week, so most students know what to do.

STORYTELLING: This is an optional assignment. Students who wish to compete for classroom winner must be prepared to tell his/her story this Friday, Feb. 18th. They may use minimal costumes/props and may tell the story with a partner. Most of it should be memorized, but it's allowed to use the actual book or keywords on cards - AS LONG AS STUDENTS ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THEIR STORY! No cold reads on Friday, please! Class winners compete for 5th grade winner next week. That winner goes on to school-wide competition.

DEADLINES: ALL ASSIGNMENTS FOR TRIMESTER 2 ARE DUE FRIDAY, 2-25!!! I'll be grading papers tonight and getting most (if not all) grades in by 10 p.m. Tomorrow I'm having kids get on Skyward and check what they are missing. I'm encouraging them to get things done ASAP.

Here are other deadlines coming up soon.

TFK - Migration: due this Friday, 2-18 (nothing late accepted on this one)
"Great Weekend" www.utahwrite.com: due Wednesday, 2-23 (final revision in place by 2-22)
Invention Project: due Wednesday, 2-23
Patriot Challenge Activity #3: due Friday, 2-25

SPELLING: Week #23 "Parts of the Body" Lots of words they have no understanding what they are or what they do. I explained most of them today in 5th grade terms.

SOCIAL STUDIES: Ask to see your child's planner for these assignments. This Friday is the last day for Soc. Studies with Miss King. Next week students begin rotation to Mrs. Hill for Science - Heredity.

Monday, 2-14-11

2011-02-14T13:20:00.000-08:00

MATH: p.473 #1-13 EC #18-22 Taught how to add & subtract mixed numbers (whole numbers and fractions, like 4 and 5/8) having fractions with like denominators. Then, students had to reduce sums to lowest terms. For example, when adding 1 and 3/11 + 2 and 8/11 the sum 3 11/11. Students then ask themselves, "Can this sum be reduced to lowest terms?" In this case, the answer is, "Yes!" They would convert 11/11 to 1, then add it to the 3 and come up with the final answer 4.

Okay, subtracting can be confusing. Here's a problem:

4 and 2/7
- 2 and 5/7

You can't subtract 5/7 from 2/7. You have to borrow from the ones, changing the 4 to a 3. The borrowed 1 then becomes 7/7 to be added to the 2/7, resulting in 9/7. The problem is then rewritten as follows:

3 and 9/7
- 2 and 5/7

This is doable. The resulting answer is 1 and 4/7, which cannot be reduced. Fun, huh? (Try doing this with 3o students...) Actually, I think students did fairly well today.

Tomorrow we venture into adding and subtracting mixed numbers with different denominators, finding the Lowest Common Denominator (LCD), converting unlike fractions to common denominator fractions, then add/subtract (borrowing if necessary). I think we'll spend 2-3 days on this lesson.

LANGUAGE ARTS: There are several things going on the next two weeks. First, Patriot Challenge Activities #1 & 2 should have been turned in by now. Today marks the beginning of Activity #3. I'm giving students about 40 minutes/day for the next two weeks to work in class on this. This is plenty of time for most to complete this project in class. In fact, probably 1/3 of class members are already done with Activity #3. Hence, other assignments...

TFK: Students have also been asked to work on a Time For Kids assignments, consisting of 3 papers (double-sided), a total of 6 worksheets related to comprehension. TFK worksheets are due Feb. 11th.

INVENTION: Students have also been challenged to become inventors or researchers. Another assignment has been given for them to create a new invention (demand - supply) or research four American inventions. This is due Feb. 25th.

WRITING: Finally, students should be working on completing "Great Weekend" writing assignment online www.utahwrite.com. This is due Feb. 25th.

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY: The party was fun! Thanks Room Mothers for your time and effort!!!

Thursday 2-10-11

2011-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

MATH: Started Chp. 8. Taught concepts 8-1, 8-2, and 8-3. We did p.461 #6-10 in class. Homework was p.465 #1-20. We worked on this for an hour as I made the rounds and helped all those who were struggling. I think everyone got done in class today. Tomorrow we will do 8-4 where we take the LCD (that we learned about today) and use it to convert fractions to have like denominators in preparation for adding and subtracting fractions.

LANGUAGE ARTS/SOCIAL STUDIES: Showed a PowerPoint on Free Market Economy (ask you students about cow pies) and how a free market economy fosters change and innovation. Students were given the choice to do one of the following: 1) research four American inventions and fill out the provided form, 2) create your own invention and provide either a drawing or make a 3D mock-up of the invention. For option #2 students need to imagine if there were to be a DEMAND for it, and how they would SUPPLY it to those who want it.

NOTE: Patriotic Activity #2 is due tomorrow. Most got done early. We've had plenty of time to get it done in class (if they were on task). Patriotic Activity #3 will be due Feb. 25th in two weeks. Ask your child to see their "Patriotic Challenge" packet for instructions, or just look on my website under the "Social Studies" link.

MISS KING: Students rotate to Miss King Tue. - Fri. They are supposed to write in their planners what is coming due. Ask them what they are doing in Mrs. King's class. It's all about "primary sources" to discover history.

SPELLING: Test tomorrow.

WRITING: We will be starting homework assignments online at www.utahwrite.com next week in preparation for the national DWA (Directed Writing Assessment) on Feb. 28th. Please don't make any appointments for Feb. 28th is possible. Thanks!

VALENTINE'S DAY: Please add Kai Nielson to your student list. She comes from Mrs. Beck's class with us to lunch and specialty classes. She will be at our Valentine's Day Party.

2-9-11

2011-02-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

MATH: No homework today. Chapter 7 Test given today. Most did pretty well. Those who want to retake it must study missed questions with parents and come with a signed note stating that s/he has studied at home and is ready to retake the test. I'll keep the highest score between the original and retake tests.

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: I showed "The Butterfly Circus" today and discussed implications from this incredible short film. Use an Internet search engine and use keywords butterfly circus. The video is available on www.doorpost.com. It's worth watching and discussing as a family.

LANGUAGE ARTS/SOCIAL STUDIES: Patriotic Challenge Activity #2 is due this Friday. Students have been given 4 1/2 - 5 hours of in-class time to get this project done. A few kids have still bee working on Act. #1 and haven't started Act. #2. Activity #3 will begin next week and is due Feb. 25th.

STORYTELLING: We had a kick-off assembly on Storytelling last week. This Friday I'm going to assign students to find a story to start working on. It's best to have the story memorized, but students can use notes when telling it. The focus is on delivery (use of voice, stage movement, body language, facial expression). I'll post a rubric on my website detailing what to work on at home.

VALENTINE'S DAY PARTY: I emailed the class list to all parents. If you didn't get it, please let me know. Students are to make their mailboxes at home. Please have students bring boxes on MONDAY, not earlier. Thanks!

Monday, 2-7-11

2011-02-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

MATH: pgs. 446-447 #1-24 EC #25-27 This is the Chapter 7 practice test. The most difficult concept for students has been changing a fraction to a decimal (divide the numerator by the denominator) and comparing fractions to decimals (change both to decimals and then compare). If you need help with helping your child, look at pages 448+ in the textbook for reteaching ideas.

READING: I told students to get a new Lit Log today. Vocab. words were posted in the classroom. They are ABUNDANT, BENEFICIAL, PRELIMINARY, OPTIMIST, and IDIOM.

PATRIOT CHALLENGE: Activity #2 is due this Friday. Some students are still trying to catch up on Activity #1.

SPELLING: New Spelling list was given out today.

Sep. 8, 2010

2010-09-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

MATH p.24 #6-17 & 19-22

READING Students read a story about the Revolutionary War and were taught the reading comprehension strategy, "Making Connections" by recording a few in their Literacy Journals using a graphic organizer. (As always, students should be reading 20 min./day at home and doing one vocab. word for Lit. Logs - due next Monday.)

WRITING Taught about end punctuation marks: period, question mark, and exclamation mark. Double-sided worksheet given, "End Punctuation 1 & 2" due tomorrow.

SCIENCE Ask your student what they did with Mr. Bown today.

COMPUTERS with Mrs. Naugle for an hour today.

Sep. 7, 2010

2010-09-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

MATH p.19 #1-9

READING New Literacy Logs were put in student mailboxes. Students were given time to write down the new Vocabulary words on the front board on the back of the Lit. Log.

WRITING Spelling List #2 Pretest given. Both Monday's & Tuesday's worksheets were given today, as Monday was a holiday. Students were given time to complete most of the pages in class today.

SCIENCE Students rotate to Mr. Bown for Science. They are to record any Science assignments given by Mr. Bown in their Planners.

SOCIAL STUDIES Introduction to our U.S. History textbook, including Table of Contents, Atlas pages, and Reference pages.

Sep. 3, 2010

2010-09-04T09:54:00.001-07:00

It's Friday, a no homework day!

MATH Students worked in pairs practicing multiplication facts. They used non-faced playing cards (1-10) and played "War." It was fun, and hopefully challenged them to learn their facts better for next Friday.

SPELLING I taught students their usernames & passwords for www.spellingcity.com. They took this week's spelling test online using headphones. It was very successful! Next week I will show students some of the games available on this website. They're great for spelling reinforcement, and will make spelling fun for those who struggle and challenge those who are naturally gifted spellers. I will be challenging gifted spellers with additional lists next week. There will be incentives, too. (I'll send an instruction sheet next week home with their usernames & passwords for this website next Tuesday.)

ART I spent 30 minutes teaching students how to use a ruler to measure inches, half inches and quarter inches. For a few it was new information. I ran around the classroom helping students put a one inch border around drawing paper. I think we're now ready to gravitate toward more creative ventures in art!

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT The whole 5th grade watched "For the Birds" on the Pixar Shorts DVD. We related it to school, and how the small birds teased and bullied the big blue bird who just wanted to fit in. I believe students truly understood the deeper meaning of being kind and loving to others who may be a little bit different that they are.

Sep. 2, 2010

2010-09-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

MATH Comparing and Ordering Decimals p.13 #1-17 odds EC #20-25

READING DRA Packets

WRITING The Writing Process, continued

SOCIAL STUDIES "Everybody Rejoice" again. They love this song! Students also took a Social Studies Pretest that will be repeated again in May to see how much they've learned about American History.

Sep. 1, 2010

2010-09-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

MATH Place Value Through Thousandths p.10 #1-19 odds EC #35-37

READING DRA Packets

WRITING Introduction to the Writing Process. Even great baseball players had to strike out before become successful. Writing is a process. It's going to take time to become great writers.

SOCIAL STUDIES Taught words to the song "Everybody Rejoice" and related this modern song to Revolutionary War times. (from the movie, "The Wiz")

Aug. 31, 2010

2010-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

MATH Comparing and Ordering Whole Numbers p.7 #1-16 EC #17-18

READING DRA Packets. This will probably take until Friday.

WRITING Writing Prompt Continued

SOCIAL STUDIES Taught the words to "Yankee Doodle" and the 1700s meanings of doodle, dandy, keg, etc.

Aug. 30, 2009

2010-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

The week's now underway. Please check daily for basic subject assignments which your student wrote in his/her journal. Email any questions you have about class.

I introduced my classroom management system with Williams money. Students may earn money by good behavior, coming up with correct answers during class, or doing extra credit. I also give $5/day for them to do their jobs, which is to learn. Students not staying on task, not doing homework, or not following rules may have to pay back some of the money they've earned. Once every trimester I'll have a "Williams Mall" where students can sell items brought from home (made or bought). Money is exchanged this way, and a week later I hold a "Williams Auction" where I auction off stuff I've bought to get the money back into the bank. It's really fun, and it really works well for me.

MATH Place Value p.5 #1-25 odds Extra Credit (EC) #27-31

READING I have been testing students during the "Power Hour" this week. This should be done by Friday so we can begin regular instruction next week.

WRITING Writing Prompt: "If I were an explorer and discovered a new land (planet, etc.) what and who did you discover, how did you get there, and what are you going to do now that you've discovered a new place?" We'll be typing this up in the next week or so.

August 27, 2010

2010-08-29T01:06:00.000-07:00

The last three days were fun! Students had the chance to get to know me and each other better. The hiring of a new 5th grade teacher today caused both excitement and anguish for students, teachers, and parents. Having 40 students in 5th grade classes would not have been in the best interest of students. We welcome Mrs. Hill to our team, knowing she is a seasoned teacher very familiar with 5th grade curriculum.

I will begin teaching Utah State Core Curriculum next Monday. Homework will be given each night, Monday through Thursday. In addition, I will start administering the Directed Reading Assessment (DRA) to help determine your child's reading level and needs. If there is a concern, I'll be in touch with you to formulate a plan for advancement of reading and comprehension skills.